The special provisions, Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP) and Special Assistance Provision 2, provide School Food Authorities (SFAs) with alternatives to the standard requirements for determining student eligibility and claiming reimbursement for the School Nutrition Programs. Special provisions can reduce requirements related to accepting and verifying household applications or counting and claiming meals submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education for reimbursement in some instances. Review the Universal Free Meal Options resource for an overview of the opportunities schools have to offer meals at no cost to their students.

Community Eligibility Provision

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows eligible districts and schools in low-income areas to provide school lunch and breakfast at no charge to all students, using simplified meal counting and claiming methods. Visit the Community Eligibility Provision webpage for additional information.

Provision 2

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designed the special assistance Provision 2 to decrease the burden of paperwork by reducing requirements related to household publications and counting and claiming meals. Visit the Provision 2 webpage for additional information.