JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – All Jamestown Public Schools students will receive free meals for the start of the 2020/2021 school year via a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) waiver as the country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

These meals will be made available as late as December 31, 2020 or until the available federal funding is exhausted.

“This is a great development for our kids and families,” Superintendent Dr. Rob Lech stated. “We are very pleased with this decision.”

The available meals include breakfast and lunch for all students, either virtual or in-person, and includes “to-go” pickups. Extra milks, ala carte items, and super-size entrees will still be charged to the individual account.

Current funds in a student account can be held for when charges to meals resumes. Families are still requested to complete Free and Reduced Meal Program applications as the free meals are temporary and dependent upon available federal funds. In addition, there are also other household and school district benefits to qualifying for the Free and Reduced Meal Program.

Any complete meal charges going back to the first day of school will be refunded to the student’s account through this USDA program extension waiver.