When it was recently announced that the majority of schools in Harrison County would see all of their students be eligible for free meals – both breakfast and lunch – it likely brought a smile to the faces of a lot of families. It’s highly likely there weren’t as many smiles here in Bridgeport.

 

The expansion of the free meals program through the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) means that at the start of the 2016-17 school year all but four public schools in Harrison County will receive free meals. Four schools are not part of the program. The four schools – Bridgeport High School, Bridgeport Middle School, Johnson Elementary and Simpson Elementary.

 

When word came out last week about the matter, many in the Bridgeport community were less than pleased to learn they weren’t part of the list. Along with taking to social media to voice their concerns, many also contacted the Harrison County Board of Education, according to Assistant Superintendent of Schools Anthony Fratto.

 

“We were inundated with calls about it,” said Fratto.

 

Some of the concern rested with misinformation. Kids that were already receiving free and reduced lunch at the Bridgeport schools would continue to do so. In fact, Fratto said under the new CEP guidelines those in Bridgeport schools that are receiving reduced meals or would be eligible for reduced meals, will now receive free meals.

 

As for the expansion that didn’t include the Bridgeport schools, but the 17 other schools in the county, Fratto said due to it being a federal program the guidelines for reimbursement would allow Bridgeport to be included.

 

“It’s federally funded and there are criteria that need to be met based on the overall free or reduced population of a school,” Fratto said. “If it reaches a certain percentage, then you can make that entire school part of the free (meals) program.”

 

According to a CEP notice on the Harrison County BOE’s Web site, in order to qualify as a school the percentage needed to be reached is 40 percent. The same notice listed Bridgeport High School’s at 13.83 percent, BMS at 21.37 percent, Johnson at 18.26 percent and Simpson at 21.55 percent.

 

“In Bridgeport, there’s just not a high enough of a population (on free and reduced meals) to be eligible for (CEP).  In order to do provide free meals to those schools, we’d get no reimbursement,” said Fratto.

 

With the change, those at the 17 schools outside of Bridgeport need to take no action – no application or paperwork as all meals are free. At the Bridgeport schools, an application can be picked up at any of the four schools, at the Harrison County Board of Education offices in Clarksburg or by doing so online by clicking HERE.

 

“It would actually be so much easier on us if we could just give the free meals to everyone because we could eliminate the paperwork and stop worrying about chasing families for charges for meals,” said Fratto. “We can’t do that, however. If we don’t follow the rules then we would lose (federal) funding for the entire county on food services, which is substantial.”

 

Click HERE to see the explanation on the Harrison County BOE Web site.