Duval County Public Schools ending free lunch at 37 schools, breakfast still free for all
Duval County Public Schools leaders said Wednesday that free lunch will no longer be offered at 37 schools starting next school year.
The district shared the information through its social media platforms and sent emails to parents. You can read that here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12KjrRgTqKU/
Since 2020, the district has been able to provide free lunch to all students in all schools across the district, regardless of their financial status, because of additional funds allotted to the county through federal pandemic funding.
Now, the district said it is no longer sustainable with the county's budget to continue the program.
Before 2020, schools with 40% or more students from low-income families were automatically enrolled in the free lunch for all programs. Those schools will continue to receive free lunches next year.
Conversely, since this five-year-long program is being reversed, students in those schools that don't automatically qualify will have to apply for free or reduced lunch through the free or reduced lunch application.
Listed below are the schools that don't automatically qualify for free lunch starting next school year:
Alden Road Exceptional Student Center
Alimacani Elementary
Anchor Academy Elementary
Atlantic Beach Elementary
Atlantic Coast High
Baldwin Jr/Sr
Bartram Springs Elementary
Chets Creek Elementary
Darnell Cookman Jr/Sr
Douglas Anderson High
Fishweir Elementary
Fletcher High
Fletcher Middle
Greenland Pines Elementary
Hendricks Avenue Elementary
J. Allen Axson Elementary
Jacksonville Beach Elementary
James Weldon Johnson Middle
John Stockton Elementary
Julia Landon Middle
Lavilla Middle
Loretto Elementary
Louis Sheffield Elementary
Mandarin High
Mandarin Middle
Mandarin Oaks Elementary
Mayport Elementary
Mayport Middle
Neptune Beach Elementary
New Berlin Elementary
Paxon High
Sabal Palm Elementary
Samuel W. Wolfson High
San Pablo Elementary
Sandalwood High
Seabreeze Elementary
Stanton High
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District leaders say students at these schools can still apply to qualify for free lunch through the free or reduced lunch program. Students can also pay out-of-pocket to eat school lunch, or bring their lunch to school going forward.
Action News Jax talked to Luis Caballero, who said all four of his children attend schools that won't offer free lunch next school year.
'I just don't think it's a fair thing to be doing to kids right now,' Caballero said.
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Caballero said while his children haven't always taken advantage of the free lunch, it's been nice as a back-up plan when his children would forget to bring a lunch from home.
'If there are days that they forget their lunch and stuff like that, then that impacts them because we're two working parents and you have to be working parents in this economy,' he said.
DCPS said it will still serve breakfast for free to all students across the district, regardless of their family income status.
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