The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District announced on Friday, September 18, that they will be assisting families by providing free meals to all students through December 31, or until program funds are depleted. This benefit is for students who attend school onsite, via 100% remote learning with their KPBSD school, or through Connections Homeschool. The benefit is retroactive to the beginning of the school year in August, so any purchased meals between August 24 and September 18 will be refunded to student accounts.
Schools that offer breakfast in the mornings will provide both breakfast and lunch for free.
Pegge Erkeneff of KPBSD told KSRM News on Friday that parents are still encouraged to fill out their 2020-21 meal applications by the October 1 deadline. Even families that are not typically on the free-and-reduced school meal program may not know the weight that these applications have for all students on the Kenai: “Free and reduced applications for meals is not only used for meals, it determines what our federal funding is in the Kenai Peninsula. It’s used for e-rate, it’s used for a lot of our federal programs, for our pre-school program, so based on that application, it’s not just to qualify for the meals. It gives the data to the state and then for our federal funding, that’s what it’s based on. So, we really need people to fill them out this year, especially since we have so many students who aren’t necessarily in a classroom, and all of the Connections families, we’ll be reaching out to, asking them to please complete that form. It benefits all of our children, as it’s the Kenai Peninsula’s portion of the federal funds.”
Parents also should fill out the applications to ensure their students will not be dropped from the meal program on October 6. This year, all applications will be accepted online through the new state portal at mealapp.kpbsd.org. If someone does not have access to the internet, each school will have a few paper applications in the school office.
Get It and Go Meals will be provided to families who choose 100% Remote Learning with their KPBSD School, and also available for students enrolled in the KPBSD’s Connections Homeschool program. Meals will be available for pickup once a week.
Pegge Erkeneff offered information about the process for Remote Learning and Connections Homeschool students: “You need to sign up every week for your meals if you’re a 100% Remote Learner, or attending Connections Homeschool, and that’s by Friday at noon for pickup the following Wednesday morning. You’ll choose where you’ll pick-up location is on that online form that you fill out.”
If a KPBSD school shifts to the ‘red’ High Risk for COVID-19 transmission, including a shift to 100% Remote Learning, students will also be able to receive Get It and Go Meals.
