Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program and Additional Benefits

Children in households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and foster, homeless, migrant and runaway children can get free school meals without reporting household income. Alternatively, children can get free school meals if their household income is within the maximum income shown for their household size on the instructions.

To apply for free school meals, please complete the Application for Educational Benefits form.

Children in households participating in WIC or Medical Assistance do not automatically qualify for free meals.  Children may be eligible for free or reduced-price school meals depending on other household financial information. Please fill out an application. 

Include yourself and all other people living in the household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives, or friends).

Yes. You or your children do not have to be U.S. citizens for your children to qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.

List the amount that you normally get. If you normally get overtime, include it, but not if you get overtime only sometimes. For seasonal work, write in the total annual income.

It may be. We may also ask you to send written proof.

Information you provide on the form, and your child’s approval for meal benefits, will be protected as private data. For more information see the back page of the Application for Educational Benefits.

Yes. Please complete an application at any time if your income goes down, your household size goes up, or you start getting SNAP, MFIP or FDPIR benefits.

Federal Benefit P-EBT for Grades K-12

The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) is a temporary food benefit for Minnesota families approved for free or reduced-price meals. Students may be eligible for P-EPT benefits of $8.10 per each day they were absent due to a COVID-19 impact during the 2022-2023 school year (September 6, 2022-May 11, 2023, when the federal pandemic emergency ends). Absences after May 11 are not eligible.

If you had a student absence/s during the 2022-23 school year through May 11: 

Review your student’s absence/s on the Parent Portal. Learn how to view absences. If your absence does not state “COVID” in the description it will not qualify for the benefit.   
If COVID is not listed as the reason, please call your student’s school with the dates your student was absent with a COVID-19 related impact so that they can update the reason for the absence reason for you. 

The District is reporting COVID-related absences in accordance with the Minnesota Department of Education timelines for payment to families. Please review your student’s absences and if you have changes, contact your school by the following dates: 

• Review and update absences September 6-March 31, 2023 by April 26.  Receive funds late May 2023.  Call your student’s school/s with absence changes.
• Review and update absences September 6-May 11, 2023 by June 23.  Receive funds late July 2023. Call your student’s school/s with absence changes. After June 6,  please contact the District Office at 763-792-6000 with absence changes.
• Last chance review and update absences September 6 – May 11, 2023 by July 24.  Receive funds late August 2023. Call your student’s school with absence changes.  After June 6, please contact the District Office at 763.792.6000 with absence changes.

The federal pandemic emergency ends on May 11, 2023 - absences after this date are not applicable.   

For more information on this Federal program, please see https://mn.gov/dhs/p-ebt/. 

Not approved for Educational Benefits and you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced-price meals?  
Please complete an Educational Benefits application on your Parent Portal before June 14 as you may be eligible for summer EBT benefits.

Federal Benefit P-EBT for Qualifying Early Childhood Special Education Students

Students who are qualified for free or reduced-price school meals may be eligible for a Federal Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) for COVID-19 related absence/s through May 11 when the federal  pandemic emergency ends. Absences after May 11 are not eligible. You have a COVID-related absence, please call Kelly Marquard at 763-792-6140. More information on this Federal program see https://mn.gov/dhs/p-ebt/.