BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bethlehem Area School District Board of Directors voted Monday to approve a pilot program offering free breakfast and lunch for students at Calypso, Lincoln and Marvine elementary schools for the 2026-27 school year.
“The purpose of the pilot is to evaluate the impact on student participation, review lessons learned, and minimize potential negative impact on other funding areas,” board documents state.
The district will use the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas.
The program provides free breakfast and lunch for the nation’s highest-poverty schools and districts. Meals are offered without collecting household applications. Instead, schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals through participation in other means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, according to board documents.
Additionally, the pilot program will allow the district to implement CEP at elementary schools with lower participation rates, documents state.
An ongoing conversation about universal free lunch has surfaced during public comment at several Bethlehem Area School District board meetings.
The ongoing conversation around universal free lunch continued at the Bethlehem Area School District Board of Directors meeting.
Currently, 53% of BASD students receive free lunch and 5% receive reduced-price lunch.
The district said it participates in state and federal programs that provide free and reduced-price meals to eligible students, ensuring support is directed to those who need it most. In addition, all BASD students receive free breakfast funded by the state.
The district has also committed to ensuring no student goes without a hot meal or is required to accept an “alternative cold meal.”
Despite that commitment, providing free lunch without reimbursement to all 12,400 district students would require BASD to absorb unbudgeted costs, officials said.
Officials said those costs could ultimately affect essential educational programs and student support services.
During public comment on Monday, resident Michael Friend celebrated the approval of the pilot program, though he said he supports universal free lunch for all students.
“It’s not quite as expansive as we were initially hoping for,” Friend said.
Still, he said he would sleep better at night knowing roughly 300 students would not face the financial burden of unpaid school lunch debt.
In other news, the board confirmed Jennifer Cierech as the next principal of Calypso Elementary School.
Cierech has more than 20 years of experience in the district.