Arcadia Unified Students to Receive Free Breakfast and Lunch through the 2023-24 School Year
Arcadia Unified’s Nutrition Services Director Kathleen Ashworth (left) speaking with families about the school district’s meal programs during a community engagement event.
Each of Arcadia Unified School District’s nearly 9,000 students will have access to free breakfast and lunch for the 2023-2024 school year.
Arcadia Unified recently announced this amendment to its meals for students policy based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) requirements as listed under the USDA’s National School Lunch/ School Breakfast Programs.
In school years that preceded 2020, in order to receive free or reduced-price meals, families had to complete a meal application with the district, explained Arcadia Unified’s Nutrition Services Director Kathleen Ashworth. Since 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, meals have been entirely free for every student in Arcadia Unified, with no application required. Ashworth, however, advised that families are still highly encouraged to complete a Meal Application, as the information collected from a family’s completion of this form aids Arcadia Unified in receiving important federal and state reimbursements that help with hundreds of thousands in funding for its students and is based on household income and eligibility information. Only one application is needed per family, and the information collected in the form may also help families qualify for other state or federally funded school benefits.
For more information regarding Arcadia Unified’s Nutrition Services programs and to access its Meal Application, visit bit.ly/AcadiaUnifiedNutritionServices. To learn more about the USDA’s National School Lunch Program, visit fns.usd.gov/nslp.