On November 15, the Board approved the new school calendar for Life School's second school year with a 4-day school week. Parents can now begin planning for the 2024-25 school year that begins in August 2024.

Dear Parents: The mission of Life School is to develop leaders through strong academics, character training, and partnerships with parents and the community. Now, more than ever, it is important for us to be in partnership with our parents. Progress reports will be mailed home next week, but all parents have the opportunity to monitor their student’s progress throughout the school year.

Life School – Dallas and Ellis Counties — Starting on July 1, 2025, Life School families will have access to the Letter to Household and Multi-Child Child Nutrition Application.  Families are encouraged to complete the Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals online.  Paper copies of the lunch form are available at the campus.

The application will determine a child’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals and may assist in the determination of eligibility for other state or federal benefits. Only one application needs to be completed per household. Schools will notify the household of the child’s eligibility. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers school nutrition programs in Texas and offers an eligibility calculator.

Decisions regarding payment for school meals are made at the national-government level, not by the school nutrition team or TDA. The dedicated staff at Life School is looking forward to serving healthy, balanced meals to students in the new school year. These meals, whether paid, free, or reduced-price, offer a good source of nutrition for children.

Criteria for Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benefits

The following criteria will be used to determine a child’s eligibility for free or reduced-price meal benefits:

Income Eligibility

• Household income that is at or below the income eligibility levels

Categorical or Automatic Eligibility

• Household receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

Program Participant Eligibility

• Child’s status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant, or displaced by a declared disaster
• Child’s enrollment in Head Start or Even Start

Income Eligibility

For those households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on income, an adult in the household must fill out free and reduced-price meal application online or a scannable application that will be returned to:

• Life School Cedar Hill – Samiyah Davis, 129 W. Wintergreen, Cedar Hill, TX 75104, 972-293-2825
• Life School Innovation Academy – Teresa Rutkowski, 950 S. I-35 E., Lancaster, TX 75146, 972-274-7950
• Life School Mountain Creek – Cassandra Puente, 5525 W. Illinois Ave, Dallas, TX 75211, 214-623-0012
• Life School Oak Cliff (K-6) – Mari Williams, 4400 S. R.L. Thornton, Fwy., Dallas, TX 75224, 214-376-8200
• Life School Oak Cliff (7-12) – Ashley Mayben, 4400 S. R.L. Thornton, Fwy., Dallas, TX 75224, 214-413-1612
• Life School Red Oak Elementary – Lisa Pitt, 777 S. I-35 E., Red Oak, TX 75154, 469-552-9200
• Life Middle School Waxahachie - Winona Toumbs, 3295 N. Hwy. 77, Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-937-0715
• Life High School Waxahachie – Robin Olivarez, 170 W. Butcher Road, Waxahachie, TX 75165, 469-708-4444

Those individuals filling out the application will need to provide the following information:

• Names of all household members
• Amount, frequency, and source of current income for each household member
• Last 4 digits of the Social Security number of the adult household member who signs the application or, if the adult does not have a social security number, check the box for “No Social Security number”
• Signature of an adult household member attesting that the information provided is correct

Categorical or Program Participant Eligibility

Life School is working with local agencies to identify all children who are categorically and program eligible. Life School will notify the households of these children that they do not need to complete an application. Any household that does not receive a letter and feels it should, can contact Kay Bateman, Federal Programs Manager by email at kay.bateman@lifeschools.net or by phone at 469-850-5433 ext. 7262.

Any household that wishes to decline benefits should contact Kay Bateman by email at kay.bateman@lifeschools.net or by phone at 469-850-5433 ext. 7262.

Applications may be submitted anytime during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility. Applications may also be verified by the school officials at any time during the school year.

Determining Eligibility

Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy, Virginia Valencia, Finance Administrative Assistant, virginia.valencia@lifeschools.net , 469-850-5433, will review applications and determine eligibility. Households or guardians dissatisfied with the Reviewing Official’s eligibility determination may wish to discuss the decision with the Reviewing Official on an informal basis. Households wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either orally or in writing to Megan Beck, Chief Financial Officer, megan.beck@lifeschools.net, 469-850-5433 ext. 7264.

Unexpected Circumstances

If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for benefits if the household’s income falls at or below the attached current income eligibility guidelines.

In the operation of child feeding programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age, or disability. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or email: Program.Intake@usda.gov 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Life School has officially named Johnathan Griffin as the Principal for Life High School Oak Cliff and Life Middle School Oak Cliff. Mr. Griffin has already been serving as the Acting Principal since Ms. Anne Beckman's retirement earlier this Spring.

Mr. Griffin joined Life School Oak Cliff in 2013 as a Middle School Math Teacher. Since that time, he has served in multiple roles including Assistant Principal and Associate Principal.

Mr. Griffin attended Texas A&M University – Commerce where he received both his Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences and Master of Educational Administration. He and his wife Melissa have an 8-year-old son named Isaac and enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors. Mr. Griffin has a passion for serving the Life School Oak Cliff staff, students and parents and will continue fostering growth and building relationships in the community.