Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications Now Open For KCS Families

~ from Knox County Schools

The following notice is being provided to media partners in accordance with the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 7 CFR 245.5(a), based on guidance from the Tennessee Department of Education.

 

Knox County Schools is announcing its policy for free and reduced-price meals for children served in schools under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.

 

The 2025-26 school year begins on Aug. 7, and families that are unable to pay for breakfast and lunch meals at school – or do not attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school – can now apply for free and reduced-price meals.

 

Families can apply for meals through the LINQ Connect portal, and more information about LINQ Connect is available on this FAQ page. Paper applications are also available.

 

All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP or Families First can get free meals regardless of their income. In addition, children can get free or reduced meals if their household’s gross income is within the free or reduced limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. However, the application for free and reduced-price meals must be filled out annually.

 

For School Year 2025-26, KCS will continue to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) at select schools. All children at CEP schools will receive breakfast and lunch at no charge under this provision. A complete list of CEP schools as follows:

 

CEP Schools:

Adrian Burnett Elementary	Fountain City Elementary	Pond Gap Elementary
Amherst Elementary	Fulton High	Powell Elementary
Austin East High	Gap Creek Elementary	Powell High
Bearden Middle	Gibbs Elementary	Powell Middle
Beaumont Magnet	Gibbs High	Richard Yoakley
Belle Morris Elementary	Gibbs Middle	Ridgedale
Bonny Kate Elementary	Green Magnet	Ritta Elementary
Career Magnet	Gresham Middle	Sarah Moore Greene Magnet
Carter Elementary	Holston Middle	South Doyle High
Carter High	Inskip Elementary	South Doyle Middle
Carter Middle	Karns Elementary	South Knoxville Elementary
Cedar Bluff Elementary	Karns Preschool	Spring Hill Elementary
Cedar Bluff Middle	KAEC	Sterchi Elementary
Cedar Bluff Preschool	Lonsdale Elementary	Sunnyview Primary
Central High	Maynard Elementary	Vine Middle
Chilhowee Intermediate	Mooreland Heights Elementary	West Haven Elementary
Christenberry Elementary	Mount Olive Elementary	West Hills Elementary
Copper Ridge Elementary	New Hopewell Elementary	West View Elementary
Dogwood Elementary	Northwest Middle	Whittle Springs Middle
East Knox Elementary	Norwood Elementary
Fair Garden	Paul L. Kelley Volunteer
Fort Sanders	Pleasant Ridge Elementary

 

 

CEP is a key provision of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, which allows schools in low-income areas to eliminate school meal applications and serve breakfast and lunch at no charge to all enrolled students. Breakfast and lunch meals will follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for healthy school meals, so please encourage students to participate.

 

If students do NOT attend a CEP school, families are encouraged to submit a free and reduced-price meal application to determine their eligibility for free and reduced-price meals. A list of non-CEP schools is as follows:

 

NON-CEP Schools:

AL Lotts Elementary	Farragut Middle	Karns Middle
Ball Camp Elementary	Farragut Primary	Mill Creek Elementary
Bearden Elementary	Halls Elementary	Northshore Elementary
Bearden High	Halls High	Rocky Hill Elementary
Blue Grass Elementary	Halls Middle	Sequoyah Elementary
Brickey-McCloud Elementary	Hardin Valley Academy	Shannondale Elementary
Corryton Elementary	Hardin Valley Elementary	STEM Academy
Farragut High	Hardin Valley Middle	West High
Farragut Intermediate	Karns High	West Valley Middle

 

 

Children need healthy meals to learn. Knox County Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast and lunch meals will follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for healthy school meals, so please encourage students to participate. “In the operation of child feeding programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age or disability.”

 

Parents or guardians who need further information may contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at 865-594-9563.

 

 

 

1. How do I know if my children qualify as homeless, migrant, or runaway?

Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and haven’t been told your children will get free meals, please call or (865) 755-6248 (homeless), (865) 594-1760 (migrant) or (865) 755-6248 (runaway).

 

2. Do I need to fill out an application for each child?

No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Knox County Schools Nutrition Department, PO Box 2188, Knoxville, TN 37901, ATTN: Federal Application Verification Clerk. You may also send it to the school cafeteria or apply online at www.linqconnect.com.

 

3. Should I fill out an application if I received a letter this school year saying my children are already approved for free meals?

Please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. Please make sure the letter you received is referring to the current school year. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact Mona Underwood at (865) 594-9563 or mona.underwood@knoxschools.org immediately.

 

4. Can I apply online?

Yes! You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit LINQ Connect (www.linqconnect.com) to begin or to learn more about the online application process. Contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at (865) 594 -9563 if you have any questions about the online application.

 

5. My child’s application was approved last year. Do I need to fill out a new one?

Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year, through September 19, 2025. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. If you do not send in a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price for meals.

 

6. I get WIC. Can my children get free meals?

Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Please send in an application.

 

7. Will the information I give be checked?

Yes. In accordance with program regulations, school officials will be verifying the income of some households at some time during the school year. Selected households will be requested to provide income documentation in order to continue receiving free and reduced-price meals.

 

8. If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later?

Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced-price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

 

9. What if I disagree with the school’s decision about my application?

You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Knox County Schools Nutrition Department, Attn: Brett Foster, PO Box 2188, Knoxville, TN 37901; (865) 594 -3640.

 

10. May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen?

Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced-price meals.

 

11. What if my income is not always the same?

List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1,000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made

$1,000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

 

12. What if some household members have no income to report?

Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

 

13. Do I have to provide my social security number?

Only the last 4 digits of the social security number of the household’s primary wage earner or another adult household member (or an indication of “none”) is required.

 

14. May I decline benefits?

Yes. Households notified of their children’s eligibility must contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department if they choose to decline the free or reduced meal benefits.

 

15. What if all children eligible for benefits are not on the notice of eligibility letter?

If children or households receive benefits under Assistance Programs or Other Source Categorically Eligible Programs and are not listed on the notice of eligibility and are not notified by the school of their free meal benefits, the parent or guardian should contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department or should submit an income application.

 

16. We are in the Do we report our income differently?

Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income.

 

17. What if there isn’t enough space on the application for my family?

List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper and attach it to your application. Contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at (865) 594-9563 to receive a second application.

 

18. My family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for?

To find out how to apply for TN SNAP or other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office at (865) 594-6151 or call (866) 311-4287.

 

If you have other questions or need help, call Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at (865) 594-9563.

 

USDA NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

 

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

 

• 1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
  2. Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
  3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov

 

 USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.