Free and Reduced Price Meals

Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and have not been told your children will get free meals, please reach out to our Pupil Services Department.

No. Use one Free and Reduced-Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: School Nutrition, 901 15th Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI 53172

Please read the letter you received carefully and follow the instructions. If your letter indicated you qualify for free meals, then no application is needed. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact Donna Mildebrandt, School Nutrition Secretary, 901 15th Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI 53172 immediately. If your household was notified it qualified for reduced price meals, we encourage you to complete an application to potentially qualify for free meals based on household size and income.

Yes! You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit MySchoolApps.com to begin or to learn more about the online application process. Donna Mildebrandt, at 414-766- 5023 or dmildebrandt@sdsm.k12.wi.us if you have any questions about the application process.

Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year, through October 7, 2022, or when a new eligibility is determined. You must submit a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. If you do not submit a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price for meals.

Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals, but it is based on income. Please submit an application. 

Children with BadgerCare Plus, Medicaid, or subsidized insurance may be eligible for free or reduced price meals, but it is based on household income and household size. Please submit an application to determine if your household qualifies. 

Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report.

Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed or experience a financial hardship may become eligible for free and reduced-price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Dan Arnold, Director of Business Services at 901 15th Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI 53172, 414-766-5027 or darnold@sdsm.k12.wi.us.

Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals.

List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application, or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Do not include any combat pay resulting from deployment as income.

List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper and attach it to your application.

To find out how to apply for FoodShare or other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office or call 1-800-362-3002