Families that qualify for free and reduced meals need to fill out a Free and Reduced Meal Price Application Form each year. Only one completed application is required per family. All students in a household are listed on one application. The information you give will be used to determine or prove your children’s eligibility for P-EBT benefits if they are issued to South Carolina.  Please complete the Free and Reduced Meal Price Online Application Form or a paper Free and Reduced Meal Price Application Form and return it to any school office. You will be notified by email of your child's status in the first week of school. Until notification, you must provide your child with a lunch or lunch money.

Spartanburg School District 7 has also adopted community eligibility for students to receive free meals under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP is a powerful federal option that enables high-need schools to offer breakfast and lunch to students at no charge. The CEP schools in D7 for the 2022-2023 school year are Carver Middle, Cleveland Academy, Drayton Mills Elementary, E.P. Todd School, Mary H. Wright Elementary and Meeting Street Academy. As a reminder, families with children in these schools still need to complete a free and reduced meal application for P-EBT eligibility and other benefits. 

Children need healthy meals to learn. Spartanburg County School District 7 offers healthy meals every school day at the following prices: 

• Breakfast: $1.80
• Elementary Lunch: $2.55
• Secondary Lunch: $2.65

Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced-priced meals. Reduced prices:

• Breakfast: $ .30
• Elementary Lunch: $ .40
• Secondary Lunch: $ .40

Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications are available to all families who believe they may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Only one completed application is required per family. All students in a household are listed on one application. The information you give will be used to determine or prove your children’s eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals.  If your family chooses to apply, please complete the Free and Reduced Meal Price Online Application Form or a paper Free and Reduced Meal Price Application Form which is available at all schools. The paper forms, once completed, should be returned to your school office. You will be notified by mail of your child's status. Until notification, you must provide your child with a lunch or lunch money.

Below are some common questions and answers to help you with the application process. 
 
1. WHO CAN GET FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS?

• All children in households receiving benefits from SC SNAP, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) or SC TANF, are eligible for free meals.
• Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.
• Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
• Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.
• Children may receive free or reduced-priced meals if your household’s income is within the limits of the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-priced meals if your household income falls at or below the limits on this chart.

2. HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILDREN QUALIFY AS HOMELESS, MIGRANT, OR RUNAWAY?

Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are there any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and haven’t been told your children will get free meals, please call District 7's Student Services Department at 864-586-7443. 

3. DO I NEED TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION FOR EACH CHILD?

No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. 

4. CAN I APPLY ONLINE?

Yes! You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit D7s online meal application portal to begin the online application process. 

5. MY CHILD’S APPLICATION WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR. DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW ONE?

Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year. If you do not send in a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price for meals.