Child Nutrition Program
Breakfast | Price | Lunch | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Paid | $0 | Paid | $0 |
Reduced | $0 | Reduced | $0 |
Staff | $2.85 | Staff | $4.65 |
Visitor | $3.50 | Visitor | $5.00 |
Community Eligibility Provision
Meals for all enrolled students, including breakfast and lunch, are at no cost for the school year. Sylacauga City Schools has been approved to participate in the USDA program called "Community Eligibility Provision," or CEP. No further action is required for parents and there is no need to submit a meal application. School meals will follow the USDA guidelines for healthy school meals with no discrimination because of race, sex, color, national origin, age, or disability.
CEP does not apply to adults and there is a charge of A la Carte purchases.
Meal Pattern
Child Nutrition provides breakfast and lunch for all students every school day. All meals follow the menu pattern and nutritional guidelines established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Our participation in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) provides breakfast and lunch at no cost for all students. Sylacauga City Schools follows the traditional food-based menu pattern for all student meals in accordance with USDA regulations. In 2010 the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act created the most intense changes in school nutrition in a generation. New requirements include increased emphasis on fruits and vegetables, with careful control of calories and saturated fat. See the document below for the USDA Meal Pattern used by all schools.
Offer vs. Serve
Breakfast components are milk, fruit/juice/vegetable, and grains. Every morning four items will be offered at breakfast and students must select at least three of the items, with one item being 1/2 cup Fruit and/or vegetables. It is certainly acceptable to select all four items.
Lunch components are meat/meat alternate, fruit, vegetables, grains, and milk. Students must select, at a minimum, 1/2 cup serving of fruit and/or vegetables plus any two other full components. We certainly encourage students to fill up on all five components for a healthy meal that will nourish them for classroom learning and physical activity.
Alabama Nutritional Guidelines
The Child Nutrition Program operates under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Alabama State Department of Education. In May 2015 the Alabama School Board approved sweeping changes in nutritional standards for foods provided to students during the school day. The changes have raised the bar of excellence for nutrition in Alabama's public schools.
Wellness Meetings
Wellness meetings are held twice a year at every school. Meeting dates will be published at this site. The public is invited to attend.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity* and sexual orientation*), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
mail:
S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; orfax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; oremail:
Program.Intake@usda.gov
*The enclosed "non-discrimination" language herein was added pursuant to the May 5, 2022, USDA memorandum. However, although included as currently required for audit compliance by the USDA, the State of Alabama objects to its inclusion, applicability and the application of this language due to currently pending legal challenges in the matter of The State of Tennessee, et al. v USDA, et al., Case No. 3:22-cv-00257, and may be subject to change or removal.
Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data for School Meal Programs
Accommodating Special Dietary Needs in the School Nutrition Program