Kentucky schools consider free lunches for all

May 29—A program might be coming to Webster County, Ky., in the next few years that will provide free lunches to all of the students in the district, and at last week’s school board meeting Webster County Food Service Director Shane Bosaw introduced it to school board members.

“Community Eligibility Option (CEO) has nothing to do with the free or reduced lunch status,” Bosaw explained. “It is based on the number of students who participate in social security, food stamps, supplemental income, many of the things that would normally qualify them for the free or reduced lunch program.

The CEO program is part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and offers meals to students at no charge in schools that have 40% or more students directly certified (DC), meaning they receive assistance from food stamps, public aid and in some cases, Medicaid.