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La Center Food Service

Free/Reduced Application Information/ Meal Prices 2024-2025

2024-2025  Meal Prices
Breakfast Lunch
ES $1.80 $3.35
MS $1.95 $3.60
HS $2.10 $3.85
Adult $3.35 $5.00

Please fill out an application for free or reduced meals to see if you qualify.

If your student qualifies for Free or Reduced price meals, students will receive one full breakfast and  one full lunch free.

If students want ala carte items, they will be charged for those items as they are not part of the federal free meal program.

2024-25 Free & Reduced Meal Application Materials

Summer Meal Site Finder

To find a Summer Meals Site near you:

    • Summer Meal Site Finder by Phone: 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or text “Food” to 304-304
    • Summer Meal Site Finder by Website: https://www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids.
    • Summer Meal Site Finder By Phone (Spanish) : 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) or text “Comida” to 304-304

Meal Charge Policy – The meal charge policy was created by law to allow students to charge meals to their meal accounts when they do not have enough funds to cover the cost of a meal. The result has caused thousands of unpaid meal debt to the district.  Negative balances remain on a student’s account until they withdraw or graduate from the district and are considered collectible funds.  Parents wishing to opt out of food service charging by their student are asked to fill out the  Meal Account Restriction Form.

Meal Account Restriction Form – allows parents to restrict the types of purchases or charges on their student’s meal account.

Request for Food Service Account Balance Transfer, Donation, or Refund – this form is for those students who are withdrawing or graduating from the district.   Student meal account balances for all other students will be “rolled up” with the student to the next school year.  If a student has outstanding fines and has withdrwawn from the district, any outstanding fees or fines will be paid using their food service account balance before any refunds will be issued.

Request for Special Dietary Accommodations Form – Please return this form to Kirby Phillips, Food Service Supervisor, 725 NE Highland Road, La Center, WA 98629

Students and/or parents can put money into their InTouch Food Service account directly by either depositing money from home or by taking money to the relevant school office for deposit PRIOR to the beginning of their lunch period.

In addition to increases in accounting efficiency, this system allows parents to see deposits made into food service and, more importantly, to see a full history of your student’s food purchases. 

Each student has a 4-digit Food Service Number, even students that have not purchased lunch in the past. For most students, this will be the same 4-digit number it has always been. For some students who have always paid cash (Or didn’t use the lunch program), this will be a new ID number. In grades 5-12, we’ll list the food service number on the student’s schedule that’s handed out at the beginning of the year. For grades K-4, your student’s teacher will have their ID number and will distribute them at the beginning of the year.

The La Center School District supports healthy eating and physical activity as important components to promote the health and well-being of its students. Good nutrition and physical activity help contribute to improved academic performance, attendance rates, behavior, and lifelong health and well-being.

As part of the efforts, La Center School District supports the Farm to School Program to connect its schools and local farms so that cafeterias are able to serve fresher and more nutritious meals using locally produced food. This policy is created to:

  1. Help students eat more nutritious foods and develop healthier lifelong eating patterns.
  2. Support the local economy and local farmers.
  3. Integrate food-related education into the classroom curriculum.
  4. Improve the quality of foods served in the cafeteria.

Goals of the Farm to School Program:

  1. Staff members are encouraged to utilize food from local farms in classroom kitchens and cafeterias.
  2. Staff members are encouraged to establish relationships with local farms.
  3. Food service and teaching staff will work together to integrate experiences in cafeterias, kitchens and classrooms.
  4. School food services will coordinate its menus with seasonal production of local farms so that school meals will reflect seasonality and local agriculture.

The La Center School District seeks to serve Washington State grown products to its students. Cafeteria staff will seek quotes for locally-produced, grown or processed items (within 200 miles) to serve to its students. A number scale from 1 to 5 will be used to determine vendor preference and location. All vendors or farmers will use good food handling practices to ensure safety of the products provided.
References: USDA, Farm to School Program
https://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school-grant-program
WSDA, Washington State Department of Agriculture
http://www.wafarmtoschool.org/Page/2/about-farm-to-school

La Center School District
Adopted: October 24, 2017

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 may 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. Complaints of discrimination must be filed within 180 days of the alleged discrimination.   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:

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    [email protected]

 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

 

 

 

English
If you need this information in another language, please call 360-263-2131.

Russian
Если вам нужна эта информация на другом языке, позвоните по телефону 360-263-2131.

Spanish
Si necesita esta información en otro idioma, llame al 360-263-2131.

 

La Center schools lunches have to meet national nutritional standards, so you can be confident that your child is having a balanced meal.

La Center schools provide:

  • At least one portion of fruit or one portion of vegetables with every meal.
  • High-quality meat, poultry or fish regularly.
  • Whole grain bread, other cereals and potatoes regularly.
  • Low sodium food choices.
  • La Center schools students have an unlimited fruit and vegetable bar.
  • Friendly cafeteria staff to help your child make the best school lunch.

You may find that your previously fussy eater is open to trying new foods if they have school meals. Their friends will be having the same or similar foods, enticing them to try something different. Above all, school meals will save time. The only thing you’ll have to remember is to pay for your child’s meals. La Center schools has a smooth-running payment system that makes it easy for you!

Wishing you good nutritional health!

–The La Center Schools Nutritional Staff