Paid Lunch Equity (PLE)

Lunch Pricing – School Food Service Account Revenue

In Section 760 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-6) (the Appropriations Act), Congress provides that only school food authorities (SFAs) that had a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of December 31, 2019, shall be required to establish prices for paid lunches according to the Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) provisions in Section 12(p) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. 1760(p) and implemented in National School Lunch Program regulations at 7 CFR 210.14(e).

Policy Memo SP 06-2021 notified States that as required by the 2021 Appropriations Act, any SFA with a positive or zero balance in its nonprofit school food service account as of December 31, 2020 is exempt from PLE pricing requirements found at 7 CFR 210.14(e) for school year (SY) 2021-22. SFAs operating SSO only during SY 21-22 do not need to follow PLE requirements for SY 21-22, per Child Nutrition Waiver #97.

Below is the SY 2021-22 Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Tool to assist SFAs as they make these required calculations.