A sure sign that back to school is just around the corner, the Texas Department of Agriculture has opened applications for free and reduced-price meals for the 2023-24 school year.
Students needing free and reduced-price meals need to have an approved application to receive them.
Parents and caregivers can find the standard application here. They can also contact their students' schools to request an application. The completed application can be returned to the school's office or submitted online, if applicable.
To determine if a student is eligible, schools look at income, participation in other federal nutrition assistance programs, and status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant, or displaced by a declared disaster, according to the TDA.
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"Children will go back to school before you know it and this year families have a new reason to get the application for free and reduced-price meals submitted as soon as possible," TDA Commissioner Miller said in a statement. "Submitting the application for free and reduced-price meals early will help schools prepare to implement this new benefit and provide healthy, balanced meals to more students."
