Welcome to the 2023-24 school year! The Food and Nutrition Services Department participates in the National School Lunch Program, and the National School Breakfast Program, which are federally funded food assistance programs. Please read below for important information about meals at school.

Two Options to Eat at School

Free Meals

Need help paying for school meals?

Fill out a free and reduced-price meal application for your family each school year.

• If you qualify, breakfast and lunch are 100% free (no copays for reduced-price meals)
• A la carte items must still be purchased with cash on hand or on account (these are snacks and food items sold separately from the full school meal)
• Households are encouraged to submit the application as soon as possible. Families are responsible for accrued meal debt.
• If your student is approved for free or reduced meals, be sure to fill out the Consent to Share Form to potentially qualify for other discounts and benefits.

Paid Meals

Buying school meals or a la carte items?

Load your student's account.

• Breakfast costs $2.10-$2.60 (varies by grade)
• Lunch costs $3.95-$4.45 (varies by grade)
• Families will get account low and negative balance notifications
• Accounts must be positive to purchase a la carte items

More About Eating at Shoreline Schools

School Breakfast

• Available daily 15-30 minutes before the first bell.
• Available before and after the bell at the high school level.

School Lunch

• Served in the cafeteria at K-12 schools.
• Served in the classroom, family style, at the preschool level.

Menus

• View menus on My School Menus or see the Menus & Nutrition page.
• Menus are developed to comply with USDA nutrition requirements.
• A lunch is made up of five basic food components: milk, meat or meat alternate, vegetable, fruit, and grain. Students must select three of these components for a complete meal, one of which must be a vegetable or fruit. Students may select all five components. Individual meal components purchased by themselves such as milk, apple juice, snacks, and second entrees are considered a la carte purchases and are not covered by meal benefits.

Diet Accommodations

• Vegetarian options are available daily for breakfast and lunch.
• Non-dairy milk is available at all sites.
• Medically necessary food accommodations are made for students eating daily; contact your school nurse for more information.

Meal Accounts and Meal Charging Procedure

• All students are assigned a student ID that is tied to a meal account; students enter their ID number or use a barcode card to pay at the register. Your student’s account balance and purchase statement can be viewed by logging into Family Access.
• Funds can be applied to accounts by cash or check at school, or by credit/debit card online at https://wa-shoreline.intouchreceipting.com. Balances carry over year to year while the student is attending any of the schools in the Shoreline Public School District.
• Non-Sufficient Funds-$20 returned check fee.
• Washington State House Bill 2610 requires all students be served who request a meal; therefore; household requests to lock or put holds on student meal purchasing is not an option. Parents can still set limits for a la carte purchases in Family Access.
• A la carte items (snacks & extras) can only be purchased if the meal account is in good standing and funds are available at the time of the sale.
• Automated notifications are sent through Parent Square or by email when an account is low or negative.
• The full meal charging procedure can be found in the Board Policy Manual 8200P.

 

Ridgecrest Elementary Students Eat for Free This School Year

In the 2023-2024 school year, Ridgecrest Elementary will be participating in a federal program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The CEP program allows all students enrolled at Ridgecrest to receive breakfast and lunch at no charge. Why only at Ridgecrest? Ridgecrest is the only school in the District that has a high enough percentage of students who currently qualify for free meals based on enrollment in other benefit programs like SNAP and TANF.

Find information about CEP

Washington State House Bill 1238 was recently approved, allowing increased student access to free meals at some elementary schools in Washington. Our district does not have any schools that qualify for this new program in the 2023-2024 school year, but you can help qualify your school for the following school year. How can I help? Fill out and submit a meal benefit application. House Bill 1238 allows elementary schools with a 30% or higher free/reduced rate as of October 31 to qualify for free meals for the following school year.