Alpha Charter School, 701 West State Street, Garland, Texas 75040 announced its policy for providing free and reduced-price meals for children served under current income eligibility guidelines. Each school/site or the central office has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by anyone on request.
Starting August 10, 2015, Alpha Charter School will begin distributing letters to the households of the children in the district or Garland, Texas about eligibility benefits and any actions households need to take to apply for these benefits. Applications are also available at 701 West State Street in Garland.
The following criteria will be used to determine a child’s eligibility for free or reduced-price meal benefits:
Income
1. Household income that is at or below the income eligibility levels
Categorical or automatic eligibility
2. Household receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Program participant
3. Child’s status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant, or displaced by a declared disaster.
4. Child’s enrollment in Head Start of Even Start
Income Eligibility
For those households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on income, an adult in the household must fill out free and reduced-price meal application and return it to Sharon Pettie, Food Services Specialist at 972-272-8079. Those individuals filling out the application will need to provide the following information.
1. Names of all household members
2. Amount, frequency, and source of current income for each household member
3. Last 4 digits of the Social Security number of the adult household member who signs the application or, if the adult does not have a social security number, check the box for “No Social Security number”
4. Signature of an adult household member attesting that the information provided is correct
Categorical or program eligibility
Alpha Charter School is working with local agencies to identify all children who are categorically and program eligible. Alpha Charter School will notify the households of these children that they do not need to complete an application. Any household that does not receive a letter and feels it should have should contact Sharon Pettie, Food Service Specialist, 972-272-8078.
Any household that wishes to decline benefits should contact Sharon Pettie, Food Service Specialist, 972-272-8078.
Determining eligibility
Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy, Sharon Pettie, Food Service Specialist, 972-272-8078 will review applications and determine eligibility. Households or guardians dissatisfied with the Reviewing Officials eligibility determination may wish to discuss the decision with the Reviewing Official on an informal basis. Households wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either orally or in writing to Anthony Jefferson, Superintendent, 972-272-2173.
Unexpected circumstances
If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for benefits if the household’s income falls below the attached current income eligibility.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html or at any USDA office or call 866-632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington D.C. 20250-9410, by fax 202-690-7442, or email at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339, or 800-845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.