WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ The Wichita school district is again opting out of a program that gives schools in high-poverty areas the option to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost to families.

The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1RdOPAU ) reports the district had considered implementing the program at one middle school and five elementary schools.

But director of operations Darren Muci says the district decided not to move forward after seeking guidance from the Kansas State Department of Education.

One issue is families don’t complete the standard free-lunch application at participating schools. In Topeka, which uses the program, many didn’t fill out an alternate form that’s needed to secure state funding for serving at-risk students. The Topeka district may have lost about $330,000 in state aid last school year as a result.