Officials with Oklahoma City Public Schools announced they will provide free breakfasts and lunches for all students in the district this school year.OKCPS will once again participate in the National School Lunch and the School Breakfast Program for the 2019-20 school year, officials said. The district’s School Nutrition Services Department implements a program called the Community Eligibility Provision, a U.S. Department of Agriculture federal program that subsidizes meals for schools and school districts in low-income areas. Under the CEP Program, OKCPS’ 45,000 students will get one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. Within the planned menu, OKCPS students will have seven to 10 healthy meal options each day, officials said. Families are not required to submit a meal application for this benefit, which reduces the administrative paperwork previously required for students to be eligible. “Providing each child a nutritious and well-balanced meal gives our students a better opportunity to succeed academically and athletically,” OKCPS Superintendent Sean McDaniel said. “Research has shown that students who eat breakfast and lunch on a daily basis increase their attendance, improve their behavior and perform better in school. Another great benefit of CEP is that it will change the perception of the cafeteria and make it a welcoming place for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status.”