WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Starting in the fall, every Wakulla County Schools student will receive free breakfast and lunch for the next four years.
On Monday, the Wakulla County School Board unanimously approved to apply for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Lunch and Breakfast Program for all schools.
According to Superintendent Bobby Pearce, federally collected data will allow them to apply to the CEP program. He says that the application is data-based, so the district is confident that they will be approved to provide free lunch and breakfast to all Wakulla County students at all schools for the next four years.
If the district can get 100 percent participation, the decision would save an estimated $2 million in food cost to parents over four years. Pearce says the only requirement is that the district increase student participation by 20 percent for breakfast and 15 percent for lunch.
"It's a win-win not only for the parents but for the county locally," said Pearce. "We're hoping some of those dollars saved will stay in Wakulla County."
The district has until June 30 to apply, though Pearce says they plan to apply long before then.
At the end of the four years, the district will again need to apply for the program using federally generated data.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows high poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.
