Program To Provide TPS Students With Free School Meals

Students at Tulsa Public Schools won't have to worry about paying for breakfast and lunch starting this fall. TPS is taking advantage of a USDA program to provide all 34,000 students in their district with free school meals. 

Cafeteria staff say this program will go a long way in helping hungry kids.

Memorial High School has just under 1,000 students, and about half of those kids eat in the cafeteria; the district hopes with this new program, more kids will eat meals at school.

Hundreds of Memorial High School students will fill these cafeteria seats come fall, and this year they won't have to pay for the food on their plate.

"This is beyond exciting to be able to give our entire district free meals," said Cafeteria Manager Jana Stutsman.

She has been feeding students for over 20 years and says the cost of lunch is a barrier for many.

"There is a lot of families that hit that income bracket where they don't qualify for free and reduced, but they don't really make enough to pay for those school lunches," said Stutsman.

She says no kids go hungry, so TPS ends up with the bill at the end of the year for unpaid meals. Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson says the district is entering this year debt-free and expects to stay that way thanks to the USDA's Community Eligibility Program.

"Our students in our cafeterias will eat completely for free no matter what your socio-economic status is," said Johnson.

The program doesn't require students to apply but rather reimburses the district for feeding students. It's already been used in elementary schools at TPS but is growing to include high schools this year.

"Our students will not have to worry about not coming into the cafeteria, not going through the lunch line, not having anything to eat for lunch," said Johnson.

Several TPS Schools still have open cafeteria positions to actually make and serve those meals. 3 are available here at Memorial.

"We will feed those kids no matter what we will figure it out,” said Stutsman.

TPS will have to show that kids are actually choosing to eat the meals in order to continue to get the money for the program in the future. They say 15,000 students will have access to free lunches that didn't last year.