The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows schools with high numbers of income-eligible children to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students without collecting school meal applications. Bellingham Public Schools applies for as many sites as could be eligible, and we continue to qualify for CEP status at 13 of our 22 schools. 

Students at non-CEP schools who qualify will continue to be eligible for free meals. In some cases, students are directly certified because they participate in other state programs or designations like students receiving migrant services, students experiencing homelessness, or students in foster care. In other cases, families submit a free and reduced meal application and qualify based on household income.  

Food Services administrative staff will help any family who would like to check their status, who need help with an application, or who have any questions related to school meals. Students who qualify for reduced price meals will not have a co-pay; they will receive meals at no cost. 

If you have any questions about the Food Services program, please visit us online, call 360-676-6504 or email laura.davis@bellinghamschools.org. School menus will be posted as we get closer to the first day of school. 

CEP schools 

Schools with universal meals under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) are:  Alderwood, Birchwood, Carl Cozier, Cordata, Happy Valley, Northern Heights, Roosevelt and Sunnyland elementary schools, Fairhaven, Shuksan and Whatcom middle schools; and Options and Squalicum high schools. These schools will participate in a federal program available to select schools as part of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. This means students are eligible to receive one breakfast and one lunch at no charge throughout the 2023-24 school year, regardless of family or household income. Students may purchase an additional meal, please visit the Food Services webpage for information about school meal accounts and school meal prices. 

• There is nothing you need to do to sign up – every student enrolled at our school may eat one breakfast and one lunch every school day.
• Alderwood, Birchwood, Carl Cozier, Cordata, Happy Valley, Roosevelt, Sunnyland, and Options will serve breakfast after the bell. Students can plan to eat no-cost breakfast at school after they start their school day.
• Northern Heights, Fairhaven, Shuksan, Whatcom, and Squalicum will start the school year with breakfast before the bell offered at no cost.
• Families with students who only attend CEP schools do not need to submit a federal free and reduced-price meal application. We request you complete the Family Income Survey as part of your annual students updates in Skyward; students who are income eligible may access additional non-meal benefits like reduced district fees. The survey also helps the school with additional state and federal funding. Please note: Families who have students at both CEP and non-CEP schools shouldcomplete only the federal free and reduced-price meals application.

Non-CEP schools 

Schools on the free/reduced-price and full pay model are: Columbia, Geneva, Lowell, Parkview, Silver Beach and Wade King elementary schools:  Kulshan Middle School; Bellingham and Sehome high schools. 

We encourage families at non-CEP schools to complete the federal free and reduced-price school meals application online. You can find this linked on the food services webpage. If you prefer a paper application, find them in your school office, or contact food services 360-676-6504. This year, families who qualify for reduced-price meals will eat for free as the reduced-price co-pay has been eliminated. 

• For paying students at Columbia, Geneva, Lowell, Parkview, Silver Beach and Wade King, the cost of school breakfast is $2 and lunch is $3.50
• For paying students at Kulshan, Bellingham and Sehome, the cost of school breakfast is $2.25 and lunch is $3.75
• Student status – whether free, reduced-priced or full-pay — is confidential. All students enter an ID code into a point-of-sale terminal and their student status is not displayed
• Meal accounts are used to pay for school meals in My Payments Plus. More information can be found on the Food Services online payment webpage. Auto notices will be sent out regularly to remind families of any negative balances in student meal accounts.

Contact Information
Please contact Food Services for any questions about applying for free and reduced-price meals at 360-676=6504. If you have questions about payments, please email the Food Services accounting technician at BPS.MealPayments@BellinghamSchools.org or call 360-676-6572. 

The Good Food Project in Bellingham Public Schools includes scratch-cooking from the Central Kitchen, fresh salad bars, locally sourced products, and a variety of options with broad appeal.