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August 29, 2018
The Oregon Department of Education announces guidelines that
allow students to qualify for free or reduced price meals.
Meal Ticket Guidelines Issued
Each year, the Oregon Depart-
ment of Education announces
income guidelines that allow stu-
dents to qualify for free or reduced
price meals.
The guidelines are determined
by U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture and are the same for schools
operating the National School
Lunch and School Breakfast Pro-
grams.
Schools that do not offer these
programs may offer the Special
Milk Program, which includes
free milk to eligible students using
the below guidelines.
Under these federal programs,
qualifying students receive
meals or milk without charge or
may pay a reduced price of no
more than 40 cents for lunch.
However, the Oregon Legisla-
ture provided funding to elimi-
nate the reduced price payment
for School Breakfast and Lunch
so for the 2018-19 school year,
breakfast and lunch will be ac-
cessible at no charge to students
who qualify for reduced price
meals.
McCoy Academy’s New Home
C ontinued from P age 2
on the PCC Cascade Camus in
north Portland. McCoy Acade-
my’s founder and executive direc-
tor, Rebecca Black, was thrilled to
be able to continue to serve stu-
dents at the new location.
The academy is part of a ju-
venile justice reentry program at
PCC, which is made possible by
an Opening Doors grant. McCoy
students can also enroll in classes
for college credit and have access
to resources that are available to
PCC students. These include pub-
lic transportation, technology and
computer labs, tutoring, counsel-
ing, the health center, and more.
As the year evolved, Black was
happy to learn of these increased
resources her students could take
advantage of.
“We were so excited about the
all the new enhanced opportuni-
ties that we didn’t have the ca-
pacity to provide to our students
before,” she said.
All of these resources increase
the chance of success for students
after they graduate, and their like-
lihood to continue their education.
Katie Carpenter, assistant execu-
tive director of Oregon Outreach,
which oversees McCoy Academy,
said that there are also plans to
create a college transition class.
Black and Carpenter are eager
to continue to serve students and
want the community to know that
the McCoy program is still around
and better than ever.
“When we left the core neigh-
borhood that we were in on MLK
Boulevard, it made it seem like
we were no longer there. We want
people to know that we are alive
and sticking!” Black said.
There were three seniors en-
rolled in the program for the 2017-
18 school year and all of them
graduated this June.
Carpenter and Black are most
proud of the fact that McCoy
Academy is a place where au-
thenticity is valued and that stu-
dents receive a full education. The
goal is to educate the whole child
– socially, emotionally, and aca-
demically, a school program that
can create a sense of community
where kids can be safe and not
vulnerable.
Open enrollment is happening
now through Sept. 10. There is no
tuition for the high school program
at PCC. McCoy Academy remains
the only free private high school in
Portland. There is also a Back to
School Open House taking place
on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 3 p.m.
to 7 p.m. at the Oregon Outreach
Administrative Office, located at
2215 N. Lombard St.
McCoy Academy is named
after the late Gladys McCoy, the
former Multnomah County chair-
person, school board member, and
first African American elected to
public office in Oregon.