Free/Reduced Lunch & Fee Waiver FAQ
We know the process of applying for a Fee Waiver and Free/Reduced Lunch can be confusing. We put together a quick guide to help parents as they navigate through this process:
Q: HOW DO I FIND OUT IF MY FAMILY QUALIFIES FOR FREE/REDUCED LUNCH & FEE WAIVERS?
A: Qualifications are based on household size and household income. You can see if your family qualifies on the WSD website under Child Nutrition.
Q: DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW APPLICATION EVERY YEAR?
A: Yes.
Q: IF I QUALIFY FOR FREE/REDUCED LUNCH, WILL I ALSO QUALIFY FOR A FEE WAIVER?
A: YES AND NO. Although the income/household size qualifications are the same, they are separate programs. Free/Reduced Lunch program is a federal program and Fee Waivers are a a state program. However, there is a way for parents that have qualified for free/reduced meals to give permission to the schools to automatically provide a fee waiver. That process is explained below:
PROCESS FOR FREE/REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATION AND FEE WAIVER APPLICATION:
STEP 1:
Parents are encouraged to APPLY FOR FREE/REDUCED LUNCH ONLINE
*Paper copies of the Free/Reduced Lunch Application are available in the front office if needed:
ONLINE APPLICATION: https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new?identifier=N6S6T2
During the ONLINE free/reduced lunch application process, parents will see the prompt below:
If parents check the box “Yes! I DO want the WSD Child Nutrition Department…” you are allowing the Child Nutrition program to share information with the school, which will allow the school to automatically provide a fee waiver to families that qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.
APPROVED FOR FREE LUNCH:
If your family has qualified for FREE LUNCH and you checked “YES” on the box in the above picture, you do not need to fill out a fee waiver application. ALL of your child’s school fees will be automatically waived.
APPROVED FOR REDUCED LUNCH:
If your family has qualified for REDUCED LUNCH and you checked “YES” on the box in the above picture, you do not need to fill out a fee waiver application. Fifty percent of your child’s school fees will be automatically waived.
IF YOU CHECKED YES ON THE ONLINE APPLICATION YOU ARE DONE!
If you checked no or you need to fill out the paper application, move on to STEP 2:
Q:HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHEN THE FEES HAVE BEEN WAIVED?
A; When the school is notified that your lunch application has been approved or denied, you will receive a “Fee Waiver Decision” letter via the email address provided.
Parents that receive the email from Child Nutrition approving their Free/Reduced Application are encouraged to forward that email to Mr. Alder @
STEP 2:
IF YOU DID NOT CHECK YES ON THE ONLINE APPLICATION, or you filled out a paper application and you would like to allow Child Nutrition to share your child’s Free/Reduced Lunch status with the school, you can do so by fill out the form linked below:
*We will have printed copies of this form available in our front office.
IF YOU FILLED OUT THE FREE/REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATION (Online or Paper) AND THE WSD FEE WAIVER SHARE FORM YOU ARE DONE!
If you checked no and you do not wish to fill out the WSD Fee Waiver Share Form, you will need to move on to STEP 3.
STEP 3:
If, for any reason, you do not wish to complete the WSD Fee Waiver Share Form and you would still like to apply for a Fee Waiver with the school, you can do so by completing the following steps:
- Complete the Fee Waiver Application ENGLISH SPANISH
- Gather necessary documentation as outlined in the Fee Waiver Application Instructions
- Bring the completed application and copies of approved income and household size documentation into the school.
*Printed blank copies of the fee waiver form will be available in the front office
*The front office will make copies of documentation (Tax forms, pay stubs, etc.) if needed.
If you have questions or need assistance please contact the front office at 801-452-4600 or by emailing Mr. Alder at
THANK YOU,
T.H. BELL ADMINISTRATION