All students to be able to eat free in Kannapolis

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 14, 2015

All Kannapolis City students will receive free breakfast and lunch beginning this fall, thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision.

The Kannapolis City Board of Education unanimously voted to pilot the program during the 2015-16 school year at its regular business meeting Monday. After they see how it goes, they will decide whether or not to continue the program.

Nearly 74 percent of Kannapolis City students are eligible for free or reduced meals.

Community Eligibility Provision is available to schools in high-poverty areas, and allows all students to receive free meals. It also bypasses the need for families of need to apply for free or reduced meals.

Kannapolis City Schools will join 22 other North Carolina School districts that partake in the program.

The board was also updated on the district’s Title I plan for next school year. Title I provides additional funding for schools that are made up of 40 percent or more of students from poverty. All of the district’s elementary schools and the intermediate school are considered Title I schools.

Annie Parker, Title I coordinator, said her goals for this year’s Title I funding is to help implement the state-mandated Kindergarten Entry Assessment, a vocabulary and comprehension resource called Wordly Wise and Math Foundations, a professional development course for fifth through eighth grade math teachers.

The board also approved a lease agreement with Apple for 740 iPads to be used in the district’s middle school, intermediate school and elementary schools. The middle school will have one device for every student.

The lease through Apple will be $392,311.19