IPSD 204
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School Lunch Program
COVID-19 Update
MEAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: As a reminder, grab and go breakfast and lunch is available for families at no cost. Families that require a meal can pick up a grab and go bag each morning at the elementary school in their neighborhood. We are using First Student buses to assist with delivery to our elementary schools. You can pick up your meals near door 1 between 11 am and 1 pm each day. For planning purposes, please let us know how many days you will be picking up a meal this week by completing this form today. You can find a map with addresses for distribution sites here.
WHO TO CONTACT: We have set up a central phone line to facilitate handling your calls as main office phones in schools are not currently staffed. If you have a question, please call 630-375-3890 or email support@ipsd.org.
DONATIONS: To support families who are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation is accepting donations to its Kid Essentials Fund. All donations will provide immediate support to students and families through meal assistance, transportation, housing and essential items. To donate, go to IPEF and enter "Kid Essentials Fund" in the comments box.
Lunch Program Overview
- For Free and Reduced Meals, please
download an application below and email to laurie_slate@ipsd.org or fax 331.244.0108:
English Application | Spanish Application
*PLEASE NOTE: Households are responsible for student meals until a letter is received stating your benefits are approved.*
- To apply for a fee waiver, visit the following page:
http://ipsdweb.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx/FeeWaivers
- Account refunds can be requested at the following page:
http://ipsdweb.ipsd.org/Forms/LunchAccountEdit.aspx
- Information on online meal payments can be found here:
http://www.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx/OnlineMealPayments
Lunch/Breakfast Program Overview
Under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 and the National School Lunch Program, the required components of a "meal" to be offered include: fluid milk, grains, meat/meat alternates, fruits, and vegetables. Students are required to take 3 of the 5 components offered and one component must be a full serving of fruit or vegetable.
https://www.isbe.net/Documents/nslp-meal-pattern-flyer.pdf
For the National School Breakfast, the required components of a “meal” to be offered include: fluid milk, grains and/or meat/meat alternatives, and fruits and/or vegetables. Students are required to take at least 3 of the 4 components offered.
Lunch/Breakfast Meal prices (full-pay):
- Elementary: $2.75 per meal*
- Middle: $2.80 per meal*
- High: $2.80 per meal*
(*Students are required to take 3 of the 5 components offered and one component must be a full serving of fruit or vegetable.) - Breakfast: $1.60 (all grades where breakfast is served)
(Students are required to take at least 3 of the 4 components offered, at least one of which must be a full serving of fruit.)
A la Carte Prices (all students):
- Milk: $.60 -- white (when purchased separately from meals)
$.70 -- flavored (when purchased separately from meals) - Other a la carte items (besides milk): prices vary
What is a Meal?
The $2.75/elementary or $2.80/secondary meal that is available to all students includes: fluid milk, meat/meat alternate, two different fruits and/or vegetables, and breads/grains.
A second reimbursable meal is 100% chargeable to all free/reduced students. They are only entitled to one free/reduced price reimbursable meal. Single items are considered a la carte and do not qualify as a meal for free/reduced. The student’s account will be charged for all a la carte items.
Student Account Balances
Electronic balance letters are sent on Tuesday and Thursday each week via email*:
- Low balance email to those with $10.00 or less in account (Tuesdays)
- Low balance email to those with $5.00 or less in account (Thursdays)
- Negative balance email to those with less than -$0.01 in account. (Tuesday and Thursday)
- For families that do not have an email on file with the district, the school office will contact these families as needed
* - emails are only sent to families with an email address in SIS
When a student account goes negative, students may ONLY charge a reimbursable meal (no a la carte items):
- When a student balance reaches the maximum negative amount (equivalent to 5 reimbursable meals), Schools will call the families of the students that have reached the maximum negative amount (equivalent to 5 reimbursable meals) to encourage families to bring the accounts up to date or send a lunch. If during the meal service time, a student who is past the maximum negative amount (equivalent to 5 reimbursable meals) obtains a lunch and is ready to checkout with the cashier, the student will be provided a reimbursable meal ONLY and charged to the students account.
Online Meal and Fee Payments
- Online meal and fee payment info can be found at the following location:
http://www.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx/OnlineMealPayments
Free And Reduced Meals
Under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program, those eligible for free/reduced meals receive either a free meal or reduced meal of $.40/meal. Milk is included with a meal. The District is no longer on the Illinois Free Milk Program, thus any milk without a meal is charged the a la carte milk price**, regardless of their eligibility status. At this time, breakfast is not served at all schools.
In order to qualify, families must submit a Free/Reduced Priced Meals Application. The current application is available at the link below. Families who do not have access to online information can request a paper copy of the application at the school.
Free/Reduced Lunch Eligibility Applications
Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines
- Please visit the USDA website for the current income guidelines (click the link for the current school year): http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/notices/iegs/iegs.htm
Allergies and Special Dietary Needs
Indian Prairie School District #204 and OrganicLife SmartFoodservice takes food allergies very seriously and takes every precaution to keep our cafeterias and kitchens safe for your children.
As such, OrganicLife does not purchase any foods that contain any type of nuts or tree nuts. All of our school kitchens are free of any type of nuts to eliminate the possibility of cross contamination. Not all manufacturers we contract with will state they have nut-free facilities, but they are required to label foods with nutritional information and ingredients. None of the ingredients in the manufacturers’ facility lists include any nuts nor say made or processed in a plant that contains nuts.
That being said, as participants in the NSLP, please note we cannot guarantee all products or commodities allocated to District 204 are processed in a peanut/tree nut-free facility. If your child has a severe allergy, please contact the school nurse and/or Foodservice Director for further assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) nondiscrimination regulation (7 CFR 15b), as well as the regulations governing the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, make it clear that substitutions to the regular meal must be made for children who are unable to eat school meals because of their allergy and special dietary needs, when that need is certified by a licensed physician.
Students with allergies or special dietary needs are required to have a signed physician’s form filed with the Food Service Director. Each special dietary request must be supported by a statement, which explains the food substitution that is requested. It must be signed by a recognized medical authority.
The medical statement must include:
- an identification of the medical or other special dietary condition which restricts the child's diet;
- the food or foods to be omitted from the child's diet; and
- the food or choice of foods to be substituted.
Click here to download the form. Forms can be submitted to your school office.
School food service staff will work closely with the support people who are familiar with the needs of the child. The child's parents or guardians, teachers, occupational and physical therapists, special education staff, and the school nurse are valuable resources.
Schools may not charge children with disabilities or with certified special dietary needs who require food substitutions or modifications more than they charge other children for program meals or snacks.
Gluten-Free Diets
Students who follow the gluten-free diet can be provided with a gluten-free meal. In order to provide a gluten-free meal five (5) days advance notice is required so meal counts can be prepared. Gluten-free menus can be found under the menus section of the School Lunch Program website.
Students with gluten allergies or special dietary needs are required to have a signed physician’s form filed with the Food Service Director in order to pay the published Lunch/Breakfast Meal prices. Each special dietary request must be supported by a statement, stating that they must be served gluten-free food. It must be signed by a recognized medical authority.
If your family is gluten-free but you don't have an official diagnosis the school district can accommodate the request and provide students with a gluten-free meal. The cost for a gluten-free meal without an official diagnosis is $5.00.
Every attempt will be made to mirror the gluten-free menu to the non-gluten-free menus.
Documents and Applications
- Free/Reduced Lunch Eligibility Applications
- District 204 Wellness Policy
- Collections and Check Processing Information