MAHANOY CITY - The Mahanoy Area School District will not opt into the Community Eligibility Provision to provide free lunches to students due to the cost to the district.
Business Administrator John J. Hurst explained the situation during last Thursday's meeting of the Mahanoy Area school board.
Hurst pointed out that all district students already receive free breakfasts.
"Shenandoah Valley opted into that provision where they will provide free lunch and free breakfast to all their students," Hurst said. "The program is available for basically poorer school districts."
Hurst said that because of the percentage of students who are currently eligible for free and reduced lunches through other programs, the school district would lose revenue if it enters the CEP program.
"When we drove out that formula, our district would lose something like $70,000 in revenue if we opted into that program," Hurst said.
The Shenandoah Valley school board approved entering the federally-funded CEP program at its June 25 meeting. According to SV Business Manager Anthony Demalis Jr., the federal reimbursement will be $10,209.77 by entering the program to provide the free breakfasts and lunches.
"Our students already receive a free breakfast universally, so we would only have been opting in for the lunch program," Hurst said.
Hurst said the formula will be reexamined each year in case the percentage of eligible students changes enough to allow the district to enter the program at a later time.
Hurst said the summer food program is under way, with 45 additional breakfasts served as compared to last year, an increase of about 10 percent. Lunches served are 396 higher than last year, which is a seven percent increase.
"The program continues to do well and it helps out a lot of children in the district," said Hurst.
In another matter, Hurst requested and received approval of a contract with United Inspection Services, Jim Thorpe, for inspection services related to the auditorium project involving the structural steel addition for the stage rigging and lighting project for $1,649.
District Superintendent Joie L. Green said the end of the year Student Assistant Program referrals have been submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
"There were 50 high school students, 63 middle school students and six elementary school students referred," said Green.
According to the SAP website (www.sap.state.pa.us), the state's program, which is administered by the Department of Education's Division of School Options and Safety in partnership with the state Department of Health's Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs, and the state Department of Public Welfare's Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, is designed to assist school personnel in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a student's success. The primary goal of SAP is to help students overcome these barriers in order that they may achieve, remain in school and advance. While SAP exist in other areas of the country, the structure and operation of the program in Pennsylvania is a unique expression of an integrated model serving the needs of Pennsylvania families and their students.