Meal Benefits and Eligibility
School Year 2021-22
Child Nutrition Program Benefits Information
Meal Prices for the 20-21 School Year
Meal Benefits Applications
We encourage you to complete an online Meal Benefits Application! The online application is processed much quicker than a paper application.
If you have a L'Ouverture or Enterprise student, make sure to check out the CEP section below BEFORE filling out an online application.
You may complete and submit an online application for meal benefits by using one of the following methods:
- Click the link to the right
- Go to the Titan Parent Portal at family.titank12.com on your computer or phone (if you are using a computer, we advise using Google Chrome - Titan is optimized to use this browser)
- Download the Titan Family Connect app from your app store
Offering a little assistance in how to figure income for those households that elect to apply for Meal Benefits online, click below for instructions on Figuring Income for Online Application.
Important: Make sure you enter “Wichita Public Schools” for your district.
Updated 7/19/20 4:30 pm
The meal benefit application is now available!
How to Apply for Meal Benefits Using Titan Parent Portal
Benefits of Having a Titan Parent Portal Account When Applying Online
Directly after submitting your application, if you supplied your email address, you will receive an email with a confirmation code, informing stating that you will need to send money with your children to purchase meals and the application can take 10 days for determination.
Updated 7/20/20 1:30 pm
WANT REDUCED SCHOOL FEES?
Reduce School Fees
How can my student qualify for reduced school fees? If you want to share your information to be considered for reduced school fees, they must show the bookkeeper one of the options below AND complete the Consent for Disclosure form. This will authorize the school to use your student's meal benefit status to determine which fees to reduce, for the programs you consent.
- Status letter from Nutrition Services (via email or Titan Parent Portal) from your cell phone OR (via mail) physical letter. Status letter must be dated after 7/1/20, from Nutrition Services, showing your student’s name and that they have a status of Free or Reduced. The bookkeeper should not keep your letter.
- Titan Parent Portal linked student status with Sept NEXT year expiration date, from your cell phone.
- Confirmation Page printed or screen shot from Online Meal Benefits Application.
Note – The actual Paper Meal Benefits Application is NOT ALLOWED to be used for reduction in school fees. If you elect to submit a paper application, you will need to fill out an Agreement to Pay until your household application is processed.
Updated 7/19/20 12:30 pm
See examples below:
Status Letter
Titan Parent Portal Linked Student
Confirmation Page
Consent for Disclosure
What is the Consent for Disclosure? This is a form that parents can fill out during district online enrollment that allows their meal eligibility status to be shared to reduce the fees for other programs including textbook and enrollment fees. The Consent for Disclosure must be completed by the parent during online enrollment and can be changed at any time during the year, electronically, in ParentVue. Consent is by student, not by household.
- If the parent checks "no" on this form, then their information cannot be shared with other programs. This also means that the student is not eligible for reduced school fees.
- If the parent checks "yes" on the form, they also must elect what programs they want their eligibility shared with. This includes school fees.
This is available on the Enrollment website in the Enrollments Forms and Information section, under Textbook and Enrollment Fees. To go to Enrollment Forms and Information on the Enrollment website, click Here
Updated 7/20/20 5 pm
See Example of Consent Form Below:
Consent for Disclosure
Consent for Disclosure
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
What is CEP?
- CEP basically enables eligible schools to serve free meals to all students who are enrolled at that school, regardless of income
What schools are CEP?
- We will have 2 CEP schools for the 20-21 school year as pilot schools. The schools selected for this pilot are: L'Ouverture and Enterprise.
As a parent, what do I need to do?
- If you only have student(s) enrolled in a CEP school (L'Ouverture or Enterprise), you will not need to fill out a Meal Benefit Application to obtain free meals, you will only need to fill out the required Household Income Survey (this is part of your online enrollment information)
- If you have student(s) in both a CEP school (L'Ouverture or Enterprise) AND non-CEP school (all other district schools), you will be required to fill out a Household Income Survey (this is part of your online enrollment information) for your CEP school students and if you want your non-CEP school students to be considered for free/reduced meal benefits, you will also need to fill out a Meal Benefit application. It is important that you include your whole household in both.
Updated 7/19/20 4:30 pm
Annual Parent Letter
Updated 7/24/20 4:30 pm
Paper Applications
How to Fill out a Paper Meal Benefits Application
Paper Meal Benefits Applications will be available upon request starting 7/27/20
Donations
Eligibility Letter Requests
Please note, that letter requests can take up to 2 weeks, depending on the time of year your request is received.
Online Meal Benefit Applications:
- Do I have to create a Titan Parent Portal account to apply online for meal benefits? No. We do encourage you to create a parent account as there are MANY benefits, including the ability to see your status on your phone and use it for consideration of reduced school fees.
- Do I have to create a Titan Portal account to receive status notification? No. If you don’t have a Titan Parent Portal account you will receive your notification via email if an email address is provided, otherwise by snail mail.
- Why do I need to student ID number when I apply online, can I just enter their name and DOB? You can enter just the student’s name and date of birth. But, if you enter the student ID as well as EXACT student name and date of birth (as shown in ParentVue or on your linked student) will potentially allow for instant status processing.
