As the new school year begins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing a second-round distribution of the Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program. Per the Ohio Department of Education’s guidelines, the second round is only available to K-12 students who have chosen to learn remotely for the semester for at least five consecutive days between the dates August 1 and September 30, 2020.
NWLSD will be required to submit data to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services by Tuesday, September 15, in order for our Remote Learning Academy families to receive their P-EBT benefit. The federal law only authorizes P-EBT through September 30, 2020. Therefore, all benefits must be issued prior to September 30, 2020.
In order to be potentially eligible for a P-EBT card, our Remote Learning Academy parents must qualify for free and reduced meals. The deadline to apply for Free and Reduced Meal Services is Monday, September 14, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. Parents will need to submit their online Free and Reduced Meal Application at PaySchools Central by 7:59 a.m. on Monday, September 14, 2020. Parents can contact the Food Services Department at 513-522-6700 if they have any questions or concerns or access our PaySchools Parent User Guide if they have questions concerning PaySchools.
NWLSD Remote Learning parents who are eligible to receive a P-EBT card, can also participate in the Virtual Meal Pick-Up weekly. (Virtual Meal Packs will still be prepared for families who submitted a Virtual Meal Pick-Up Service Form for Friday, September 11, 2020.)
The P-EBT program provides families eligible for free or reduced-price meals with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, in the amount of $5.86 (the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast and lunch) for each day a school has remote learning provided for at least five consecutive days. All children eligible for free and reduced-price meals are eligible for these benefits, including 1.) children who were approved through Direct Certification and 2.) children approved based on a free or reduced-price student meal application, as long as the student has remote learning periods lasting at least five consecutive days.
Eligible Students:
- Students approved for free or reduced-price meals are eligible for P-EBT if their remote learning period is at least five consecutive days.
- Students enrolled in or who would have attended schools with the community eligibility provision (CEP) or Provision 2 for lunch are eligible for the P-EBT if their remote learning period is at least five consecutive days. These students do NOT need to submit an application as you already qualify based upon your school’s CEP or Provision 2 status.