Pulaski County Special School District

The Pulaski County Special School District operates a meal assistance program, which complies with federal guidelines. It's easy to apply for meal assistance, free or reduced price meals, for the breakfast and lunch programs.

• Fill out the Free & Reduced Price Meal application online OR:

  • Pick up a Free & Reduced Price Meal application from your school office at registration, OR

  • Pick up a Free & Reduced Price Meal application from your Cafeteria Manager two days before school starts.

• Fill out the application and return it to the school’s Cafeteria Manager or mail it to the Student Nutrition Department at: Pulaski County Special School District Student Nutrition Office 1101 A. East Dixon Rd, Little Rock, AR 72206.

• Once the application is received, a determination will be made within ten (10) days to see if your student(s) qualifies for Free or Reduced Priced Meals. Qualification is based on household income and family size. A complete application will include income information by source, social security number and the signature of an adult household member.

• Please keep a copy of application for your reference.

• Until you receive a written notification letter from the Student Nutrition Department that your student is eligible for free or reduced priced meals, full payment must be made for each meal received. Notification from any other source, or any means other than written, is not valid.

If your student(s) were eligible for the Free or Reduced Priced Meals the previous school year, you have thirty (30) days after the first day of school to fill out a new application and for it to be approved. Otherwise the student(s) will be classified as a “Full Pay” student. After the lapse of thirty (30) days, full payment will be required if the new application has not been received and approved by the Student Nutrition Department.

Completing your application can help in many areas beyond just free or reduced price meals. These include:

• Increased funding for schools to ensure students received the support they need and deserve

• Discounts on fees associated with applying for college

• Discounts on fees associated with academic tests such as the ACT, SAT and Advanced Placement (AP)

• Discount on fees associated with participating in athletics programs in the district

• Increased technology funds to improve internet access, wireless and network services

• Receive discount on fees associated with some Pulaski County Community Education courses

PCSSD strives to assist students and their families in every way possible, including meal assistance. PCSSD strongly encourages families to apply for the Free and Reduced Lunch program. This federal program is offered for individuals at any time of the year as they experience any financial hardships. The application can be completed online or paper applications can be found in your child’s school office.

If your family does not qualify for free and reduced meals and you are going through a difficult time, please communicate with your building principal, counselor, or Student Nutrition Director, Regena English at renglish@pcssd.org.

Despite continually reminding parents that we can help, we have families that do not contact us for assistance. Once the charge amount exceeds a set threshold and our attempts to either qualify parents for meal assistance or to work together to formulate a reasonable payment plan are not successful, we may consider using a debt collection agency. This is a last resort after all attempts to communicate together on a plan have been unsuccessful.

Pulaski County Special School District participates in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture and is held to a high standard of accountability, good nutrition and safety. Eating breakfast and lunch will enable students to be better prepared to learn in the classroom.

Not ready to apply at the beginning of the year? Financial status changes mid-way through the semester? Not a problem. The application can be filled out at any point and students status will be updated after the application gets processed. It’s never too late!

You can trust that all of your information will remain confidential and only be used for determining eligibility for school meals. Once a student is approved for free or reduced-price meals, their status will also remain confidential so no student can be identified or singled out.

The price of the meal is the ONLY thing that is reduced, all students are offered the same nutritious meal options.