This memorandum provides information for identifying migrant children, as well as the procedures school food authorities (SFAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) should follow to coordinate with the Migrant Education Program (MEP) in order to document the categorical eligibility of migrant children for free meals.

The MEP is authorized under Title I, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and provides grants to State educational agencies. The State educational agency, in turn, makes sub-grants to LEAs and other entities to provide supplemental educational and support services for migrant children. A major goal of the MEP is to ease the transition for children who move frequently. While the full definition of a migrant child in section 1309 of ESEA is rather complicated, in general under this definition, a migrant child is one who has moved across school district lines, within the last three years, in order to accompany or join a parent or guardian who has moved to seek or obtain temporary or seasonal work in agriculture or fishing.

However, it is unnecessary for local SFA personnel to apply this ESEA definition because there are already the State educational agency and local MEP staff responsible for identifying (and maintaining supporting documentation) as to who is an eligible migrant child under ESEA.

When an LEA receives MEP funds, a MEP coordinator is usually designated. Each LEA typically identifies and recruits migrant children within their geographic area and maintains a list of eligible migrant children.

SFAs/LEAs should work with their MEP coordinators or, the State MEP director, to identify migrant children and to document their eligibility for free school meals. LEAs must accept documentation that the children are migrant children from the LEA MEP coordinator.

In order to achieve free meal eligibility, documentation of migrant status is needed. Such documentation includes a dated list with each child's name and the signature of the MEP coordinator or the State MEP director. This list is in lieu of free and reduced price meal applications and must be obtained as much as possible, prior to a household completing an application. Once documentation is obtained, the SFA/LEA must notify the household as soon as possible about the child's free meal eligibility. Any application submitted on behalf of the child would be disregarded.

It is particularly important that newly arrived migrant children in the LEA be documented and certified for free meals as promptly as possible. SFAs/LEAs need to establish procedures with the MEP coordinator to assure prompt notification when a new migrant child is identified.

SFAs/LEAs should attempt to share the child's free meal eligibility status with a new SFA/LEA when a migrant child moves from their jurisdiction if the family knows their new location.