Free & Reduced Eligibility & Educational Benefits

  • Sartell-St. Stephen ISD 748 provides healthy meals each school day. Starting school year 2023-24, we are joining Minnesota's Free School Meals Program. All students can get one breakfast and one lunch free of charge each day at school. Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important! 

    Approved educational benefits applications also provide our district with increased funding to ensure students receive the support they need. With your approved application, your child(ren) could also receive discounts on the following fees: activity, technology, academic test, college application, and after-school childcare. In order to receive these additional educational benefits, please complete the consent to share form. 

    Free/reduced information is confidential. Families should fill out the application and consent form. A new application must be submitted each year.

    Applications are available 2 ways:

    1. Online via Skyward Family Access:

    • Log in and select Food Service from the side menu
    • Select a student
    • Click Applications (top mid-right)
    • Click Add Application tab
    • Follow instructions to complete the application and submit

    2. Paper application:

    • Applications can be printed from our website, picked up at the District Service Center, or from your school office.
    • Fill out the application completely and accurately, and return to the Nutrition Services Office for processing. 

Educational Benefits

  • If you have already submitted an application for educational benefits for the 2023-2024 school year, it is not necessary to submit a new one unless your financial circumstances have changed.

  • In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

    Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

    To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

    (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
    (2) fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
    (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov

    This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Contact Us

FAQ's

    • Is breakfast and lunch free for my K-12 student?
      Yes, we are joining Minnesota's Free School Meals Program. All students can get one breakfast and one lunch free of charge each day at school.
    • Who should complete the application for educational benefits? Families may be surprised to find out that they qualify for free or reduced educational benefits. Anyone who is willing to fill out an application for educational benefits can be considered.
    • I get WIC or Medical Assistance. Can my children qualify?
      Children in households participating in WIC or Medical Assistance do not automatically qualify. Children may be eligible depending on other household financial information. Please fill out an application.
    • Who should I include as household members?
      Include yourself and all other people living in the household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives, or friends).
    • May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen?
      Yes. You or your children do not have to be U.S. citizens for you to complete an application.
    • What if my income is not always the same?
      List the amount that you normally get. If you normally get overtime, include it, but not if you overtime only sometimes. For seasonal work, write in the total annual income.
    • Will the income information or case number I give be checked?
      It may be. We may also ask you to send written proof.
    • How will the information be kept?
      Information you provide on the application, and your child(ren)s approval, will be protected as private data. For more information, see the back page of the Application for Educational Benefits.
    • If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later?
      Yes. Please complete an application at any time if your income goes down, your household size goes up, or you start getting SNAP, MFIP or FDPIR benefits.
Last Modified on August 12, 2024