Food Service

School Meals

Breakfast
Free to all free eligible students
$0.30 -- All Buildings Reduced Price Breakfast
$2.00 -- High School (6:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.)
$1.75 -- Middle School (7 - 7:30 a.m.)
$1.50 -- All Elementary & Intermediate Schools (check with your buildings for specific times)
$2.50 -- Adult/Staff Breakfast Meal (includes milk or 16.9 oz water bottle)

Lunch
Free to all free eligible Students
$0.40 -- All Buildings Reduced Price Lunch
$3.00 -- High School
$2.75 -- Middle School
$2.50 -- All Elementary & Intermediate Schools
$3.50 -- Adult/Staff Lunch Meal (includes milk or 16.9 oz water bottle)
$0.50 -- Extra Milk all meals

Payment

Point of Sale Software
Food services operates under a Point of Sale (POS) system, which means EVERY student must type in their student ID number (PIN) in order to purchase any items. For incoming kindergarteners and first graders, a PIN will be given to them at orientation with a copy of the PIN pad for practicing their number entry. Under POS, each student has an account and the correct amount is removed (debited) from the account when the child purchases an item. Parents are encouraged to send money in the form of checks to be placed on student accounts or to use our on-line payment system (see Pay For It below). Please do not combine checks for lunches and student fees. Please place the child’s name or PIN number in the memo portion of the check. All money left on the account at the end of the school year, stays with the student and will transfer to the next grade. Refunds are only granted at the request of the parent if a student withdraws from the school district, or graduates.

Pay For It Online Payment
Our Point of Sale system is set-up to take credit/debit cards and electronic checks via the Pay For It system found at www.payforit.net and can be quickly accessed by clicking on the Pay For It button on the right. An account needs to be set-up for your child(ren) using their student ID number. This system will allow you to view the purchases your child(ren) has/have made for the past 14 days as well as allow you to add money to their account. The system can also send email reminders of your child’s account balance and schedule automatic payments if you wish. You do not have to pay online to view your child’s account. For help and more information, download the Pay For It information sheet on the right.

Meal Charge / Alternative Meal Procedure – When Students Cannot Pay for Meals

The goal of North Canton City Schools Food and Nutrition Department is first and foremost to provide healthy and nutritious meals to our students so they can better function and learn at school. When lunch money is forgotten, we have established the following procedures to:

Treat all students with dignity and respect;
Encourage parents to assume the responsibility of meal payments and to promote self-responsibility of the students;
Establish consistent department procedure regarding charges.

Meal Charge / Alternative Meal Procedure

When a student has less than $2.00 prepaid lunches remaining in his/her online account, we will automatically send an email reminder to the account’s registered parent / guardian.
If however a child’s account reaches into the negative, the Food and Nutrition Department will allow a Maximum of $15.00 worth of negative meal charges for all students, so they can continue to receive the nourishment they need, unless a student’s parent / guardian has specifically provided written permission to the school to withhold a meal.
If a student has reached the $15.00 threshold of negative meal charges, and still does not have money on their account or cash in hand to purchase a meal, we will offer them an Alternative Meal. This meal will be a Chef Salad Lunch or a Yogurt Lunch which we offer each day to all students with or without money, so as to avoid embarrassment for the student.
Parents will be notified via an email, phone call and/or letter home with the student that an Alternative Meal has been given, and that payment of all meal charges must be made. If after two Alternative Meals and attempts by the Food and Nutrition Department to reach parents are unsuccessful, then the school’s counselors, principals or others will contact the parent / guardian to offer assistance with a meal application, determine if there are other issues within the household that have caused the child to have insufficient funds to purchase a school meal and offer any other assistance that is appropriate.

Meal Applications for Free or Reduced Meals are available on our website and paper copies can be requested at any time of the year simply by calling 330-497-5600. All information is kept confidential and at no time does the Food and Nutrition Department give out meal status information unless a parent requests that we do so, like to have school fees waived.

Meal Options

Standard Offerings

In all buildings, choices of two to six main entrees; fresh and canned fruits; fresh, frozen or canned vegetables; and low-fat and skim milks are offered daily on all of our lunch lines.

Also in all building, breakfast is available and includes a choice of main entree, fruits, fruit juices and low-fat and skim milk. We offer all whole grain breakfast items, which are low in sugar and fat, as well as low fat yogurt and protein items daily.

A la Carte Offerings
Most menu items are available for purchase a la cart as well as a selection of healthy snacks that are available for purchase in each cafeteria. We encourage a healthy balanced diet, which can include healthy snacks. We have researched all our offerings and removed items that contain MSG, artificial colors and BHT. If any parent/guardian would like to restrict your child from purchasing a la cart, please send a note in with your child stating your wishes and we will be happy to comply.

National Meal Programs

National School Lunch Program and National School Breakfast Program
North Canton City Schools participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast program at all of the schools in our district. Some students may qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. Click on the link on the right to access our Online Meals Applications. Paper applications are available in each office or you can download the Free and Reduced Meal Application. Free and Reduced meal applications can be filled out at any time of the year, but we must receive a new meal application each school year. There is a 30 day carryover period at the beginning of each school year in order to have enough time to process new applications.

Special Dietary Needs and Food Allergies
Food Service is happy to accommodate students with special dietary needs and food allergies within our abilities. Students must provide written medical documentation from the treating physician in order to provide for this accommodation. This documentation must include, but is not limited to, a statement of the allergy, what dietary changes from the traditional school meal are necessary, what specific foods must be omitted or substituted and what dietary items can be used to replace the items. This documentation should be given to the school nurse.

We are unable to substitute any item for milk according to the USDA and the Ohio Department of Education [USDA Final Rule Fluid Milk Substitutions in the School Nutrition Program (73 FR 52903)]. We will provide a cup and water to any student that asks, or students can choose a 4 oz juice cup as part of the fruit offering on their tray, as well as purchasing bottled water and juice cups a la carte.

Feel free to Email the Food Service Team with any questions.

Food Service Director

Janice Williams

williamsja@northcantonschools.org

330-497-5600 ext 1234

525 7th Street NE

North Canton, Ohio 44720