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Frederick County Public Schools1415 Amherst Street
Winchester, VA 22601
2026-2027 LETTER TO HOUSEHOLDS
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Children need healthy meals to learn. Frederick County Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Student breakfast costs $1.70 and lunch costs $3.15 at middle and high schools and $2.90 at elementary schools. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch meals. For school year 2026-2027, the cost of reduced-price meals is being waived; therefore, students approved for reduced-price meals will not have to pay.
All meals served must meet standards established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, if a student has been determined by a doctor to be disabled and the disability prevents the student from eating the regular school meal, the school will make substitutions prescribed by the doctor. If a substitution is prescribed, there will be no extra charge for the meal. If your student needs substitutions because of a disability, please contact Penny Curry at (540) 662-3889 ext. 88159 for further information.
All children in households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are eligible for free meals. Foster children who are the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals. Students who are eligible for Medicaid may also be eligible for free or reduced-price meals based on the household’s income. Children who are members of households participating in WIC may also be eligible for free or reduced-price meals based on the household’s income. If your total household income is at or below the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines, shown on the chart below, your child(ren) may get free meals or reduced-price meals. You must send in a new household application for your child(ren) each school year.
Your child(ren) may be eligible for free meals or reduced price meals if your household income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines chart shown below.
Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines
Effective July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027
HouseholdSize Year Month Week
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1 │ $29,526 │ $2,461 │ $568 │
│ 2 │ $40,034 │ $3,337 │ $770 │
│ 3 │ $50,542 │ $4,212 │ $972 │
│ 4 │ $61,050 │ $5,088 │ $1,175 │
│ 5 │ $71,558 │ $5,964 │ $1,377 │
│ 6 │ $82,066 │ $6,839 │ $1,579 │
│ 7 │ $92,574 │ $7,715 │ $1,781 │
│ 8 │ $103,082 │ $8,591 │ $1,983 │
├──────────────────────────────────┤
For each │ $10,508 │ $876 │ $203 │
additional
family member add:
HOW TO APPLY
Households that are receiving SNAP or TANF for their children as of July 1 may not have to fill out an application. School officials will notify you in writing of your child(ren)’s eligibility for free meal benefits. Once notified, your child(ren) will receive free meals unless you tell the school that you do not want benefits. If you are not notified by August 11, 2026, you must submit an application. The application must contain the names of all students in the household, the SNAP or TANF case number, and the signature of an adult household member.
If you do not receive SNAP or TANF benefits for your child(ren) complete the application and return it to the school division. If you do not list a SNAP or TANF case number for the child(ren) you are applying for, then the application must have the names of all students, the names of all other household members, the amount of income each person received last month, and how often the income was received. An adult household member must sign the application and include the last four digits of the social security number. If the person does not have a social security number, check the box provided indicating none. You or your child(ren) do not have to be U.S. citizens to qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
If you are applying for a foster child, who is the legal responsibility of a welfare agency or court, an application may not be required. Contact Pamela Morrison at (540) 662-3889 ext. 88247 for more information. If you are applying for a homeless, migrant, or runaway child, an application may not be necessary. Contact Tyler Thompson at (540) 662-3889 ext. 88142 for more information.
An application that is not complete cannot be approved. An application that is not signed is not complete. You must send in a new application each school year.
Your child(ren) may be eligible for other benefits such as the Virginia children’s health insurance program called Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS) and/or Medicaid. The law allows the school division to share your free or reduced-price meal eligibility information with Medicaid and FAMIS. These programs can only use the information to identify children who may be eligible for free or low-cost health insurance, and to enroll them in either Medicaid or FAMIS. These agencies are not allowed to use the information from your free or reduced-price meal application for any other purpose. Medicaid officials or officials with FAMIS may contact you to get more information. You are not required to allow us to share this information with Medicaid or the FAMIS program. Your decision will not affect your child(ren)’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals. If you do not want your information shared, please check the appropriate box in Section 6 of the application. You may qualify for other assistance programs. To find out how to apply for SNAP or other assistance programs, contact the local social service office in your area.
School officials use the information on the application to determine if your child is eligible to received free or reduced-price meals and to verify eligibility. As authorized by the National School Lunch Act, the school division may inform officials connected with other child nutrition, health, and education programs of the information on your application to determine benefits for those programs or for funding and/or evaluation purposes.
VERIFICATION:
School officials may check your eligibility at any time during the school year. School officials may ask you to send information to prove that your child(ren) should receive free or reduced-price meals.
FAIR HEARING:
If you do not agree with the decision on your application or the results of verification, you may wish to discuss it with officials in the school nutrition office at the telephone number below. If you wish to review the final decision on your application, you also have the right to a fair hearing. You can request a hearing by calling or writing the following official:
Hearing Official Name: Assistant Superintendent for Administration , Ben ThompsonPhone: 540-662-3888
Address: 1415 Amherst Street, Wincheter, VA 22601
REAPPLICATION: You may reapply for free and reduced-price meals any time during the school year. If you are not eligible now but have a change in the future, such as a decrease in household income, an increase in household size, become unemployed or get SNAP or TANF for your child(ren), fill out an application at that time.
If you need help filling out the application form, please contact the school your child(ren) attends or the central school nutrition office. Return the complete, signed application to: your student’s home school or 1415 Amherst St., Winchester, VA 22601.
You will be notified when your child(ren)'s application is approved or denied. If you have questions or need help, call:
Name: Pamela Morrison, School Nutrition SpecialistTelephone #: 540-662-3889 ext:88247
Sincerely,
Penny Curry
Director of School Nutrition Services
Telephone: 540-662-3889 ext. 88159
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at: How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
- Mail:
- Fax:
- Email:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Mail Stop 9410
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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