P-EBT Second Round Distribution to Support Remote Learners--Data Due 9/15

Dear Superintendent:

As the new school year begins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing a second-round distribution of the Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program. This second round is only available to students with remote learning[1] periods lasting at least five consecutive days. This includes students attending schools operating a fully remote model, a hybrid model, or pandemic virtual/digital learning academy within a school that includes remote learning days for at least five consecutive days between the dates Aug. 1 and Sept. 30, 2020. The federal law only authorizes P-EBT through Sept. 30, 2020. Therefore, all benefits must be issued prior to Sept. 30, 2020.

The Ohio Department of Education is partnering with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to ensure children and families receive this important benefit. The P-EBT benefit will be issued by ODJFS based on data provided by the Information Technology Centers (ITCs) and school districts. This message provides details for sending information about students participating in free and reduced-priced meals to the ITCs to obtain this benefit.

The P-EBT program provides families eligible for free or reduced-price meals with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, in the amount of $5.86 (the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast and lunch) for each day a school has remote learning provided for at least five consecutive days. All children eligible for free and reduced-price meals are eligible for these benefits, including children who were approved through Direct Certification and children approved based on a free or reduced-price student meal application, as long as thestudent has remote learning periods lasting at least five consecutive days. 

Eligible Schools and Students:

Only schools that have implemented a fully remote learning model, hybrid model that includes remote learning periods of at least five consecutive days, or pandemic virtual/digital learning academies within the school between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 and are participating in the National School Lunch Program in school year 2020-2021 are eligible to submit student information for the second round of P-EBT for students in K-12.

1. Students approved for free or reduced-price meals are eligible for P-EBT if their remote learning period is at least five consecutive days.
2. Students enrolled in or who would have attended schools with the community eligibility provision or Provision 2 for lunch are eligible for the P-EBT if their remote learning period is at least five consecutive days.

An example of a hybrid model with P-EBT eligibility is students attending in-person one week, then attending remote learning the following week (five consecutive days). An example where students would not be eligible for P-EBT is if students participate in two days of remote learning and three days of in-person instruction in the same week.

NOTE: Please disregard this message if your school does not participate in the National School Lunch Program or is operating completely with in-person instruction. Traditional online charter schools also are not eligible.

Data Collection for this Round of P-EBT:

All schools, districts and eligible entities must submit their data through an Information Technology Center (ITC). The ITCs will be reaching out to all entities, including those that do not already have an existing relationship with an ITC, the week of Sept. 8 with the timing for data submission and file formatting (if necessary).

The data must be submitted to the ITCs by the end of the day on Sept. 15. Please start updating local information systems or gathering the necessary data as soon as possible to prepare to provide the data to the ITCs by Sept 15. For each eligible student, schools must provide:

• Student first name, middle initial if there is one, and student last name;
• Student birthdate;
• Student gender;
• Parent first name and parent last name;
• School year 2020-2021;
• Mailing address, including city and zip code;
• Phone number;
• Number of remote learning days for each student starting the first day of remote learning in either August or September and continuing through Sept. 30.

Please note that data sharing is allowable among Food Authorities and State Agencies authorized to implement the P-EBT plan under Section 1101(e) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA,

P.L. 116-127). For more information, visit the USDA State Guidance on Coronavirus EBT(P-EBT), P-EBT Questions and Answers document.

For questions about the process, contact Brigette Hires, Ohio Department of Education, at (614) 425-9760 or Brigette.Hires@education.ohio.gov. Thank you for your support and assistance as we work together to feed more children in Ohio.

Due to the conclusion of the federal fiscal year, funding for this round of P-EBT will not be available after Sept. 30, 2020. It is imperative to include all eligible students in your first submission, because there will not be any subsequent issuances.

Sincerely,

Paolo DeMaria

Superintendent of Public Instruction