The Maryland State Department of Education announced revised Income Eligibility Guidelines for free and reduced price school meals. The guidelines are set by the federal government.
The guidelines are used to determine if children are eligible for free or reduced price meals for the period from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines are required by the Section 9 of the Richard Russell National School Lunch Act.
The guidelines are intended to directly benefit those children most in need. They are revised annually to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index. The free and reduced guidelines were obtained by multiplying the 2009 federal income poverty guidelines by 130 percent and 185 percent.
Household size and income is the most common way to determine eligibility. Meal benefit applications will be sent home from school at the beginning of the school year.
U.S. citizenship is not required to be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Parents/Guardians should fill out the application completely and send it back to the school. Schools cannot approve incomplete applications.
