By Brandi Miller

For the FCT

Starting back to school can be an expensive time for families. If more than one child is starting back to school, it can even create a financial hardship. School supplies, fees and snacks are just a few of the many costs families must deal with at the start of school. Thanks to a new program set to start this year, school breakfast and school lunch will no longer be an expense any student has to worry about in the Franklin County or Russellville City school systems.

“I feel that this program is going to be such a blessing to the children of Franklin County,” said Amy Gunderman, child nutrition director of Franklin County Schools. “I am so excited about the 2015-2016 school year.”

The Community Eligibility Provision program, which is being implemented by both county and city schools, allows schools and local education agencies located in low-income areas to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. This eliminates the burden of collecting household applications to determine eligibility for school meal programs, like “free and reduced lunch.”

“I am very excited that the Franklin County Board of Education will be able to provide breakfast and lunch for every child,” said Red Bay High School board member Mike Shewbart. “This will not cost the county board and will not take away from other programs. This is a program from the USDA that was secured by the Franklin County board and its employees. I am thankful for employees that work hard to reach out and look for opportunities to provide for our students.”

With the CEP program, every student will have access to free, nutritious meals, and parents will no longer be required to fill out a household application to return to the school. This means any student, no matter household income, will be eating free breakfast and lunch at school. The CNP workers at the school will no longer have to worry about collecting funds from parents for overdrawn checks or collect money from students with charges. CNP workers will be in compliance with federal law by not allowing charges. All of these factors equal one thing: no child in the Franklin County school system will go hungry.

“We are very excited about this program,” said Franklin County superintendent Gary Williams. “The CEP program will ensure that every student in the Franklin County school system will receive two healthy meals a day during the school week, no matter what.”

Different meal options will continue to be offered, including hot entrée options and grab and go meals featuring sandwiches, chips, fruit and the like.

“The lines should go much quicker this year because students will only have to pay for any extra items they want,” said Gunderman. “Parents can send money and have it deposited in their account for any extra items sold such as bottled water and ice cream.”

Pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade students in the city schools will similarly enjoy free breakfast and lunch. Although school officials said they initially considered implementing the program in the elementary and middle schools only, they are pleased to offer the free meals to all students.

“It’s a great opportunity,” said nutrition director Elaine Vaughn, who called the program a win-win. “We just felt like we couldn’t not try it.”

Breakfast will be served in the classroom at all Franklin County schools. RBHS principal Kenny Sparks said the breakfast program will begin at 7:35 a.m. in the classroom and last until 7:50 a.m. at RBHS.

“Teachers will be signing in by 7:30 a.m. this school year and be able to leave at 3:10 p.m. instead of 3:15 p.m.,” said Sparks. “The breakfast program will begin at 7:35 a.m., so the teachers will be in their rooms ready to distribute the breakfast to each of the students in the classroom each morning. The doors to the building will be open for students to get into the school at 7:30 a.m.”

Sparks also said buses will be pushed back in dropping off at school, and buses will be running later than last year.

Russellville City Schools will offer breakfast in the classroom for elementary schools; a grab and go breakfast for middle-schoolers; and breakfast in the cafeteria for high school students. “Second Chance” grab and go breakfast will also be offered for high school students who don’t make it to the cafeteria for the regular breakfast period.

The breakfast that will be served each day is an assortment of biscuits, cereal bars and other typical breakfast foods that students will find nutritious and tasty while teachers will find not messy.

A separate but similar program for free breakfast only, the Universal School Breakfast program, was piloted at four Franklin County schools last year with great success. The breakfast program has also been offered in previous years in the city school system for Pre-K through eighth grade.

“It was a great success for us,” said Vina High School principal James Pharr. “I found that the breakfast program actually cut down on tardies in the mornings, and the school nurse reported having less stomachaches with the elementary kids throughout the day.”

Lunch will still be served in the lunchroom for all grades, just as it has been in the past.

“All students will still be required to go through the line with the cashiers and put in their lunch number, just as in the past,” said Gunderman. “This is a federal requirement that goes along with the program. The students will still be required to have at least three items on their tray, and one must be a fruit or vegetable, in order for a plate to be claimed. The cashiers will continue to monitor this just as they have in the past.”

The program’s benefit to students is an obvious one.

“These kids might not have eaten since yesterday at lunch,” Vaughn said. “They’re coming to take a test or whatever, and they’re starving. Kids learn more … if they’re not hungry.”

Williams and Gunderman both stressed the number one priority in the Franklin County School system is educating the children. It is proven that if a child is hungry, he or she cannot learn to the best of his or her potential. This program assures that each child will have two meals each school day and does not have a negative impact on the federal money the county receives, such as ERATE or TITLE ONE funding.

Gunderman said she is excited and optimistic about the program. “I know that with the support of our faculty, parents, students and administrators, this program will be a great success,” she said.

Gunderman can be reached at amygunderman@franklin.k12.al.us. Vaughn can be reached at Elaine.vaughn@rcs.k12.al.us.

Franklin County Times managing editor Alison James contributed to this story.