Child Nutrition

We encourage all eligible families to fill out an application. If you qualify for free or reduced meals other benefits may be available to your family. If you feel your family might qualify for this benefit, please contact the Nutrition Services office or your school office for an application. Applications are also available to be filled out on the Infinite Campus website. All information is confidential, and students who receive benefits are not identified in any way. You may apply at any time during the school year. 

The goal of Mankato Area School District's Nutrition Services Department is to provide students with a nutritious and delicious meal. The menu is planned according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutrition standards.

The USDA’s Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act requires schools to: 

• Offer fruit and vegetables daily
• Offer only whole grain-rich items 
• Include the 5 vegetable subgroups weekly 
• Offer only fat-free or low-fat dairy items 
• On average, the planned lunch contains <10% saturated fat and 0 grams trans fat, 600-650 calories for grades K-8, and 750-850 calories for grades 9-12. 

MN Dept of Ed: Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act School Lunch Meal Pattern
MN Dept Of Ed: School Breakfast Meal Pattern
Milk Nutrition Information

School Payments

Meal payments may be mailed to, or dropped off at, the Nutrition Service Office or your student's school.  An email will be sent to the parent/guardian when the students' balance is low.

School Meals Policy - 547
[Note: In 2021, the Minnesota legislature amended Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.111, that now states that Minnesota school districts that participate in the national school lunch program must adopt a school meals policy]. [Note: School districts must follow appropriate debt collection practices when attempting to recover unpaid meal charges.]

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that students receive healthy and nutritious meals through the school district’s nutrition program and that school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges. The policy of the school district is to provide meals to students in a respectful manner and to maintain the dignity of students by prohibiting lunch shaming or otherwise ostracizing the student. The policy seeks to allow students to receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day and minimize identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for a la carte items or second meals as well as to maintain the financial integrity of the school nutrition program.

Payment of Meals:

• All a la carte items or second meal purchases are to be prepaid before meal service begins. Families may add money to students’ accounts via credit card using the Parent Portal, sending cash or check with the student to school or utilizing the Auto-Pay which will pull money from a checking account once a month. A student who does not have sufficient funds will not be allowed to charge a la carte items or a second meal until additional money is deposited in the student’s account.
• A school that participates in the United States Department of Agriculture National School Lunch program and has an Identified Student Percentage at or above the federal percentage determined for all meals to be reimbursed at the free rate must participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision in order to participate in the free school meals program.
• Each school that participates in the free school meals program must:
  • participate in the United States Department of Agriculture School Breakfast Program and the United States Department of Agriculture National School Lunch Program; and
  • provide to all students at no cost up to two federally reimbursable meals per school day, with a maximum of one free breakfast and one free lunch.
• Once a reimbursable meal has been placed on a student’s tray or otherwise served to a student, the meal may not be subsequently withdrawn from the student by the cashier or other school official, whether or not the student has an outstanding meal balance.
• When a student has a negative account balance, the student will not be allowed to charge an extra entree or a snack item, such as an a la cart item.
• If a parent or guardian chooses to send in one payment that is to be divided between sibling accounts, the parent or guardian must specify how the funds are to be distributed to the students’ accounts. Funds may not be transferred between sibling accounts unless written or verbal permission is received from the parent or guardian.

Low or Negative Account Balances:

• The school district will make reasonable efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low or fall below zero.
• Families will be notified of an outstanding negative balance once the negative balance reaches $10.00. Families will be notified by an automated emailing and/or texting system. Letters from the Food Services Department will be mailed out intermittently for low balances below a negative balance of $15.00.
• Reminders for payment of outstanding student meal balances will not demean or stigmatize any student participating in the school lunch program. A meal will not be taken away from a student with an overdrawn account including, but not limited to, dumping meals, withdrawing a meal that has been served, announcing or listing students’ names publicly, providing alternative meals not specifically related to dietary needs; providing nonreimbursable meals; or affixing stickers, stamps, or pins.

Unpaid Meal Charges:

• The school district will make reasonable efforts to communicate with families to resolve the matter of unpaid charges. Where appropriate, families may be encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price meals for their children.
• The school district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. Unpaid meal charges are designated as delinquent debt when payment is overdue, the debt is considered collectable, and efforts are being made to collect it.
• Negative balances of more than $50.00, not paid prior to the end of the school quarter, will be turned over to the superintendent or superintendent’s designee for 547-3 collection. In some instances, the school district may use a collection agency to collect unpaid school meal debts after reasonable efforts first have been made by the school district to collect the debt. Collection options may include, but are not limited to, email communication, use of collection agencies, claims in the conciliation court, or any other legal method permitted by law.
• The school district may not enlist the assistance of non-school district employees, such as volunteers, to engage in debt collection efforts.
• The school district will not impose any other restriction prohibited under Minnesota. Statutes, section 123B.37 due to unpaid student meal balances. The school district will not limit a student’s participation in any school activities, graduation ceremonies, field trips, athletics, activity clubs, or other extracurricular activities or access to materials, technology, or other items provided to students due to an unpaid student meal balance.

Communication of Policy:

• This policy and any pertinent supporting information shall be provided in writing (i.e., mail, email, back-to-school packet, student handbook, etc.) to:
  • all households at or before the start of each school year;
  • students and families who transfer into the school district, at the time of enrollment; and
  • all school district personnel who are responsible for enforcing this policy
• The school district will post this policy on the school district’s website, or the website of the organization where the meal is served, in addition to providing the required written notification described above.
• If the school district contracts with a third party for its meal services, it will provide the vendor with its school meals policy. The school district will ensure that any third-party provider with whom the school district entered into either an original or modified contract after July 1, 2021, adheres to the school district’s school meals policy.

Legal References:

Minn. Stat. § 123B.37 (Prohibited Fees) Minn. Stat. § 124D.111 (Lunch Aid; Food Service Accounting) 42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq. (Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act) 7 C.F.R. § 210 et seq. (School Lunch Program Regulations) 7 C.F.R. § 220.8 (School Breakfast Program Regulations) USDA Policy Memorandum SP 46-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies (2016) USDA Policy Memorandum SP 47-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments (2016) 547-4 USDA Policy Memorandum SP 23-2017, Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A Cross References: None