District continues to offer free breakfast to all students
The Socorro Independent School District is committed to offering delicious and nutritious breakfasts and lunches for all students to support their academic success. The SISD Child Nutrition Services department ensures all meals are balanced, meet federal and state standards, and options are provided to offer students the meals they enjoy with the nutrition they need to excel in the classroom.
For the 2022-2023 school year, applications for free and reduced-priced meals in Team SISD will be accepted online at www.sisd.net/mealapplication.
The online application process offers families an easy, quick, and efficient way to complete the form to determine if they qualify for free or reduced cost meals. For more information or questions about the online meal application, call (915) 937-0450.
The district will continue to offer free breakfast to all students this school year. As part of the Breakfast in the Classroom program, all elementary and middle school students, regardless of income eligibility, will receive breakfast free of charge beginning August 1, 2022. Free breakfast for all high school students in the district will continue to be offered through the School Breakfast Program. Check out your high school for information on second chance breakfast, which is breakfast served later in the morning to meet the needs of students who participate in sports, band, and other extracurricular activities early in the school day.
Students enrolled at 26 participating Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) campuses will receive all meals for free. Students at these schools do not need to fill out the meal application for free and reduced lunch.
CEP schools include Benito Martinez, Campestre, Rojas, Elfida P. Chavez, Escontrias, H.D. Hilley, Hueco, Hurshel Antwine, KEYS Elementary, Mission Ridge, Myrtle Cooper, O’Shea Keleher, Purple Heart, Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco, Sierra Vista, and Vista del Sol elementary schools; Desert Wind, Ernesto Serna, Bill Sybert, and Jane A. Hambric K-8 schools; Capt. Walter E. Clarke, Salvador H. Sanchez and Socorro middle schools; KEYS Academy, Options High School, and Escontrias Early Childhood Center.
Lunch prices for the 2022-2023 school year for grades Pre-K through fifth (PK-5) will be $2.10 and $2.45 for grades sixth through 12th. Students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The reduced price for lunch is 40 cents.
Team SISD parents can manage their child’s school meal accounts online using the MySchoolBucks app. With the app, they can set up automatic payments, add money to the account through the simple and secure system, and receive low balance alerts. In addition, Team SISD parents may also use the Meal Viewer app to view school breakfast and lunch menus and get the nutritional values of the specific food items. The MealViewer app is available for free download from the App Store or Google Play.
SISD provides free and reduced-price meals for children who qualify under the attached current income eligibility guidelines https://squaremeals.org/FandNResources/IncomeEligibilityGuidelines.aspx. Each SISD school and the District Education Center has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by anyone on request.
Online applications can be completed at computers in the Child Nutrition Services Office, 12100 Eastlake Dr., the District Service Center, 12440 Rojas, and at schools districtwide.
Criteria for Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benefits
The following criteria will be used to determine a child’s eligibility for free or reduced-price meal benefits:
Income
- Household income that is at or below the income eligibility levels
Categorical or Automatic Eligibility
- Household receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Program Participant
- Child’s status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant, or displaced by a declared disaster
Income Eligibility
For those households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on income, an adult in the household must fill out a free and reduced-price meal application online. For more information, contact Sandra Velasquez, CNS Data Specialist, 12100 Eastlake, El Paso, Texas, 79928, 915-937-0450. Those individuals filling out the application will need to provide the following information:
- Names of all household members
- Amount, frequency, and source of current income for each household member
- Last 4 digits of the Social Security number of the adult household member who signs the application or, if the adult does not have a social security number, check the box for
“No Social Security number”
- Signature of an adult household member attesting that the information provided is correct
Categorical or Program Eligibility
Socorro Independent School District, Child Nutrition Services is working with local agencies to identify all children who are categorically and program eligible. Socorro Independent School District, Child Nutrition Services will notify the households of these children that they do not need to complete an application. Any household that does not receive a letter and feels it should have should contact Sandra Velasquez, CNS Data Specialist, 12100 Eastlake, El Paso, Texas, 79928, 915-937-0450.
Any household that wishes to decline benefits should submit an online application and choose to deny benefits.
Applications may be submitted anytime during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility. Applications may also be verified by the school officials at any time during the school year.
Determining Eligibility
Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy, Sandra Velasquez, CNS Data Specialist, will review applications and determine eligibility. Households or guardians dissatisfied with the Reviewing Official’s eligibility determination may wish to discuss the decision with the Reviewing Official on an informal basis. Households wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either orally or in writing to Shelley Chenausky, Director of Child Nutrition Services, 12100 Eastlake,
El Paso, Texas, 79928, 915-937-0450.
Unexpected Circumstances
If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for benefits if the household’s income falls at or below the attached current income eligibility guidelines.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: : (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Published July 13, 2022
Strategic Direction: Safe and Supportive Learning Environment