Lake students to eat for free

TAVARES — Students dining in their Lake County school cafeteria this year will continue to sit down with their classic tray of food free of charge in 2019-20, district officials say.

The Lake County School District has once again enrolled in a national program that provides lunch for students in low-income areas. Though the district enrolled as a group, nearly every school in Lake qualified independently last year, and the same can be said heading into 2019.

"Not only does this approach reduce burdens for both families and school administrators, but it helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals," said Linda Milliken, the district's supervisor of food services. "Studies have shown that children who are not hungry perform better in school. By providing meals to all children at no charge, we are hoping to create a better learning environment for our students."

The lunches are paid for through the Community Eligibility Provision under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, schools and school districts that participate are reimbursed for meals if they qualify based on the number of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches. More than 40% means a school is eligible.

Out of Lake’s schools, 34 qualify, 10 more are less than 10% away from qualifying, and just two (Cypress Ridge Elementary School and Lake Minneola High School) were well away from the mark, with roughly 20% and 27.5% of students qualifying, respectively.

The USDA documentation noted that those schools are still able to participate because the district is enrolled as a single unit.

Milliken said the program was popular last year and appeared to make an impact. Students eating breakfast at school increased by 36% across the district, she said, and students eating school lunches increased by 20%.

According to the Food Research and Action Center, a national nonprofit that works to "eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States," Lake was one of over 4,600 school districts participating last year. The program debuted in 2014.