Free and Reduced Meals

Please use these instructions to help you fill out the application for free or reduced price school meals. You only need to submit one application per household, even if your children attend more than one school in Madison County Schools. The application must be filled out completely to certify your children for free or reduced price school meals. Please follow these instructions in order! Each step of the instructions is the same as the steps on your application. If at any time you are not sure what to do next, please contact Michelle Bradford (256)852-2557 ext. 61701 mbradford@mcssk12.org. 

PLEASE USE A PEN {NOT A PENCIL} WHEN FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION AND DO YOUR BEST TO PRINT CLEARLY. 

How do I report my income? 

• Use the charts titled "Sources of Income for Adults" and "Sources of Income for Children," printed on the back side of the application form to determine if your household has income to report.
• Report all amounts in GROSS INCOME ONLY. Report all income in whole dollars. Do not include cents.
  • Gross income is the total income received before taxes. 
  • Many people think of income as the amount they "take home" and not the total, "gross" amount. Make sure that the income you report on this application has NOT been reduced to pay for taxes, insurance premiums, or any other amounts taken from your pay. 
• Write a "0" in any fields where there is no income to report. Any income fields left empty or blank will also be counted as a zero. If you write '0' or leave any fields blank, you are certifying (promising) that there is no income to report. If local officials suspect that your household income was reported incorrectly, your application will be investigated.

• Mark how often each type of income is received using the check boxes to the right of each field.

Notification
Please allow 10 working days to process your application. You will receive a notification letter from the Central Office Child Nutrition Program office of your eligibility status.

Direct Certification
If you receive a letter stating you are free DCRT for this school year, you are not required to fill out an application.

Foster Children
A foster child living in your home qualifies for free meals regardless of your income. You may include all foster children on same application as the rest of your household.

New Students
New students will need to bring money for meals until their application is processed and approved.

Student Transfer
If a student transfers within the Madison County School System their eligibility will also transfer. A new application is not necessary.

If you student transfers from another district you will be required to complete an application for MCSS.

Income Application
An income application must have a signature and last four (4) digits of the social security number of the parent/guardian. We cannot process your application without this information.

Confidentiality: All information is confidential and will only be used for the meal program, unless you request to release the information. Student computer accounts look identical to
cash paying students, so no one can tell what the status is of any student. We respect your privacy.

• All children in households receiving benefits from Alabama SNAP, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Alabama TANF, or Alabama Medicaid Free are eligible for free meals. 

• Alabama Medicaid Reduced are eligible for reduced priced meals. 

• Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care !agency or court are eligible for free meals. 
• Children participating in their school's Head Start program are eligible for free meals. 
• Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals. 
• Children may receive free or reduced price meals if your household's income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify for free or reduced price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits on this chart. 

Here is the data from the image converted into a clean Markdown table so you can easily copy and paste it into Excel, Word, or any other document.

FEDERAL ELIGIBILITY INCOME CHART FOR School Year 2026-2027

Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? I

If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and haven't been told your children will get free meals, please call or email Linda Arredondo larredondo@mcssk12.org or 256-852-2557 ext 62251 homeless liason, or Tanya Staples tstaples@mcssk12.org or 256-852-2557 ext. 62245 EL Resource Specialist.

No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Michelle Bradford, PO Box 226 Huntsville, AL 35804, 256-852- 2557 ext. 61701. 

No, but please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact Michelle Bradford, PO Box 226 Huntsville, AL 35804, 256-852-2557 ext. 61701 immediately. 

Yes! You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit https://paypams.com/OnlineApp.aspx to begin or to learn more about the online application process. Contact Michelle Bradford, PO Box 226 Huntsville, AL 35804, 256-852-2557 ext. 61701, mbradford@mcsskl2.org if you have any questions about the online application.

Yes. Your child's application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year, through SEPTEMBER 16, 2026. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. If you do not send in a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price for meals. 

Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please send in an application. 

Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report. 

Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit. 

You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Ken Kubik, PO Box 226 Huntsville, AL 35804, 256-852-2557 

Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals. 

List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1,000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1,000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income. 

Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application, or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so. 

Only the last 4 digits of the social security number of the household’s primary wage earner or another adult household member (or an indication of “none”) is required. 

Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income. 

List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper, and attach it to your application. Contact Michelle Bradford, PO Box 226 Huntsville, AL 35804, 256-852-2557 ext. 61701, mbradford@mcssk12.org to receive a second application. 

Yes. Households notified of their children’s eligibility must contact Madison County Schools or school if they choose to decline the free meal benefits. 

If children or households receive benefits under Assistance Programs or Other Source Categorically Eligible Programs and are not listed on the notice of eligibility and are not notified by the school of their free meal benefits, the parent or guardian should contact the school or should submit an income application. 

To find out how to apply for Alabama SNAP or other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office or call 1-800-382-0499. 

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.

The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1.mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email: Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.