What’s for lunch?

That, along with lots of other information regarding how kids get fed in the Warren County School District, will be included in information coming home to students and their families before the start of the district’s academic year this Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Lunch prices are changing slightly for the upcoming year.

Grades K-8 will see a lunch price of $2.35 and a breakfast price of $1, with reduced lunches costing $.40 and reduced breakfasts costing $.30.

There is no price, of course, for free meals. Parents “are encouraged to apply for free and reduced meals by completing a state free and reduced meals form.”

Forms can be found on the district’s website at wcsdpa.org or at compass.state.pa.us.

A new option this year is for parents to complete a free and reduced application at schoolcafe.com, which is also where the online payment system is for parents to view their childrens’ purchases and fund their meal account, said James Grosch, Director of Business Services at the district.

Personal information, pins, and passwords used on schoolcafe.com accounts are not accessible by the district, and parents are also welcome to send funds daily or weekly to their child’s school, enabling students to pay at the register.

Another new feature of the school food program for the district this year is Nutrislice, a website and smartphone app has just launched at WCSD interactive menu tool that provides greater insight and information about school menus including pictures, descriptions, nutritional information, special diet filters, and carb counts for daily menus.

“We’re really excited about this new enhancement to our food service department,” said Grosch, “Nutrislice is making school lunch information quicker and easier for parents.”

Menus for breakfast and lunch will be posted on the district’s website monthly, and can be viewed by following the calendars tab. Menus will also be posted in the Times Observer, and are available in each school office.

The school breakfast and lunch program in the district, explained Grosch, is an “offer versus serve” program.

“Each meal,” said Grosch, “is made up of five healthy components which are protein, vegetable, milk, fruit or juice, and grain.”

This way, Grosch said students have multiple choices to select from that appeal to unique preferences. He reminded students that while cafeteria staff can suggest healthy choices like fruits and vegetables, “the state requires us not to force these items onto their tray.”

At least three out of the five components must be selected, with one of those being a fruit or a vegetable, for reimbursable lunches.

There is also the “Ala-Carte Menu,” said Grosch, where students “will find extra entrees, vegetables, fruits, juice, snacks, or water.”

Special dietary needs can be handled by contacting the Food Service Director to discuss those needs, Grosch said.

Breakfast in the classroom will be continued at Warren Area Elementary Center, and all other schools will offer a well-balanced breakfast to all students in the cafeterias prior to the start of the school day. Eisenhower’s “wildly popular” breakfast smoothies on the first day of school will be continued, and the hope is to roll that program out to the other high schools this year as well, Grosch said.

On October 10, 11, and 12, The Nutrition Group, which supplies school lunches and breakfasts for the district, will welcome new kindergarten students with three days of the Lunch Learners program called “Lunch for Life.”

Lunches will be free those three days, said Grosch, as “our way to welcome students to the food service program.” More information will be coming home with kindergarten students in the first few days of the school year, Grosch said.

Any questions or concerns about the school lunch and breakfast programs or process can be handled by contacting the Food Service office at (814) 723-6900 ext. 1600.