HATTIESBURG — Beginning this school year, every student in the Hattiesburg Public School District will be able to eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch for free, thanks to a federal program which has just expanded to Mississippi.
The Hattiesburg American reports the district traditionally has had about 90 percent of its 4,600 students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, if the parents of those children filled out the required paperwork. But these free meals will be offered with no paperwork.
Stephanie Hoze, the district’s director of child nutrition, expects more students will participate in the district’s breakfast and lunch program.
Current participation for breakfast is about 69 percent, and Hoze expects that to go up to 77 percent.
She expects lunch participation to increase from 85 percent to 91 percent.
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