STEUBENVILLE — Area school districts have announced their policy for serving meals to children under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2025-26 school year.

Schools which qualify to operate the Community Eligibility Provision will be providing breakfast and lunch to all of its students at no charge.

This policy will eliminate the collection of applications at the start of the school year which determine if families qualify for free, reduced-priced or student-paid meals.

This approach reduces the burden to families, as well as school administrators, and helps to ensure that students will receive a nutritious meal while at school, officials stated.

Families who have children who are eligible to qualify for free school meals may also be eligible to receive free health care coverage through Medicaid and/or Ohio’s Healthy Start and Healthy Families program.

According to officials, these health care coverages include children receiving care regarding immunizations, doctor’s visits, physicals, prescriptions, dental coverage, vision coverage, mental health services and substance abuse problems, among others.

For information or to request an application, call (800) 324-8680.

Information can be found online at jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/consumers/familychild.stm.

Anyone who has an Ohio Medical Card is already receiving these services, officials noted.

The institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, including gender identity and sexual orientation, disability, age or reprisal of retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form online at usda.gov.