Township High School District 214 Food and Nutrition Service Department UPDATE

Meal Benefit Application Information and FAQ 2024-2025

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! To ensure your student(s) receive free or reduced-price meals, please complete the meal benefits application online through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal under the More/Meal Benefits Tab or print out a hardcopy and return it to us by mail.

• Click here for online application instructions: [English] [Spanish]
• Click here for the printable application: [English] [Spanish]
• Only one application per household is required annually (online or hardcopy). Hardcopy applications can be submitted to The Department of Food and Nutrition Services at 2121 S. Goebbert Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005.

If your household received an automatic meal approval letter for School year 2024-25 from District 214, no further action is needed unless all your children are not listed on the letter.

If your student is a freshman or new District 214, please fill out the meal application online or submit a hardcopy. 

For any questions, call us at 847-718-7638.

• Please be aware that the Fee Waiver process has changed for the 2024-25 SY. It is a separate form and process from the Meal Benefits Application for the 2024-25 SY. Fee waivers need to be delivered and/or mailed to Township High School District 214, Attn: Fee Waiver, 2121 S. Goebbert Rd. Arlington Heights, IL 60005. Questions concerning fee waivers can be addressed to fee.waiver@d214.org. More info can be found at https://www.d214.org/Page/2204
• In the 2024-25 SY we will continue to participate in the USDA Special Milk program and provide 1 combo meal deal breakfast and/or 1 combo meal deal lunch daily, at no charge, to free eligible students and at a reduced rate to reduced eligible students.
• We will carry over 2023-24 school year’s (last years’) District 214 student eligibility status until expiration on September 13, 2024.
• If your student is a freshman, or new to District 214, please complete a household meal benefits application online.  A new Special Milk/Meals Program benefits application must be submitted annually.
• A District 214 blast email message to all registered households will be sent out the first week of August, 2024, with instructions on how to apply for meals and access the Special Milk/ Meals Program benefits application online through the IC Parent Portal. USDA regulations prohibit distributing meal applications more than 30 days prior to the start of the school year.
• We will continue to receive Direct Certification files from the DHS. Each student receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and/or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) from the DHS will be mailed a letter of eligibility for free meals at the end of July from District 214. If you receive one of these letters, you do not need to fill out a Special Milk/Meals program benefits application as well. If you did not receive one of these letters from District 214, please fill out a meal program application online.  Please ensure that all of your children are listed on the letter, and notify the food service department immediately if they are not. Please call 847-718-7638 with any questions.
• We will be processing all Meal Program Benefits Applications through the Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal (FRAM).  Please apply for meal benefits online through the Parent Portal. (Applications E-signed by students will not be accepted).
• If you would like to apply for Meal Waiver benefits, please visit the  Infinite Campus Parent Portal to apply online.
• The form is located under the More/Meal Benefits Tab 
• Detailed instructions on how to complete the online meal benefits application are below:
  Online Meal Waiver Application Instructions  English  Spanish
• Special Milk/Meal Program benefits applications https://www.d214.org/Page/3564, and our Menu https://www.d214.org/Page/3578 will be posted on the Food Service page of the District website in August. Please apply for meal benefits online through the Parent portal.
• Meals are served every school day.  For the 2024.25 school year, breakfast is available at all schools for $2.50 and lunch is $4.00. Reduced breakfast is $1.50 and reduced lunch is $2.50. Milk (½ pint) is included with the meal, but may also be purchased separately for $.60. A variety of healthy and student favorite a la carte options are available for purchase.

Eligibility for free or reduced priced school meals benefits is based on any one of these three things:

1. your total household income and size in the month the application is filled out, or the month before, and members in the household or
2. your child's individual status as foster, homeless, migrant, or runaway, or
3. participation in a food assistance program by any member of your household

Your US citizenship or immigration status does not affect your eligibility for free or reduced price benefits.

We compiled a list of the information you might need to complete the application.

If you have this information handy, it will make the application process fast and easy.

• If you participate in SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR you will need to know your case number (not your card or account number)
• If you do not participate in any of the above assistance programs, you will need to report your total household income. In that case...
• if anyone in your household has a job, you may need to reference the earnings statement or pay stubs to report your gross income, which is different that the amount you actually receive in your paycheck.
• if anyone receives Social Security or retirement benefits, you may need to gather the benefit statements to report the amount and frequency of the payments.
• you may also need to reference other financial documents for additional sources of income.