Free food is on the menu for all Frisco ISD students after the district received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide free meals regardless of family income.

“As our nation recovers and reopens, we want to ensure that children continue to receive the nutritious breakfasts and lunches they count on during the school year wherever they are, and however they are learning,” Perdue said in a USDA release. “We are grateful for the heroic efforts by our school food service professionals who are consistently serving healthy meals to kids during these trying times, and we know they need maximum flexibility right now.”

Frisco ISD received the waiver to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students and family members under the age of 18. The meals will be available to both virtual and face-to-face students through Dec. 18. 

For face-to-face students, no sign up is required in order to receive their free meals. Meals given for free to students will be complete meals, while snacks and other treats will be available for purchase. Lunch and breakfast will be distributed once a week, two meals per day, per student.

“School Nutrition Association greatly appreciates USDA addressing the critical challenges shared by our members serving students on the frontlines these first weeks of school,” School Nutrition Association President Reggie Ross said in the USDA release. “These waivers will allow school nutrition professionals to focus on nourishing hungry children for success, rather than scrambling to process paperwork and verify eligibility in the midst of a pandemic. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with USDA to ensure school meal programs are equipped to meet the future needs of America’s students.”

For more information about free meals and COVID-19 protocols, please visit the Frisco ISD website.