Nutrition Services

Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) benefits have been extended for the 2022-23 school year until the Covid-19 public health emergency ends on May 11, 2023. Summer P-EBT benefits will also be available for Summer 2023. This means that your family could qualify to receive money to help cover food costs for absences related to Covid-19 during the school year and over the Summer.

A child is eligible for P-EBT this school year until May 11th if:

• Their school participates in the National School Lunch Program
• The student is eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and
• Your school meets the 5 consecutive days COVID absences threshold,
• You keep your student home from school because of COVID (tests positive or is exposed and in quarantine)
• Students must have qualified for free or reduced-price meals at the time of absence
• Their school closes or shifts to remote learning for at least five consecutive days because of COVID (Note: This has not happened in 2022-23)
  A child is eligible for P-EBT Summer of 2023 if:
• Their school participated in the National School Lunch Program during
  School Year 2022-23
• The student qualified for free or reduced-priced meals during the 2022-
  23 school year.

Families do not need to apply for the school year or summer P-EBT benefits.
MAPS will report the appropriate information to the Minnesota Department
of Human Services (DHS) for students who qualify.

Homeschool & online student application

Document to notify COVID-19  absence days

How do I know if my student is approved?
Students that have completed their meal application and are eligible for free or reduced price meals will have their information forwarded automatically and the Minnesota Department of Human Services will text or email families when P-EBT benefits are approved. Make sure your student’s school has your correct contact information.
When will I receive the funds?
In late July/August, benefits will go to families whose children had additional absences due to Covid illness through May 11th and children who qualified for summer benefits.
How much will I receive?
Qualifying families will receive $8.18 for each child for each missed day related to Covid 19 absence during the school year. Summer benefits will be $120 in total.
Do I need to apply to get the funds?
No. Families do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits, schools will be reporting qualification data to the state on their behalf.
How are benefits issued?
DHS will issue the benefits on children’s P-EBT cards. Families who didn’t previously have a PEBT card will get a new one. To replace an existing card for $2, call EBT Edge at 888-997-2227.
How can I check if my student qualifies for free or reduced-priced meals?
You can check to make sure that your student has qualified for free or reduced-priced meals through the nutrition services department. If so, make sure you are receiving P-EBT texts or emails, and that Central Registration has their correct contact information. To qualify for the P-EBT benefit, students must have qualified for free or reduced meals with their enrolled school before the Covid-related absence.

If you have not yet applied for educational benefits for this school year to qualify your student for free or reduced-price meals, you can apply online on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or submit a paper application to your school that can be found here. Please note that an application for your student must be submitted to Mankato Area Public Schools Nutrition Services.

Other Questions: 

• To replace a lost card or update your address call EBT Edge at 888-997-2227 or visit https://www.ebtedge.com/
• General questions: P-EBT Call Center, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For assistance in multiple languages, complete the P-EBT Help Form or call 651-431-4608 or 833-454-0153, or visit the P-EBT Frequently Asked Questions webpage for more information.
• For questions about particular dates or the number of days your student qualified for, email your specific question, including the student’s name and the school they attend, to nutritionservice@isd77.org or leave a voicemail at 507-388-7442.
• Questions about your student’s free or reduced-price meal eligibility: nutritionservice@isd77.org or 507-388-7442.

Application for Educational Benefits (Free/Reduced)
Application Video (English)
Application Video (Spanish)

UNPAID MEAL CHARGES-MANKATO AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS GUIDELINES
These guidelines are to ensure that students receive healthy and nutritious meals through the school district’s nutrition program and that school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges.  The guidelines seek to allow students to receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day and minimize identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for school meals as well as to maintain the financial integrity of the school nutrition program.
I. PAYMENT PROCESS 

• All meal purchases are to be prepaid before meal service begins. Families may add money to students’ accounts via credit card using the Parent Portal, sending cash or check with the student to school or utilizing the Auto-Pay which will pull money from a checking account once a month. 
• Because the school district receives school lunch aid under Minn. Stat. § 124D.111, it must make lunch available without charge to all participating students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals regardless of account balance.
• When a student has a negative account balance, the student will receive the regular menu item school lunch, but will not be allowed to charge a la carte items or a second meal.
• If a parent or guardian chooses to send in one payment that is to be divided between sibling accounts, the parent or guardian must specify how the funds are to be distributed to the students’ accounts.  Funds may not be transferred between sibling accounts unless written or verbal permission is received from the parent or guardian.

II. LOW OR NEGATIVE ACCOUNT BALANCES – NOTIFICATION 

• The school district will make reasonable efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low or fall below zero.
• Families will be notified of an outstanding negative balance once the balance reaches below $10.00. Families will be notified by an automated emailing and/or texting system as well as letters sent home from the student’s school’s food service staff. Letters from the Food Services Department will be mailed out intermittently for low balances below -$15.00. 
• Reminders for payment of outstanding student meal balances will not demean or stigmatize any student participating in the school lunch program.

III. UNPAID MEAL CHARGES

• The school district will make reasonable efforts to communicate with families to resolve the matter of unpaid charges. Where appropriate, families may be encouraged to apply for free and reduced-price meals for their children.
• The school district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt.  Unpaid meal charges are designated as delinquent debt when payment is overdue, the debt is considered collectable, and efforts are being made to collect it.
• The school district may not enlist the assistance of non-school district employees, such as volunteers, to engage in debt collection efforts. 

IV. COMMUNICATION OF GUIDELINES 

• This guideline and any pertinent supporting information shall be provided in writing to all school district personnel who are responsible for enforcing this guideline.
• The school district will post the guideline on the school district’s website, in addition to providing the required written notification described above.