About School Meals
Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) provides meal services for our students. Lunch is offered at all schools, and brunch is available at all secondary schools, Escondido Elementary School and Barron Park Elementary School. Snacks or a la carte items are offered during brunch and lunch at secondary schools.
All students, including students on the Free and/or Reduced Price Meals Program, must pay full price for snacks (sold at secondary sites; some are not available at all sites).
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Food Services or call (650) 329-3806.
- Procedures
- Payments
- Meal Charges Policy / Póliza de cargo de comida
- Newsletter
- School Breakfast Facts
- New School Nutrition Regulations
Procedures
Elementary Schools
We have a preorder system in our elementary schools. Students who want to buy school lunch sign up on a sign up sheet, in class, before 9 am each morning. They go to the lunch area to pick up their lunches at lunch time. (Students need to sign up the day before for pizza.)
Secondary Schools
Students go to the cafeterias to select their choice of food items during brunch or lunch hours.
Payments
Ways to Pay for Meals
- Cash Method (Secondary only) - Students pay with cash or checks at time of purchase. (They can pay exact amount or an amount more than their purchase and the extra will get deposited into their accounts for future purchases.)
- Account Method - Money is deducted from a student's account each time a purchase is made, provided there is sufficient fund in the account.
Every student has a lunch account. It is simply his/her name or PAUSD student ID#
- Elementary School Students - The lunch server will deduct $4.75 from a student's account each time (s)he orders and picks up a lunch.
- Secondary School Students - Students enter their pin numbers in pin pads located next to cash registers and the purchase amount is deducted from their accounts. For your student's pin number, please email foodserv@pausd.org or call 650-329-3806.
Ways to Deposit Money Into an Account
- School sites - Give checks (payable to PAUSD) or cash (cash is not accepted at elementary school offices) to school offices or cafeterias.
- District Office - Give cash or checks in person or mail checks to the district office at 25 Churchill Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306. Please write your student's name or ID # on the check.
- Online - Open an account at sendmoneytoschool.com (call 616-842-8882) and charge to your credit card. There is a $3 fee per transaction for this service.
- Cash is not accepted at elementary school offices. We highly recommend parents to open an account. In addition to being able to make deposits online, you will be able to view your student's lunch activities and balance, transfer funds between accounts and set your own low balance reminder threshold. There is NO FEE to open an account.
Meal Charges Policy / Póliza de cargo de comida
English
The purpose of this policy is to insure compliance with federal requirements for the USDA Child Nutrition Program. This policy will provide oversight and accountability for the collection of outstanding student meal balances.
The intent of this policy is to establish procedures to address unpaid meal charges.
The provisions of this policy pertain to regular priced school breakfast and lunch meals only. A la carte / snacks windows and second meals are not included. Palo Alto Unified School District provides this policy as a courtesy to households in the event that they forget to add money to their child's account.
Policy
- Free Meal Benefit - Free eligible students will be allowed to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each day. (Ala Carte Snack window items and Second Meals are not part of the USDA Child Nutrition Meal Reimbursement Program and are not included).
- Reduced Meal Benefit - Reduced eligible students will be allowed to receive one complete breakfast for $0.30 and one complete lunch for $0.40 each day. If a student is without meal money, they will be allowed to charge their meal. The charge meals offered to students will be a choice from the same reimbursable meals that are available to all students. (Ala Carte Snack window items and Second Meals are not part of the USDA Child Nutrition Meal Reimbursement Program and are not included). Students’ whose accounts are already negative and they attempt to get Ala Carte Snacks or Second Meals will be told that their account is not set up to charge for this. The goal is to minimize stigmatizing children with insufficient funds. Parents will be notified via email when their student’s account goes into a negative balance. If a student is without meal money on a consistent basis, the School Office will investigate the situation more closely and take further action as needed.
- Full Paid Students - Students will pay for meals at the school’s published paid meal rate each day (Breakfast-all grade levels $3.00, Lunch $5.00. If a student is without meal money, they will be allowed to charge their meal. The charge meals offered to students will be a choice from the same reimbursable meals that are available to all students. (Ala Carte Snack window items and Second Meals are not part of the USDA Child Nutrition Meal Reimbursement Program and are not included). Students’ whose accounts are already negative and attempt to get Ala Carte Snacks or second meals will be told that their account is not set up to charge for this. Parents will be notified via email when their student’s account goes into a negative balance. The goal is to minimize stigmatizing children with insufficient funds. If a student is without meal money on a consistent basis, the School Office will investigate the situation more closely and take further action as needed. If financial hardship exists, parents and families are encouraged to apply for free or reduced priced lunches for their child, if applicable.
- Parents/Guardians are responsible for meal payment to the food service program. Online payments are accepted as well as in-person payments to the School Office. Email notices of low or deficit balances are sent to parents/guardians weekly during the school year.
Español
El propósito de esta política es asegurar el cumplimiento de los requisitos federales para el Programa de Nutrición Infantil del USDA. Esta política proporcionará supervisión y rendición de cuentas para la recaudación de saldos pendientes de comidas para estudiantes.
