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Bartlesville Public Schools will provide free breakfast and lunch for all students during the 2024-2025 school year.

The Board of Education discussed the policy change Monday, which is made possible by changes to the federal program that provides funding for school nutrition.

Parents should no longer need to submit applications to participate in a free-and-reduced meal program. Instead, the district will be asking all families to complete a simpler online Economically Disadvantaged form to ensure it receives the proper amount of state aid.

Now over 6,000 students in Bartlesville will have the opportunity to eat two meals, at no charge, before they get home.

The district says more than 51% of elementary students and over 40% of secondary students in Bartlesville are direct-certified for free meals through the Community Eligibility Provision based on their participation in means-tested programs like Medicaid Free, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

That is high enough to make it possible to provide free meals for all in-person students and still break even after federal reimbursement.