Some Charlotte County Schools Lose Eligibility for Free Meal Program

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

Charlotte County Schools

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FLA — Charlotte County Public Schools (CCPS) is notifying families of an upcoming change to student meal services. Beginning next school year, only select schools will remain eligible to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federally funded program.

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and districts in low-income areas. It allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.

Since 2022, following the impact of Hurricane Ian, CCPS has participated in CEP and has been able to provide free meals to all students districtwide. However, based on updated federal eligibility requirements tied to the percentage of students who are directly certified, some schools no longer meet the threshold required to remain in the program. As a result, only certain schools will continue to qualify for CEP and offer free meals to all students.

Direct certification refers to students who automatically qualify for meal assistance through participation in federal programs such as SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, Foster, Homeless, Migrant, Runaway, or Head Start.

For the upcoming school year, eight CCPS schools will continue to qualify for CEP and will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students for the next four years:

Peace River Elementary School
Baker/Pre-K Center
The Academy
Neil Armstrong Elementary School
Kingsway Elementary School
Meadow Park Elementary School
Port Charlotte Middle School
Murdock Middle School

All other CCPS schools will no longer qualify for CEP for the next four years. These include:

Deep Creek Elementary School
East Elementary School
Liberty Elementary School
Myakka River Elementary School
Sallie Jones Elementary School
Vineland Elementary School
Charlotte Harbor Center
L.A. Ainger Middle School
Punta Gorda Middle School
Charlotte High School
Port Charlotte High School
Lemon Bay High School

Families with students attending schools that do not qualify for CEP are strongly encouraged to complete a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application after July 1, 2026. Families can complete the application as part of the annual enrollment forms in the Focus Parent Portal. Approval is based on household income and may allow eligible students to receive meals at no cost or at a reduced price. Families who need assistance completing the application or have questions are encouraged to contact the CCPS Food and Nutrition Services Department at 941-575-5400.