Food Service Program
Becky Kaltenbach, Food Service Director
269-695-8415
[email]
Covid 19 note: There will be some notable changes this year to food service. Everyone entering the kitchens, serving areas and seating areas will be masked and social distancing will be observed in serving lines and seating areas. Hand sanitizer will be available at each entrance and all students will be encouraged to use it. At this time, health department guidelines do not allow for self service of any foods using a shared utensil (tongs or scoops) so we will have more foods pre-wrapped/packaged and more items served by our staff. Considerable thought and planning have gone into keeping all our students safe during breakfast and lunch and each school has developed building-specific plans to facilitate this. These may include adding additional lunch periods to have less students in the cafeteria at one time, having students eat in other areas as well as the cafeteria, and adding additional tables to the cafeterias so that students can spread out.
Disruptions in our food supply chain are a possibility and we may occasionally have to substitute menued items. We thank you for your patience and cooperation and look forward to serving your students this year.
School Lunch and Milk Program
All Buchanan Schools will begin lunch and milk service on Tuesday, September 8th.
Lunch prices are:
Kindergarten – Fifth – $2.35 full-priced student lunch; .40 reduced-priced
Middle School and High School – $2.65 full-priced student lunch; .40 reduced
High School Meal Deal w/Fries- $3.00 full-priced student lunch; .40 reduced
Milk – .50 if purchased without a meal (also applies to students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, but only want milk)
Adult Lunch – $3.20 at Moccasin and Ottawa, $3.50 at BMS; $3.90 at BHS
The menued school lunch includes milk. A variety of fruits and vegetables will be available for customers to add to their tray (at no extra charge) before they check-out at the register.
School Breakfast Program
All Buchanan schools offer a before school breakfast program. Breakfast service will begin on Tuesday, September 8th.
Breakfast prices are:
Moccasin & Ottawa-$1 full-priced student breakfast; .30 reduced-priced
Elementary breakfast service begins at 8:20 a.m.
Middle School and High School-$1.10 full-priced student breakfast; .30 reduced
High School breakfast service begins at 7:00 a.m.
Middle School breakfast service begins at 6:50 a.m.
Adult Breakfast-$1.75
The menued school breakfast includes milk, 100% juice and fruit. A variety of cereals are available as another entrée choice.
Applications for Free and Reduced Price School Meals
The only households that need to complete a Free/Reduced Price application are those that do not qualify for subsidized meals through Direct Certification. The easiest method to apply for free/reduced price school meals is to complete an application online. Online applications will be available starting August 26. To apply online, go to www.buchananschools.com and click the food service tab. You will need your username and password. If you do not know it, call Becky at 695-8415, or email her here [email]. Paper applications will be mailed to households that qualified for subsidized meals last year based on income. Paper applications will also be available in each school office, the food service office, and school kitchens. Only one application needs to be completed per household. Students who qualified for free or reduced price meals in 2019-2020 may maintain that status for 30 days after the start of the school year. A new application must be on file by October 9th, 2020 for benefits to continue.
PROCEDURE FOR THE COLLECTION AND PAYMENT FOR CHARGED MEALS
It is the responsibility of the parents to provide lunch for their children while at school. However, it is important that children receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day. This procedure shall apply in the event that a child does not have a lunch or the money to purchase one.
An elementary student (Grades kindergarten – fourth) may charge up to $10 and receive 3 alternative lunches. An alternative lunch consists of a peanut butter (or soy butter) jamwich, fruit, and milk.
A middle school student (Grades 5 – 7) may charge up to $5 and receive 3 alternative lunches.
A high school student (Grades 8 – 12) may charge only one (1) lunch at any time until their charges are paid.
There will be no charges allowed for adults or for food and beverages purchased a la carte.
Students will be reminded at the register to tell their parents/guardians that they need lunch money and food service staff will make calls home if needed. Letters will be sent home to parents of K-5 students with delinquent meal accounts regarding the amount of money owed. Automatic emails are also sent twice per week when student account funds are low. At any time, parents may view the activity on their child’s meal account and make payments through the Food Service section of the district website.
*Note: No charging will be allowed during the last two full weeks of the school year in order to allow time for all meal accounts to be brought into good standing before the end of the year.
At the discretion of the Food Service Department, a private service fund may be used to pay for a student’s charged meals, rather than to offer the alternative lunch. The Food Service Director will work with the family to determine a payment schedule for these meals. If this fund is used, students will not be able to purchase a la carte items until the fund is reimbursed.