Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the Gladstone School District is now eligible to provide all four of our district's schools with free meals through the State of Oregon's Community Eligibility Provision.
By participating in the CEP, Gladstone schools will offer one breakfast and one lunch at no cost to all enrolled students in meal lines.
This is an expansion of Gladstone's free meal programs. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, all K-5 and Preschool Promise Program enrolled students at Gladstone Center for Children & Families and John Wetten Elementary School became eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge.
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 Oregon Health Plan, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which was lowered from the previous threshold of 40%.
What is the Community Eligible Provision (CEP)?
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.
Do I need to apply to get free meals for my student?
Families do not need to apply if their student attends one of Gladstone schools, which are all CEP eligible. 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.
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 our district website. Thank you for your attention to this update. This institution is an equal opportunity employer.