Dear Parent/Guardian: 

Welcome to a new school year! 

The MCS School Nutrition Department is excited to have the opportunity to provide your child with nutritionally balanced meals that promote exceptional student achievement and learning.  We invite you to come eat a delicious and healthy meal with your child in his/her school cafeteria.

The Monroe County School Nutrition Program serves more than one million breakfast and lunch meals annually. Each school nutrition manager oversees daily operations in coordination with the Director of Nutrition. School nutrition managers and assistants are certified in knowledge of food safety through the National Restaurant Association. This helps ensure students and staff receive meals in a consistently clean and safe environment.

The Monroe County School Nutrition staff share a passion for the important work they do and many go above and beyond with efforts such as hosting school gardens to engage students in learning the origins of locally sourced fresh fruits and vegetables and making healthier food selections. The goal of Monroe County School Nutrition Program is to fuel and provide the energy students need to succeed in the classroom and beyond!

The Monroe County Schools Nutrition Department will operate meal services under the traditional rules and regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture’s School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program requiring Free & Reduced Applications for school year 2024-2025.

The Department of School Nutrition provides a variety of breakfast and lunch offerings. Menu items along with nutritional information are listed monthly on the Nutrition Service website. Individual a la carte items may be purchased separately where available.

The SY25 Adult/Visiting Student meal prices will be as follows:

(It is very important to note that your student will be provided 1 reimbursable breakfast and 1 reimbursable lunch per day. Any 2nd meals or extra items will be charged)

ONLINE PAYMENT OPTION

The School Nutrition Program will continue to offer the ability for parents to monitor their child’s meal account balance, make online payments into their child’s account, and receive low balance email alerts.  In an effort to improve customer service, we have School Cafe which allows parents to view their child’s account history online.  Parents can see exactly what extra meals and extra items their child purchased.  In addition, this program is web-based so all activity is “live;” therefore, parents won’t have the 24-hour delay. To learn more about School Cafe or to set up an account id, visit the School Cafe website or the MCS Nutrition Services page.

FREE & REDUCED MEAL APPLICATIONS ARE ONLINE

If you would like to apply for Free & Reduced school meals, please visit SchoolCafe.com and complete a meal application.  Applications should be submitted before the first day of school to allow time for processing. 1 (ONE) application per household is needed.

Monroe County School Nutrition encourages families to complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application to determine eligibility to receive school meals at no cost. School year 2024-2025, students eligible for reduced rate meals can receive meals at no cost. Eligibility is based on state and federal requirements. One application will be accepted per household. Families receiving SNAP and/or TANF food assistance are eligible for free meals; however, these families are still encouraged to submit an application. Families who are unsure if their student(s) are eligible should complete the form or contact Monroe County School Nutrition. Applications will be available online beginning in July and should be completed prior to the first day of school on August 1, 2024. Please call Monroe County School Nutrition at (478) 994-2031 if you have any questions or need any assistance.

SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS – The School Nutrition Program will work to accommodate students who have special dietary needs when the needs are accompanied by a physician’s request.  Before we can make accommodations, we must have a Modified School Meals form completed and signed by a licensed physician.  Parents can obtain this form from the School Nutrition Central Office, your child’s school nurse or school Nutrition Manager, or by visiting us on the web.

BREAKFAST – Please encourage your child to eat breakfast at home or at school.  Studies show that students who eat a nutritious breakfast are tardy less and absent from school less, spend less time out of class for behavior problems, and perform better on tests.  Our breakfast program is expanding every year.  All SNP staff looks forward to greeting your students each morning for breakfast and each day for lunch. Please note, according to the USDA meal pattern for breakfast, all students are required to take a fruit or juice (OR both) with their breakfast.  Please check with your child’s school for serving hours.

OFFER VS. SERVE – Students in grades K-12 participate in Offer vs. Serve at breakfast and lunch.  This allows students to choose only what they want from a variety of entrees, fruits and vegetables and milk and not be required to take everything offered.  As a part of the USDA menu meal pattern, it is necessary for all students receiving a school lunch to choose either a fruit or a vegetable OR both every day.

CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB – If you have not visited our website, please do so at your convenience.  You will find resources on meal payment options, menu information, health inspection scores, educational websites related to nutrition and health, contact information for school nutrition staff, and other helpful information. 

Please feel free to contact your child’s school Nutrition Manager anytime during the year:

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 (including gender identity and sexual orientation), 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, 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