TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Breakfast and lunch will once again be free for every Tucson Unified School District student this school year.
Students at all 87 TUSD schools can receive one free breakfast and one free lunch every day.
"No paperwork needed. The students just come through the service line and our staff will feed them," Lindsey Aguilar, TUSD's director of food services, said.
The meals are funded through the federal Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, which is part of the National School Lunch Program. Schools qualify based on the number of families already enrolled in assistance programs like SNAP and Medicaid. TUSD is now in its third year participating in the program.
"Breakfast and lunch at school is just part of that educational environment, and our students need to ensure that they have the proper nutrition so they can focus, retain the information, do well in school," Aguilar said.
Before the district adopted CEP, Aguilar says about 72% of students qualified for free or reduced meals. Currently, about 62% of households automatically qualify for free meals.
"Those numbers are going down based on the changes to SNAP benefit eligibility, so we're seeing reductions in that. But the way CEP works is we're approved for a four-year cycle, so we have this full year and the next school year as well that we're able to continue the program," Aguilar said.
Families who need additional food assistance outside the school day can turn to TUSD's Family Resource Centers.
"They have food pantries that can assist with bridging some of those challenges with food access beyond outside of the school day with the meal program," Aguilar said.
Students staying after school can also receive a free "super snack."
"That is another resource available. If students are on campus after school, they can participate in that program, even if they're not signed up for the after-school camp or activity that is available for free to all children on campus," Aguilar said.
Parents and guardians can find school menus and food services resources on the TUSD website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
