Recently your student may have received a P-EBT card. This may have seemed random and very confusing to you as a parent. It was for me as a parent of two school aged children in Idabel Public Schools. Below is the explanation I received from my inquiries about these cards.
“On June 25, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced Oklahoma’s approval to operate a Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program through funding provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. P-EBT provides extra food benefits for families with school-aged children who would have received free or reduced-priced school meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and who meet certain eligibility criteria. Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) and the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) worked together to create a state plan ensuring that every eligible household across the state could access benefits without needing to complete an application. Through a collaborative data-sharing agreement, current SNAP households identified by OKDHS, as well as non-SNAP households which include children eligible for free and reduced-price school meals identified by OSDE, will automatically receive P-EBT benefits.”
Idabel Public Schools is a Community Eligible Program and every student qualifies for free meals. Due to this program each Idabel Public School student should receive a P-EBT card with up to $250 credit for food benefits.
LEARN MORE - www.hungerfreeok.org/pebt