In an email sent last week to parents and guardians with children in the Gloucester County Public Schools system, superintendent of schools Dr. Anthony Vladu requested that all families complete the free and reduced-price meals application for the 2025-2026 school year. This request follows the Gloucester County School Board’s June 10 decision to return to a paid lunch model.
For the past year, all eight schools within the division qualified for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program through the USDA where all students were able to receive free meals at school. The division was then partially reimbursed for the cost of the meals.
GCPS is requesting that all families complete the application, even if their children do not typically eat school meals, to ensure students receive the support they need and to help Gloucester schools qualify for state and federal resources.
According to Vladu, the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals also determines wh...