Free and Reduced FAQ's

What are the benefits for completing a Free and Reduced-Price Meal application? Besides having your child receive a hot nutritious meal, it is very important to Denver Public Schools (DPS) funding to complete the Free/Reduced-Price Meal Application and return it to your child's school or the Food and Nutrition Services office as quickly as possible.  DPS receives much of its federal funding for students qualifying for Free/Reduced-Price meals even if you choose to not participate in the school meals program.  Just by your qualifying, the district receives money for educational needs; in addition, there are other benefits associated with qualifying for free or reduced meals such as: Waiver of some school fees Gear Up Post secondary options Book Fees (waived) Scholarships After School programs and more..... Again, you may be eligible to receive these benefits even if you choose not to receive a nutritious breakfast or lunch.  The meal application is IMPORTANT, so please complete and return it TODAY. Who will see my application? We may share your eligibility information with federal education programs and state health and nutrition programs to help evaluate, fund or determine benefits for their programs, audits for program reviews and law enforcement officials to help look into misuse of program rules. A student's school meal eligibility status will not be released for any other purpose unless a parent or guardian has consented in writing. How do I apply for Free/Reduced-Price meal benefits for my child(ren)? To receive meal benefits you must complete a Free/Reduced-Price meal application. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, please be sure to fill out all required information.  Print neatly using BLACK ink Print one letter or number per box Keep each letter or number inside the box Completed applications must contain: Student 6 digit ID number Adult signature Adult social security number OR the box checked indicating "I do not have a Social Security Number " Total household gross income or the box checked "No Income" You may pick up a Free/Reduced-Price meal application at any DPS school office or cafeteria, the Welcome Center at 900 Grant St. or the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Office at 2320 W. 4th Ave.  Complete the application and return it to the school cafeteria manager or the FNS office. Why do I have to reapply each year? Federal guidelines require we have a new application on file each school year. Why was my application selected for income verification? Federal guidelines require us to conduct income verification of at least 3% of all applications on file each year. Applications are randomly selected for verification by our computer system. Within a specified time period, parents/guardians must provide adequate documentation to verify income. If not, the student could lose free or reduced meal benefits. Why did my child's status change from free/reduced at the beginning of the year to full pay? This could occur for different reasons: If you did not complete a new application within 30 student contact days from the first day of school, your children automatically changed to a full pay status. You completed an application reporting zero income and the application expired after 45 calendar days. You were selected for verification and did not return the required documentation How do I know what my child's meal status will be? Once your application has been processed, we will send you a notification letter stating what your child's meal status will be.  Please keep this letter for your records. Can I complete an application for free and reduced-price meals by phone, fax, or on-line? We are unable to accept applications by phone, fax or on-line.  All applications must be on an official form and must be turned into your school cafeteria manager or mailed to Food and Nutrition Services Office, 2320 W. 4th Ave., Denver, CO  80223 What happens if I do not return the application? Your household will be required to pay full price for any breakfast or lunch your child purchases at school.   What does "temporary free" or "temporary reduced" benefits mean when completing a Free and Reduced-Price Meal application? If you are in a temporary situation such as receiving unemployment, Workers's Compensation, no income, looking for work, etc., we are required to get an update of your status every 45 calendar days.  You will be sent a letter at the beginning of the 45 days stating the date that your eligibility will expire.  Call 720-423-5624 before that date to prevent your temoporary eligibility from expiring. What do I do if my 'temporary" eligibility has expired? An expired eligibility means your status will change to "Paid" and the student will be asked to pay the full price of the meal.  If your eligibility has expired, call 720-423-5624 to update your status.  You must pay for any elementary meals charged between the time the application expired and the time you call Food and Nutrition Services to update your status.