School begins on Tuesday, Aug. 16, in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) and, as they have for more than a decade, all students can receive breakfast and lunch at no charge. Schools in SMBSD provide nutritious student meals under the federal Universal Free Meals Program, which allows students to eat both breakfast and lunch at no charge. This is part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program.
In order to continue to offer free meals, the district is required to have a Free and Reduced-price Meal Application on file for every family with children in the district. The application can be returned at any time; parents/guardians are encouraged to return it at the start of the school year when they return other important paperwork.
Parents with questions about the program or application can contact the SMBSD food service office at 361-8102.Â
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2016.
