Each and every student enrolled in 77 schools operated under the Atlanta Public Schools district will be eligible for free breakfasts and lunches regardless of how much money their family earns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
According to the paper, the students will begin receiving free meals at the start of the coming school year.
The effort was reportedly made possible thanks to a program rolled out by Congress in 2010 called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
The program, which is operated under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a “non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas,” according to its website.
The website states that program “allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.”
At least 40 percent of students enrolled in a school district must receive public services in order for the district to qualify for the program, according to the local publication.
Forty-nine percent of students attending the Atlanta Public Schools district reportedly received a type of public assistance that met the program’s requirements.
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