- Can I use my cell phone to fill out an Online Meal Benefit Application? Absolutely! You can use your cell phone to apply in one of two ways. 1 - Download the Titan Family Connect App on your phone. 2 - Visit the Titan Parent Portal by either clicking on a link or going to family.titank12.com. The Titan Parent Portal is mobile responsive, which makes using your phone or tablet easy!
- How do I get instant status processing for my students? You can receive instant status for your student(s) if all of the following apply:
- You have created a Titan Parent Portal account.
- You have submitted your Online Meal Benefits Application through your Titan Parent Portal account.
- You entered your student’s information EXACTLY as it appears on your linked student in the Titan Parent Portal. This includes your student’s ID, First Name, Last Name and Date of Birth.
- There is no reason for the application to be held for review (such as an issue).
- What happens if I don't receive instant status, what should I do? Make sure you print the online application confirmation page after submitting your online household application, it can be shown to the bookkeeper. If you did not print the confirmation page, see next question.
- What if I forget to print the confirmation page or I leave it at home? If you receive instant status for your student(s), you can show the bookkeeper the student’s status at that time, otherwise you will need to fill out an Agreement to Pay until you can show the bookkeeper one of the following:
- Status letter from Nutrition Services (via email or Titan Parent Portal), from your cell phone.
- Status letter from Nutrition Services (via mail), physical letter.
- Titan Parent Portal linked student status, from your cell phone.
- Confirmation page printed from online meal benefits application.
OR
- Your information becomes electronically available to the bookkeeper (if you filled out the Consent for Disclosure).
- Can I go back if I make a mistake on my online application? Once you submit the application, you can no longer make changes. You can go back and add/correct information in the application any time before you submit the application.
- What if I submit an online application and I don't realize I made a mistake until after? Please contact the Nutrition Services Department to request a change to your application.
- What if I have a case number? When you enter the application and indicate a case number, the application will compare what you entered to the criteria for a KS case number. If you match the criteria, your application will be processed normally with all the other applications. If it does not match, it will not let you go any farther. If you have a case number from another state, please complete a paper application and note the state your case is from. Otherwise, please contact Nutrition Services at 973-2160 or NSEligibility@usd259.net to inquire about your case number.
- What if I have a foster student? When you enter an application and indicate one of your students is a foster student, the system will not hold your application in queue due to foster status. It will only be held if there is another issue with your application, such as inability to match student(s).
- What will happen if I keep applying until I get the status I want? If you apply a specific number of times in a row, your household will be flagged and will be required to verify your application information.
- How does Nutrition Services determine which application is correct if I submit more than one? The last application is used, as long as a student was not omitted from a previous application. If there is an omission of student(s), then you will be contacted to confirm the application.
Paper Applications
- How do I request a paper application? They are available at your child's school or at the Nutrition Services Department. All you have to do is ask! Please see contact information at the bottom of this page.
- Can I use the paper application to get reduced fees? If you elect to submit a paper application, you will need to fill out an Agreement to Pay. Once your household application is processed, you can then take the status letter (paper or electronic) to the school for a fee reduction. Your information will becomes electronically available to the bookkeeper after your application is processed by Nutrition Services (if you filled out the Consent for Disclosure).
- How long does it take to process? It must be processed 10 days from the date of receipt in the Nutrition Services Department. Online is WAY FASTER!
Foster Children
Follow the instructions below to ensure that your foster children receive FREE meals!*
YOU MUST complete the following steps in order to obtain FREE meals:
- CONTACT - Contact the Nutrition Services Department (contact information at the bottom of this page) to inquire whether the student(s) in question could be considered Directly Certified by the state. If the student can be Directly Certified, the Nutrition Services Department will let you know immediately. Once they process your student, they will be FREE*.
- APPLY - If the Nutrition Services Department cannot Directly Certify your student, then you (foster parent) will need to fill out a Meal Benefits Application. The fastest way to do this would be online (link above). You can also fill out a paper application at the student’s school. The caseworker cannot fill out an application.
- CONFIRMATION – You will receive a notification from the Nutrition Services Department informing you of your student’s FREE meal benefit status. If you were told that the student could be directly certified, you should receive your notice within 1 week. If you applied for meal benefits, you should receive your notice within 2 weeks of submitting your application.
*You are responsible for any charges that occur before your student(s) are processed
For Institutions Only
YOU MUST complete the following steps in order to obtain FREE meals:
- CERTIFY – Complete and sign the Institutionalized Child Eligibility Certification List. This signed list must be submitted to NSEligibility@usd259.net . Once they process the student, they will be FREE*.
- CONFIRMATION – The group home will receive a notification from the Nutrition Services department informing you of the student’s FREE meal benefit status. You should receive the notice within 1 week.
*It is important to note that the group home is responsible for any charges that occur before the student(s) are processed.
To download the Institutionalized Child Eligibility Certification List, click below.
If you have a question about Meal Applications or Student Eligibility
Email: NSEligibility@usd259.net
Website: https://www.usd259.org/nutrition
Location: 3850 North Hydraulic Avenue, Wichita, KS, USA
Phone: 316-973-2160