While students in all MS public schools received meals for no charge during the 2020-2021 school year due to USDA waivers, eligibility for P-EBT is limited to those students who would have been eligible for free or reduced-price meals under normal school meals operations as part of the National School Lunch Program. There are three ways that children were approved:
- Children who receive SNAP benefits are automatically approved for free or reduced-price lunches.
- In some schools, every child is eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch every year under the National School Lunch Program. These are called CEP schools. Here is a list of those schools for the 2020-21 school year: CEP School List for 2020-21
- Families were able to submit an application form for free or reduced-price lunch for the school year 2020 – 2021. Families who submitted an application received a letter stating whether their application was approved or not.
Completing an application for free or reduced-priced lunch for the current 2021-22 school year does NOT make a child eligible for Summer 2021 or School Year 2020-21 benefits.