National School Breakfast and Lunch Program
Pulaski County Special School District participates in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture and is held to a high standard of accountability, good nutrition and safety. Eating breakfast and lunch will enable students to be better prepared to learn in the classroom. There are 6 ways to provide for your student(s):
- Will your student(s) be bringing a meal each day? Plan a nutritious meal that’s well balanced with fruits, vegetables, source of protein, bread and milk or juice.
- Your student(s) may want to buy their meals in the school cafeteria and then plan to send money each day with your student(s). Reduced price and full paying students may pay the cashier at meal time or go to the cafeteria before school starts and pay for meals in advance.
- You may pay by check. If you have more than one child in the same school, send one check for all students and specify name, grade, teacher and the amount you want on each child’s account.
- Pay on-line with MyPaymentsPlus.
- Go online to www.MyPaymentsPlus.com
- Follow the instructions.
- The Pulaski County Special School District operates a meal assistance program, which complies with federal guidelines. Meal assistance in the form of free or reduced price meals is available with both the breakfast and lunch programs. If you have a need for assistance plan for that also. It’s quite simple.
- Pick up a Free & Reduced Priced Meal application from your school office at registration or pick up a Free & Reduced Priced Meal application from your Cafeteria Manager 2 days before school starts.
- Fill out the application and return it to the school’s Cafeteria Manager or mail it to the Student Nutrition Department at: Pulaski County Special School District Student Nutrition Office 1101 A. East Dixon Rd, Little Rock, AR 72206.
- Once the application is received, a determination will be made within ten (10) days to see if your student(s) qualifies for Free or Reduced Priced Meals. Qualification is based on household income and family size. A complete application will include income information by source, social security number and the signature of an adult household member. (Please keep a copy of application for your reference). Until you receive a written notification letter from the Student Nutrition Department that your student is eligible for free or reduced priced meals, full payment must be made for each meal received. Notification from any other source, or any means other than written, is not valid.
- If your student(s) were eligible for the Free or Reduced Priced Meals the previous school year, you have thirty (30) days after the first day of school to fill out a new application and for it to be approved. Otherwise the student(s) will be classified as a “Full Pay” student. After the lapse of thirty (30) days, full payment will be required if the new application has not been received and approved by the Student Nutrition Department.
Meal Modifications policy
A medical statement is required when a meal modification that is outside of the USDA Meal Pattern is requested, unless the school obtains written medical verification of the impairment during the IEP/504 Plan process. If a medical statement is needed please see your school nurse or cafeteria.
The medical statement must include:
- Information about the child’s physical or mental impairment that is sufficient to allow the school to understand how it restricts the child’s diet;
- An explanation of what must be done to accommodate the child’s disability;
- The food or foods to be omitted and recommended alternatives, in the case of a modified meal.
NOTE: Some situations may require more information.
The medical statement must be signed by one of the following state-licensed healthcare professionals with prescriptive authority in Arkansas: physician, chiropractor, podiatrist, nurse practitioner, dentist, or physician assistant.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
CHARGE POLICY AND COLLECTIONS PROCEDURE
We must limit the occurrence of charging for meals to no more than three (3) charges to your student’s account.
It is the policy of Pulaski County Special School District to allow students to charge meals when money is unavailable and the student would otherwise have to miss meal service. This is a courtesy extended to the student and should not occur on a regular basis. Money owed to the district from meal charging will be carried over to the following year.
Further charging information can be found in your student handbook, or by calling Student Nutrition Administration office at 501.234.2300.
dedication to meal assistance
PCSSD strives to assist students and their families in every way possible, including meal assistance. PCSSD strongly encourages families to apply for the Free and Reduced Lunch program. This federal program is offered for individuals at any time of the year as they experience any financial hardships. The application can be completed online or paper applications can be found in your child’s school office.
If your family does not qualify for free and reduced meals and you are going through a difficult time, please communicate with your building principal, counselor, or Student Nutrition Director, Regena English at renglish@pcssd.org.
Despite continually reminding parents that we can help, we have families that do not contact us for assistance. Once the charge amount exceeds a set threshold and our attempts to either qualify parents for meal assistance or to work together to formulate a reasonable payment plan are not successful, we may consider using a debt collection agency. This is a last resort after all attempts to communicate together on a plan have been unsuccessful.
Why can’t PCSSD provide free meals to all their students like some other school districts in the state? The answer is federal funding. School districts that do not charge for their students’ lunches participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program. Schools submit eligibility information to the state agency, and unfortunately PCSSD does not qualify based on the CEP funding formula.
There is no deadline to apply for free and reduced meals. If you don’t qualify for that program, we are still willing and able to provide assistance as needed. For questions, or assistance with completing free/reduced price meal applications, please contact our Student Nutrition Director Regena English, renglish@pcssd.org.
Meal Prices
| Student Breakfast | $2.00 |
| Elementary Student Lunch | $3.00 |
| Secondary Student Lunch | $3.25 |
| Adult or non-student Breakfast | $2.50 |
| Adult or non-student Lunch | $3.75 |
| A la carte item | Price |
| Biscuit | $0.95 |
| Biscuit & Gravy | $1.25 |
| Boiled Egg | $0.25 |
| Breakfast Bar/Biscuit | $1.25 |
| Breakfast Burrito | $1.25 |
| Breakfast Pizza | $1.25 |
| Cereal | $0.70 |
| Chicken Biscuit | $1.25 |
| Fruit | $0.85 |
| Ham and Cheese Toaster | $1.25 |
| Juice (4 oz) | $0.50 |
| Milk | $0.40 |
| Oatmeal | $1.25 |
| Pancake Pup w/mustard or syrup | $1.25 |
| Pancakes w/syrup | $1.25 |
| Pop Tart (1) | $0.75 |
| Pop Tart (2) | $1.40 |
| Sausage Patty | $1.00 |
| Sausage (1) & Toast (2) | $1.25 |
| Sausage/Biscuit | $1.25 |
| Scrambled Eggs | $1.25 |
| Toast (2) | $0.90 |
| Waffle Stix w/syrup | $1.25 |
| Lunch Entrée | $2.25 |
| Sandwiches | $2.25 |
| Fries | $0.85 |
| Vegetable | $0.85 |
| Fruit | $0.85 |
| Dinner Roll | $0.50 |
| Milk | $0.40 |
| Iced Tea Cup (Adult/Non-Student Only) | $0.60 |
| Bottled Water | $1.00 |
| Canned Juice | $1.00 |
| Chili (2 oz) | $1.50 |
| Cheese Sauce (2 oz) | $1.10 |
| Sour Cream (1 oz) | $0.50 |
| Butter | $0.50 |
| Condiment Packet (ketchup, mustard, mayo, ranch dressing, etc.) | $0.05 |
| BBQ Sauce (2 oz) | $0.50 |
| Ranch Dressing (2 oz) | $0.50 |
| Saltine Crackers (2 pkg) | $0.35 |
| Baked Chips | $0.85 |
| Pickle Spears or Slices | $0.50 |
| Ketchup Dipper | $0.15 |
| Ice Dog | $1.00 |
The following items are available to adults and non-students. They must be ordered and paid for by 9 a.m. A-la-carte items are available in Secondary schools only. In the case of late school openings because of inclement weather, breakfast will not be served. In the case of late buses breakfast will be served to those students. We will be glad to answer any questions concerning your student’s meal account by calling the Pulaski County Special School District Nutrition Services Office at 501.234.2300.
Nondiscrimination Statement for Arkansas Child Nutrition Programs:
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/
- Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
- Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
- Email: program.intake@usda.govprogram
.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.