HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. — All students in Hawkins County schools will be able to eat breakfast and lunch for free starting Jan. 3, 2024. The school district announced the pilot program on Dec. 13, saying it would be in place for the rest of the 2023 - 2024 school year.
According to the school district, students were already able to get breakfast free during the fall semester and six of the district's 16 schools were operating under the Community Eligibility Provision of the United States Department of Agriculture. The provision effectively gives schools in low-income areas the chance to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to enrolled students, without collecting applications.
The new pilot program acts as an extension of the CEP program to the district's ten other schools, according to Hawkins County Schools. It said the extension was available due to the federal government lowering the threshold for schools that could participate in it.
Hancock County was one of three East Tennessee counties considered "distressed" in a June report by the Appalachian Regional Commission, due to a high poverty rate and a per capita market income of only $18,162 per year.
The school district also said it would re-evaluate student data in late spring to decide whether students could continue eating for free in future school years.
"Our goal is to always offer our students and families the best possible benefits and we believe this will be a tremendous immediate financial assistance," the school district said.
Students will be able to get a healthy breakfast and lunch at school without their families having to submit an application, and they can choose to purchase second meals or a la carte items. They will need to have cash or funds in their meal accounts to buy additional items.
Families with a negative balance in their meal accounts on Jan. 3, 2024, will also need to pay that balance by the end of the school year, Hawkins County Schools said. Anyone with questions about the program can reach out to the Hawkins County Schools Child Nutrition Office at 423-272-2128. They can also send an email to mandy.kenner@hck12.net.
