CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2010 includes The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act which ensures that students will receive a consistent message about healthy choices.  It continues to underscore our national health responsibility to provide healthy school meals. Because obesity rates have increased significantly in adolescents, meals must be consistent with the Recommended Dietary Allowances, the calorie goals, and Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  The St. Mary Parish Child Nutrition Program provides a minimum of 1/4 of the child's daily nutritional needs for breakfast and 1/3 for lunch.

Offer Versus Serve (OVS)

All schools have implemented OVS by offering a complete school lunch (five food items) and allowing students to decline one or two items that they do not intend to eat.  This means that students must take at least three of the five food items offered to receive a reimbursable meal.  The same process is required for breakfast. However, only four items are offered and a minimum of 3 are to be chosen.

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) provided schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) that predominately serve low-income children with a new option for meal certification. Under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), schools do not collect or process meal applications for free and reduced-price meals served under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).

 

Instead, schools serve all meals at no cost and are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students identified as eligible for free meals using direct certification and other lists of eligible students (migrant, homeless and foster). Currently, St. Mary Parish has all schools participating in CEP.

Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP)

Many households may not have health insurance for their children. Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP) is available. A fact sheet on LaCHIP will be given to all students so that households may have the opportunity to find out more information about this program.

Payment for Extra Meals

Extra meals or snacks must be paid for in advance. Payment for extra meals or snacks may be made daily, weekly, monthly, or annually.  

Cash, Checks, Money orders and Debit/Credit Cards @ (www.myschoolbucks.com) will be accepted for payment of extra meals.  If a check is returned, it will be the parent’s responsibility to pay for the NSF check, in addition to the NSF fee for collecting the check. At the end of the school year, if there is any money left in a student’s account, it will be returned to the parent at their request or it may be left in the student’s account. Any remaining balance will roll over to next school year. If a child transfers to another school within the district, the balance can also be transferred. 

 

Cafeteria Rules

Foods or plate lunches from fast food restaurants or other establishments are not permitted in the cafeteria.  Soft drinks are not permitted in the cafeteria. Concentrated sweets, high-calorie, high sodium, and high fat foods will not be allowed in the cafeteria. One hundred percent (100%) fruit juices and water are allowed.

 

Students will be assigned a cafeteria number at the beginning of each school year. Elementary students will be issued a lunch card which will be scanned at the point of service. Students in Junior High and High School will present their ID card to be scanned at the point of service.