SJSD officials urging families to fill out meal assistance applications
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- St. Joseph School District families that qualify for meal assistance during the 2026-27 school year will now need to complete a Free and Reduced Meals Application.
In recent years, some district schools participated in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allowed all students to receive free meals automatically. However, that program is ending for SJSD, making applications necessary once again.
“With our CEP cycle ending and changes within the district coinciding along with that we will not have CEPs, so that’s why we are shifting and needing families to fill out free and reduced meal applications,” said Rebecca Schoeneck, SJSD director of Nutrition Services.
Eligibility is based on household income and the number of people living in the home.
Beginning July 1, families can submit an application online through SchoolCafe. Applications will also be available on the district’s website, and paper copies can be requested through individual schools or the Nutrition Services Office.
Staff is available to help families complete the process if needed.
“They can also apply if the situation changes at home, so if somebody loses a job or if somebody sees a decrease in pay and they feel that the change would allow them to qualify, then they can apply,” Schoeneck said.
To complete the online application, families will need to create a SchoolCafe account and have their student’s ID number available.
In addition to helping cover the cost of school meals, qualifying for free or reduced-price meals may also open the door to other benefits, including scholarships, ACT assistance and additional district programs.
“This is a big thing for families to be able to not feel that burden of having to know whether they can have breakfast or lunch for their students,” Schoeneck said.
For students who qualify for reduced-price meals, breakfast costs 30 cents and lunch costs 40 cents. The district also implemented a 10-cent increase in meal prices for students who do not qualify for free or reduced meals, as required by regulations from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Some students will automatically qualify for free meals through a direct certification list provided by the State of Missouri.
This includes students whose families receive SNAP benefits, as well as students identified by the state as foster or homeless.
“If you have a student that is on this list, you will be receiving a letter stating that you automatically qualify for free meals and you don’t need to apply,” Schoeneck said.
Schoeneck encourages families who receive an eligibility letter to carefully review it and make sure all students in the household are listed. If they are, all listed students will qualify for free meals.
Families only need to complete one application per household, even if their children attend different schools throughout the district.
The application will open on July 1.
