Dear Parents and Guardians,

You may have heard about a new program authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) called Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer or P-EBT for short. This program intends to provide financial assistance to families of children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals who have lost access to food due to the school closures caused by COVID-19. The financial assistance will be distributed to eligible families on new or existing Colorado EBT cards. The average P-EBT benefit is $5.70/child per day or up to $279 per eligible child, retroactive to when school initially closed. This benefit is in addition to the grab-n-go meals that the district is currently offering at select locations.

If your family is already participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and possesses an EBT card, the P-EBT benefits will automatically be loaded onto your card within the month of June 2020. If your family is not currently enrolled in SNAP benefits, you must complete an application to receive P-EBT.

Receiving these benefits will not affect your immigration or public charge status. All families who are eligible for P-EBT may receive it, regardless of immigration status. P-EBT is a pandemic emergency benefit based on free or reduced-price school meal eligibility, and similar to other benefits that the Department Homeland Security has stated that it is excluded from consideration in public charge. Household information that is used to determine eligibility is protected under both federal and state data privacy practices.

To successfully complete the P-EBT application, you will need your child(ren)’s State Assigned Student ID (SASID) number.

You can obtain your student’s SASID by logging into either Infinite Campus Parent Portal or the Blackboard Mobile app. For Infinite Campus once logged in click on “Today” on the left navigation pane and the Student Number will appear under your child’s name. If you have multiple students you will need to click on your student’s picture located in the upper right-hand side of the screen and select each child to obtain their student number. For Blackboard sign into the mobile app and the student number can be found under the student profile. You can access each student’s profile in the app icon listing. If you need help getting set up or logging into the student portion of your Blackboard mobile app, visit https://www.estesschools.org/EPSDMobileapp.

Upon approval, an EBT card with the qualifying amount will be mailed to you. To access the P-EBT application visit: https://www.colorado.gov/cdhs/p-ebt.

For more information about P-EBT, please visit Colorado Department of Human Services’ Frequently Asked Questions webpage. If you have further questions, please contact pebt2020@state.co.us and a representative will respond.

 

If you have other questions or need help, contact Brian Lund, brian_lund@estesschools.org

Sincerely,
Brian Lund, Director of Business Services

Non-discrimination Statement:

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits.  Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.