Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District is now eligible to provide 10 of the district's 16 schools with free meals through the State of Oregon's Community Eligibility Provision.
Eligible schools are determined by the State's eligibility determination process, which was recently adjusted to make more schools eligible across the state. Schools are eligible if at least 25% of students are directly certified or otherwise identified for free meals through State channels such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which was lowered from the previous threshold of 40%.
The 10 schools currently participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) will offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students in the meal line. The district is hopeful that it will be able to offer free meals through CEP to all West Linn-Wilsonville schools in future years. Students who do not attend a CEP eligible school can continue to fill out the free and reduced meal application to see if they are eligible for free or reduced meals. The 10 eligible schools, starting in the 2024-25 school year, include:
What is the Community Eligible Provision (CEP)?
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a meal service option that allows schools and school districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without the burden of certifying students for meal benefits. Schools that adopt the CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students who are normally certified for free school meals, without an application.
Why aren’t all schools participating in CEP?
Schools are only eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision based on the Oregon Department of Education's eligibility determination process, which uses school demographics to determine whether a school qualifies. Currently, only 10 of the district's 16 schools qualify for CEP.
Do I need to apply to get free meals for my student?
Families do not need to apply if their student attends one of the CEP eligible schools. All students who attend an eligible school can go through the meal line to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day.
Qualified families do need to apply for free and reduced lunch if their student attends a school that is not part of the CEP program. These schools include Bolton Primary, Stafford Primary, Trillium Creek Primary, Rosemont Ridge Middle School, Athey Creek Middle School, and West Linn High School. Qualified families can apply for free and reduced lunch through this online application.
Where can I learn more about CEP and what to expect next school year?
To review other FAQs, or for more information about CEP, please visit the district website. Thank you for your attention to this update.
