Breakfast PK-12 – $2.00 – No cost for Free and Reduced Students
Lunch PK-5 – $3.50 – No cost for Free and Reduced Students
Lunch 6-12 – $3.75 – No cost for Free and Reduced Students
Don’t forget to fill out your free and reduced meal application for the 2022-2023 School year! These applications must be completed each year.
- If your family receives SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and you received a letter from our office in the mail this week, you do not need to fill out an application.
- If you have a student that attends one of the following schools that is part of our Community Eligibility Program, you do not need to fill out an application. All students that attend these schools qualify for free meals; no application is required.
Bethel Elementary
Canton Middle
Central Haywood High
Clyde Elementary
Hazelwood Elementary
Jonathan Valley Elementary
North Canton Elementary
We only need one application per household; you can list all students in the household no matter the grade level or school.
Applications can be completed online at www.lunchapplication.com
HCS School Board Policy 6220:
“B. Meal Charges
Students who are required to pay for meals are expected to provide payment in a timely manner. The board recognizes, however, that students occasionally may forget or lose their meal money. In the event that a student is unable to pay for a meal on a particular day, the student may charge a reimbursable meal as applicable and outlined below.
Students may never accumulate unpaid meal charges for a la carte items.
1. Elementary School Students
Elementary school students will not be held personally responsible for their meal accounts; however, school cafeteria cashiers will inform a student when he or she needs additional funds for meals. In addition, the principal will receive a weekly list of students who owe $7.00 or more in unpaid meal charges, and the principal or designee will send a letter to the students’ parents or guardians reminding them that their students have accumulated $7.00 or more in unpaid meal charges for which payment is due.
2. Middle School Students
School cafeteria cashiers will clearly communicate to middle school students the need for sufficient funds to pay for meals and will inform a student when he or she needs additional funds. School cafeteria cashiers will provide a student with written notice of a low or negative balance to take home to the student’s parent or guardian when the student owes $7.50 or more in unpaid meal charges. In addition, the principal or designee will contact the student’s parent or guardian, as appropriate, to remind the student’s parent or guardian about unpaid meal charges for which payment is due and to provide information about free and reduced price meals, if applicable.
3. High School Students and Adults
High school students and adults may not charge for meals, and students and adults should not go through the serving line without cash or sufficient funds in their meal accounts to pay for a meal. In addition, applications for free or reduced price meals will be readily available to students and parents or guardians at all times during the school year (see policy 6225, Free and Reduced Price Meal Services).
To safeguard the dignity and confidentiality of students in the serving line, reasonable efforts must be used whenever possible to avoid calling attention to a student’s inability to pay.
The child nutrition manager and principal shall work jointly to prevent meal charges from accumulating and shall make every effort to collect all funds due to the child nutrition program on a regular basis and before the end of the school term. If a parent regularly fails to provide meal money and does not qualify for free meal benefits, the child nutrition manager shall inform the principal, who shall determine the next course of action, which may include notifying the department of social services of suspected child neglect and/or taking legal steps to recover the unpaid meal charges. Parents are expected to pay all meal charges in full by the last day of each school year. Negative balances on student accounts will be carried forward to the following school year.
The CNP must be reimbursed for all unpaid and uncollected meal charges by the end of the school year. As necessary, the principal of each school is responsible for resolving and settling all unpaid and uncollected meal charges at the end of the school year using appropriate school or other funds; however, federal child nutrition funds may never be used to offset the cost of unpaid meals.
This policy and any applicable procedures regarding meal charges must be communicated to school administrators, school food service professional, parents, and students. Parents will receive a written copy of the meal charges policy and any applicable procedures at the start of each school year and at any time their child transfers into a new school during the school year.”
If you have any questions, contact the school nutrition office at 828-627-1150.
Haywood County Schools is an equal opportunity employer and provider.