JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — 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/
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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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