All Medina students will again be offered free breakfast and lunch this school year

MEDINA – The Medina school district announced it has been approved for a federal grant to continue providing free breakfast and lunch to all students.

Medina has been offering free breakfast and lunch to all students the past four years through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Breakfast/Lunch Program.

“This program has been a tremendous help to our students,” said Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent. “It’s harder to learn when you’re hungry. We know that all of our kids will have a breakfast and lunch each day.”

The CEP program provides the opportunity for schools in high poverty areas to provide two nutritious meals every school day, while eliminating the stigma for those students previously identified as “low income.”

The CEP began in 2011 with three states piloting the program and then became a nationwide program in 2014. To be eligible for CEP at least 40 percent of students must be identified as “directly certified” for free meals without a meal application through programs such as SNAP, TANF and Medicaid. Medina school district has met this eligibility guideline.

For additional information about the program, contact the following:

• Medina Jr.-Sr. High School, Principal Michael Cavanagh, at (585) 798-2700 ext. 1
• Clifford Wise Intermediate School, Co-Principal Daniel Doctor, at (585) 798-2700 ext. 2
• Oak Orchard Primary School, Principal Jennifer Stearns, at (585) 798-2700 ext. 3