A new application must be filled out at the beginning of each school year.
Each child will be charged the full price for meals until the application has been approved. Although we try to process the applications quickly, this may take up to 10 days.
Parents are responsible for all charges incurred before the application has been approved. Please plan to send a packed lunch if you feel that you may not be able to pay the full price for meals.
Free or reduced price meal status is not retroactive to any date prior to the approval of the application.
If your child received free or reduced meals at Hillsdale Community Schools during the previous year, that status will carry over for 30 days into the current year. You must have an application approvedprior to to the end of those 30 days to prevent a lapse in benefits.
Hillsdale Schools uses a family application for free and reduced meals. Please be sure to list all children attending Hillsdale schools in the top section and all household members in the middle section.
Be very specific about income when completing the application. Be sure to indicate how often each income is received.
Incomplete applications will be returned for information. This delays the process and could mean a lapse in benefits for your child.
Be sure to sign the application and provide your social security number
Each year, 3% of the applications on file must be verified. The applications are chosen randomly and you will be notified by mail if income information needs to be provided. This process begins in early November and is completed by mid-December.
If your household receives food stamps, your case number, not bridge card number, mustbe included for each child.