El objetivo de esta política es establecer procedimientos para presenter los saldos de comida no pagados. Las disposiciones de esta política se refieren a los desayunos y almuerzos escolares de precio regular, a excepción de las compras en ventanillas a la carta/aperitivos y segundas porciones. El Distrito Escolar Unificado de Palo Alto proporciona esta política como cortesía a los hogares en caso de que olviden agregar dinero a la cuenta de su hijo.
Póliza
- Beneficio de comida gratis: a los estudiantes elegibles se les permitirá recibir un desayuno gratis y un almuerzo gratis cada día. (Las compras en ventanilla a la carta/ aperitivos y segundas porciones no son parte del Programa de Reembolso de Alimentos para la Nutrición Infantil del USDA y no están incluidos).
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Beneficio de comida a precio reducido: a los estudiantes elegibles se les permitirá recibir un desayuno completo por $0.30 y un almuerzo completo por $0.40 por día. Si un estudiante no tiene dinero para la comida, se le permitirá agregar el costo de su comida a su cuenta. Las comidas cargadas a su cuenta ofrecidas a los estudiantes serán una opción de las mismas comidas reembolsables que están disponibles para todos los estudiantes. (Los artículos en ventanilla a la carta/aperitivos y segundas porciones no son parte del Programa de Reembolso de Alimentos para la Nutrición Infantil del USDA y no están incluidos). A los estudiantes cuyas cuentas ya tiene un balance negativo y que intenten obtener a la carta/aperitivos o segundas porciones se les informará que su cuenta no está configurada para cobrar por esto. El objetivo es minimizar el estigma de los niños con fondos insuficientes. Los padres serán notificados por correo electrónico cuando la cuenta de su alumno tenga un saldo negativo. Si un estudiante no tiene dinero para la comida en forma constante, la Oficina de la escuela investigará la situación más de cerca y tomará medidas adicionales según sea necesario.
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Estudiantes que pagan el precio completo: los estudiantes pagarán las comidas según la tarifa de comidas publicada por la escuela cada día (desayuno: todos los niveles de grado $3.00, almuerzo $5.00). Si un estudiante no tiene dinero para la comida, se le permitirá cargar su comida a su cuenta. Las comidas con cargo ofrecidas a los estudiantes serán una opción de las mismas comidas reembolsables que están disponibles para todos los estudiantes. (Los artículos de la ventana a la carta/aperitivos y segundas porciones no son parte del Programa de Reembolso de Alimentos para la Nutrición Infantil del USDA y no están incluidos). A los estudiantes cuyas cuentas ya sean negativas e intenten obtener meriendas de a la Carta o segundas porciones se les informará que su cuenta no está configurada para cobrar por esto. Los padres serán notificados por correo electrónico cuando la cuenta de su alumno tenga un saldo negativo. El objetivo es minimizar el estigma de los niños con fondos insuficientes. Si un estudiante no tiene dinero para la comida en forma constante, la Oficina de la escuela investigará la situación más de cerca y tomará medidas adicionales según sea necesario. Si existen dificultades financieras, se recomienda a los padres y familias que soliciten almuerzos gratuitos oa precio reducido para sus hijos, si corresponde.
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Los padres/tutores son responsables del pago de la comida al programa de servicio de alimentos. Se aceptan pagos en línea, así como pagos en persona a la Oficina de la escuela. Los avisos por correo electrónico de saldos bajos o pendientes se envían a los padres/tutores semanalmente durante el año escolar.
Newsletter
School Breakfast Facts
A great breakfast program is offered at Barron Park, Escondido at recess every day and all secondary sites daily!
Thanks to funding from the PAUSD School Board, the following elementary schools offer free breakfast to all students every morning at 7:15 am: Addison, Walter Hays, El Carmelo, Escondido, Barron Park, Fairmeadow and Briones.
Here are some fun facts about school breakfast:
- It’s easy! Instead of running around in the morning trying to make sure your children eat a healthy meal, let us do the work. They can get a great breakfast at school, and there will be no dishes for you to wash!
- It’s affordable! If qualified, your child may be able to get breakfast at a reduced price or for free. If your child already eats a free or reduced priced lunch, they automatically qualify for a free or reduced priced breakfast.
- It’s tasty! Schools now have more variety to choose from when deciding what to offer your children for breakfast. Request a menu so you can view what your child may be eating at school.
- It’s good for the brain! Research suggests that not having breakfast can affect children’s intellectual performance (CDC).
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
New School Nutrition Regulations
You may have heard about a change coming in school lunch this fall. It is true!
After much research on school meals, coupled with the recent release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2012, the USDA announced new government regulations that will substantially change school meal requirements for the first time in decades.
Here in the Palo Alto Unified School District, we began making similar changes to our menus a few years ago. Many of our menu items are now made with healthier ingredients such as whole grains.
Please take some time and revisit our menus as they offer new items such as soup, tortellini, fish tacos, etc. We have also been modifying recipes to include less sodium and saturated fat. Students will be offered foods from five food groups (grains, fruit, vegetable, protein, and dairy) and they must take at least 3 of the 5 menu items. In addition, they must always take at least half cup of a fruit or vegetable.
Please be proactive and talk with your child about the USDA ChooseMyPlate. We will use this identifier to try and help students put into practice the guidelines needed to help them build healthier meals. Visit USDA ChooseMyPlate for more information.