CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM:  LUNCH, BREAKFAST, AND EXTRA SALES

 

 

Free and Reduced Priced Application: It is extremely important that every household complete an application for free and reduced priced meals regardless of whether or not your child plans to eat in the cafeteria.  An approved application provides:

                        Tangipahoa Parish School System with additional funds

                        Standards for eligibility for JTPA Jobs for students

                        Additional funds for children with special needs (gifted, handicapped, etc.)

            The multi-family free lunch application will be used once again.  You should list every child in your household, except foster children, on this application.  Each foster child is listed on a separate application.  If you are listing more than seven (7) children, please list them on a separate sheet of paper and attach to the application. After completing the form, return it to Tangipahoa Parish Child Nutrition Program, 59656 Puleston Road, Amite, LA 70422.

            Applications will be mailed to the parents.  Applications must be returned prior to October 1st.  The Child Nutrition Program will use last year’s application for the first thirty days.  If your child was receiving free or reduced meals last year, they will receive free or reduced meals for the first thirty days.  If an application is not received after the first thirty days, the child will have to pay full price for a meal.  If there is no application on file for a student from the previous year, the child will have to pay for meals until an application is received.  The only exception to this rule is if the Child Nutrition Program Office is notified that an application for a sibling is on file.  The meal status (free, reduced) on that application may be used by the new student for the first thirty days.  (It is your responsibility to notify the Child Nutrition Program if there is an application on file for a sibling.) Three percent of all applications received will be required to provide proof of income. Families can apply for free or reduced meals any time there is a loss of employment or increase in family size.  All information is kept confidential.

            Breakfast:  Breakfast is served in all schools with the exception of Southeastern Lab School.  Serving will begin with the arrival of the buses and will continue until the time the school day officially begins.  No breakfast is served on half days.  Students who receive free meals are eligible for free breakfasts.

            Lunch: There are two sets of menus used in the parish.  Elementary menu consists of a hot lunch with limited choices.  The High School menu consists of three to four food courts depending on the availability of equipment and space in the individual schools.  The four food courts are Mama’s Kitchen (a hot lunch), Pizzeria  (pizza by the slice, vegetable, salad, fruit), Health Bar (Chicken Salad Plate, Tuna Stuffed Tomato, Chef’s Salad Plate, Shaker Salad, and a Grilled Chicken Breast Plate), Sandwich Shoppe (sandwich variety with vegetable, fries, and fruit or dessert).  Milk choices are offered on all serving lines.

            Extra Sales:  Numerous items are sold as extra sales.  The items sold must meet the nutritional standards of the items in the meal pattern.  We do not sell cold drinks, candy, etc. in the cafeteria.  Some schools require cash payment for all extra sales.  Others deduct the cost of the extra sales from the lunch money paid in advance.  If you do not want your child’s extra sale purchases deducted from their lunch money account, you must notify the school or make sure your child understands that they must pay for their extra sale purchases daily.

            Meal Prices: Meal prices for the 2003-2004 year are as follows:

Breakfast: Elementary and High School      Lunch: Elementary    High/Middle School:

Paying:         $ .50                                            Paid:          $1.00          Paid:       $ 1.25

Reduced:      $  .30                                           Reduced:   $ .40           Reduced: $  .40

Adults:         $1.00                                                                                Adults:    $ 2.00

 

Some high schools and all middle schools offer the Food Court Menu to Grades 5 and up.  Any students attending schools where the Food Court Menu is served at their grade level will be charged the $1.25.

            Handicapped and special dietary needs:  Handicapped and non-handicapped children with special dietary needs can be met at no additional cost to the parents provided a physician submits a statement in writing prescribing the diet, A menu will be sent to the parent. The parent must select from this menu foods that the child may have.   Medical excuses for special diets must be renewed each year.  The physician must provide a new prescription for the diet.  Last year’s special diets will not be honored  without a current update as outlined above.

            Billing:  Kindergarten and elementary students are billed in advance for the meals for that month.  Credit is given for any meal missed the previous month.  The months of  November and December are billed together.  Timely payment is a must.  The state will not allow the Child Nutrition Program to extend credit.  A late notice, advising of a cut-off date for students to receive meals, is sent to parents who have not paid on time.

            Tangipahoa Parish Child Nutrition Program does not want to refuse your child a meal!  If you fail to pay for your child’s meals on the specified deadline, your child will be served partial menu items for three additional days. (Partial menu items consist of a roll and milk, crackers and milk, etc.).  On the fourth day you must make arrangements to send a bag lunch for your child, as meals will not be served.  Please see that payments are made on the specified dates.  High school and middle school students pay daily for their meals or in advance. If a high school or middle school students forgets to bring money for their meals, they will be served one meal without pay.  The next day the student must bring money for the day they charged as well as the day they plan to eat.  Change will not be made in the cafeteria.  All students must bring the exact change for the meal.  Time for feeding students is limited. Therefore, students must bring the exact change to the line.  Any overage will be credited to the student’s account.

            Rollover of debts and balances:  All debts and balances shall be rolled over to the next year.

            Balance:  If your child ended the year with a balance in their account, the balance will be deducted from your child’s first bill.  If your child is a high school student with a balance, they will not be charged for meals until the balance is depleted.

            Debt:  If your child ended the year 2002-2003 owing money to the Child Nutrition Program they will not be allowed to eat in the cafeteria until the debt has been paid.

            Refunds:  If your child has a balance at the end of 2003-2004, you may request a refund from the principal for two weeks after the closing of schools.  If you do not request the refund during that period of time, the balance will be rolled over to the next school year.