PARIS, Ill. (WCIA) — When students return to school in Paris this year, the school will be feeding them at no cost to the students.
Mary Morgan Ryan, the Superintendent of Paris School District 95, said all schools in the district will be offering free breakfast and lunch to students. Ryan explained that the district participates in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program; based on the population District 95 serves, the CEP program allows the district to provide meals at no cost to students and without asking for families to submit applications.
The district will be reimbursed for meals provided to students.
“We are very proud of our nutrition program,” Ryan said. “Our families have expressed gratitude for providing children two healthy nutritious meals each day. With this basic need met, our students can more fully engage in learning.”
The district plans to offer free breakfast and lunch through at least 2027. At that time, the district will renew their application to participate in the CEP program.
In addition to Paris, other school districts including Springfield, Decatur, Champaign, Urbana and Rantoul also participate in the CEP program.
