The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has raised the income guidelines for free and reduced-price school lunches to account for inflation, allowing more families to qualify for the program. This will help alleviate the burden of paying full price for meals.
It is important to note that meals are no longer free for everyone, but students with a reduced status will continue to receive free meals for the 2024-25 school year. Additionally, we are pleased to announce that ALL Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) students will continue to receive complimentary breakfast this school year thanks to the State of Maryland funding GCPS receives.
We encourage all families to fill out a meal application, regardless of income or desire to purchase meals at school, as this application is tied to other state and federal funding. Families paying for meals can send money to the school (cash or check) or use LINQ Connect to put funds into their child's account using a debit or credit card. Please be aware that the app charges a small fee. Filling out an application online or seeing what your child purchases at school is free.
Lunch prices for the 2024-25 school year are unchanged from last year and are as follows:
- Elementary paid lunch - $2.70
- Secondary paid lunch - $2.85
To fill out a meal application, view purchases, or add funds to your student's account, please visit https://linqconnect.com/. You can also download the app from Google Play or the App Store. We hope these changes will make it easier for families to access nutritious meals for their children.
