• Smiling Elementary student with a banana in a school cafeteria.


    Breakfast and lunch meals will be available to all students at no cost at all of our schools for the 2024-25 school year!

    Due to current needs and qualifications, GIPS has qualified for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) across the district.  CEP provides an alternative funding source supported by federal reimbursement in order to provide meals at no cost to every student at Grand Island Public Schools.

    Why is this important?  Food security matters.

    We believe that every student deserves to have access to regular, healthy meals.  And now, thanks to CEP provision, we are able to provide every student in every school breakfast and lunch at no cost every school day.  We are excited for this will certainly boost student wellness, attendance, and learning across our district. 

    What does “Meals at No Cost” mean for Elementary Schools?

    • Breakfast will be available to all students at no cost at all schools.
    • Lunch will be available to all students at no cost as well at all schools.

     

    What does “Meals at No Cost” mean for Middle Schools and GISH?

    • Breakfast & Lunch will be available to all students at no cost at all three middle schools and Grand Island Senior High.
    • CEP only covers “fully reimbursable meals” as defined by the state.
    • A la carte items will still be available for purchase.
    • To cover a la carte items, families will still be able to use LINQConnect to track and update balances just like last year.

    Other School Meal Updates:

    • Families will no longer receive phone calls about negative meal balances.
    • Every family will still have access to their student account through LINQConnect.

     

    Also, a new process for fee waivers for things like band instruments, ACT reimbursement, and AP Courses will be available in the coming weeks.  


    Explore our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page for more information.


    QUESTIONS

    If you have additional questions, please reach out to GIPS Nutrition Services at 308.385.5900 or lmasat@gips.org.