ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) -- All students in the Ithaca City School District will be eligible to receive a free healthy breakfast and lunch at school, starting on December 1st, 2023. 

The free meals will continue to be offered throughout the remainder of the 2023-24 school year and it is a part of the Community Eligibility Provision under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.  

The United States Department of Agriculture has expanded access to school breakfast and lunch to nearly 3,000 more school districts through the Community Eligibility Provision, which is a simplified meal service option that allows schools to provide meals at no cost to all students.  

In September, six schools in the ICSD became eligible for free breakfast and lunch under the same program. The schools include: Belle Sherman, Beverly J. Martin, Cayuga Heights, Enfield, Fall Creek, and Lehman Alternative Community School.