Meal Choices
Each child is eligible to receive one breakfast and one lunch per day, according to federal guidelines. It is important that students and parents/guardians understand what constitutes a reimbursable meal, meaning the district's child nutrition department will be reimbursed by the USDA.
For breakfast: The child nutrition department offers milk, fruit and two servings from either the grains/bread group (cereal, toast, muffins, etc.), from the meat/meat alternate group (meat, eggs, peanut butter, cheese, etc.) or one serving from each. Juice will not be offered as part of the meal unless it is listed on the menu. Students must take three of the four offered food groups for it to be a reimbursable meal.
For lunch: The child nutrition department offers a variety of items that are broken into five components. For a meal to be considered reimbursable, students must choose at least three of the five food groups that are offered. The required components are one serving of meat/meat alternate, one serving of fruit, one serving of vegetables, one serving of grain/bread and one serving of milk. Your child may choose to take all five items offered but cannot take less than three to be within the established guidelines for a reimbursable meal. One of the items MUST be a serving of fruit or vegetables. Should your child want ala carte items, those must be purchased separately.
Milk: Under federal guidelines, 1 percent white milk, skim milk and flavored fat-free milk is offered.
Grains: All grains offered will be at least 51 percent whole grain.
Students on Free/Reduced meals can choose from any reimbursable lunch line. They are not limited to the main line. This includes pizza, burger and salad lines at secondary schools. However, they must choose enough components to equal a reimbursable meal.