Lawton Schools Ensure Free Meals For All Students Again This Year

The topic of free meals for students has been a contentious one in Oklahoma. Recently, State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced that all Oklahoma schools will provide free student meals, but didn't offer any additional funding. But luckily, Lawton Public Schools was already one step ahead and secured funding for free school meals across the district for the second year in a row.

On Monday, July 14, Lawton Public Schools announced that the district will provide free meals for students district-wide. This is the second year in a row that LPS will provide free breakfast and lunch to students.

According to a press release, the district is able to provide free meals to students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which is a federal reimbursement program for school districts with a high percentage of low-income students. The 2024-2025 school year was the first year LPS offered free meals due to CEP.

LPS also uses other federally funded grants to assist in offering free meals to students. For several years, breakfast, the district's summer feeding program and the elementary After School program have been free to students.

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In the press release, LPS Superintendent Kevin Hime stated that parents of LPS students should still complete the student meals paperwork in order for the district to continue to qualify for the federal reimbursement program.

"Our Child Nutrition team did a lot of work to get our application processed through the Community Eligibility Provision work last year and it continues to pay off for our students," Hime said. "We still need our families to fill out the required school forms to ensure we continue to qualify."

For more information about Lawton Public Schools and its programs, visit the district's official website.