All Westlawn students are eligible to receive free school breakfast and lunch this school year regardless of their family’s income. This opportunity is made possible through Westlawn’s participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) as implemented through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Westlawn is one of nearly four dozen FCPS schools participating.

Westlawn students will receive free breakfast as they enter the building from any open door, similar to the way in which students received breakfast when we returned from COVID and virtual learning. Students will take their breakfast to their classroom where they will have an opportunity to eat it while settling in for the day, chatting with classmates, and beginning their morning work. Westlawn staff members have taken care to design the schedule so that all students will have an opportunity to eat breakfast before entering spaces where eating is not permitted while class is in session, such as during specials.

At lunchtime, Westlawn students will have the same choices as last year--a full salad bar or a small salad and hot entrée--and they will no longer be required to put their PIN into the system to debit money from their MySchoolBucks account. Instead, when they go through the cafeteria line, cafe staff will tally the number of students taking school lunch so that the data can be reported and sufficient food supplies can be ordered throughout the year to meet demand.

What does this mean for households who receive free or reduced meals?

If your household is eligible for free or reduced meals, you are not required to complete eligibility paperwork this year in order for children to receive the benefit. However, if families need a personalized letter stating that their student receives free or reduced meals to get a discount or scholarship for other FCPS-run summer camps or any other programs, they will need to apply. Applications are available online. Families who need support in completing applications are encouraged to contact Westlawn social worker Savannah Ferster or Westlawn family liaison Hilda Reyes. Both Ms. Ferster (703-241-5163) and Ms. Reyes (703-241-5125) speak both Spanish and English.

What does this mean for money on the MySchoolBucks account?

While paying for cafeteria food is the most common use of MySchoolBucks, it is not the only one. A variety of school fees, from paying for lost library books or equipment to paying the fee for high school AP/IB end-of-course tests, are also eligible to be paid through a MySchoolBucks account. One of our wishes at Westlawn this year is to find a spirit wear vendor who will also take MySchoolBucks. Stay tuned!