What’s new for 2025/26?

●                 Breakfast is free again for all students for the 25/26 school year.

●                 Students who are approved for reduced priced meals will also not be charged for lunch for the 25/26 school year.

●                 Lunch prices:

Elementary @ $2.70                  Secondary @ $2.95                                             Reduced @ no charge

●                 Breakfast and lunch menus, along with nutritional information, may be obtained from the food services department page of the District website.

 

What is a reimbursable meal at breakfast?

●                 A reimbursable meal at breakfast consists of 4 components: meat/meat alternative, bread/bread alternative, or combination fruit

fruit juice 8oz fluid milk

●                 A child must take either a ½ cup fruit or ½ cup juice to receive the meal price.

 

What is a reimbursable meal at lunch?

●                 A reimbursable meal at lunch consists of 5 components: meat/meat alternative, bread/bread alternative, vegetable, fruit, 8oz fluid milk

●                 A child must take either a ½ cup fruit or ½ cup vegetable to receive the meal price.

 

Why doesn’t the cafeteria crew put everything being served on my child’s plate?

●                 The National School Lunch Program requires food service departments to operate under “Offer vs Serve”.

●                 Offer vs Serve allows students to take 3 of the 5 components to make a meal.

●                 Reasons:

o     Eliminates waste;

o     Allows for mass customization;

o     Meets individual needs, giving student’s control of choice; and

o     Controls costs.

 

How do I pay for meals and a la carte items?

●                 Deposits are not accepted at the building level.

●                 “SchoolCafe.com/ParklandSD” is an easy and secure way for parents to add money to their students’ account using a credit or debit card, view their transactions, and receive low balance notifications.

●                 Payments can also be made via cash or check and sent to the Food Services Office at 2619 Stadium Dr. Orefield, PA 18069. Checks should be made payable to “PSD Cafeteria”. Returned checks are subject to a $25.00 fee. One check may be sent in for multiple siblings.

 

Does every student have a cafeteria account?

●                 Every student receives an account upon entering Parkland.

●                 Students keep their same PIN throughout their years at Parkland.

●                 Their PIN is their student identification number.

Can I regulate what my child purchases in the cafeteria?

●                 Restrictions may be applied to any child’s account by emailing Mrs. Troutman at troutmanc@parklandsd.net.

●                 Once a restriction is applied to an account, an email must be sent to remove the restriction.

 

Where did all my money go?

●                 Parents may view their students’ account activity through “SchoolCafe.com/ParklandSD”.

●                 Student activity history is available for approximately 60 days.

●                 Low balance alerts may be sent via email or text message.

●                 SchoolCafe is a third-party vendor providing a service for the District. Fees charged through the web site are retained by SchoolCafe. The current program fee is $2.25.

 

What happens to my child’s account balance at the end of each school year?

●                 If your child’s balance is positive, it carries over to the next school year.

●                 At the end of your child’s senior year, you will be contacted about your child’s balance. You can choose to transfer the balance to a sibling account, request a refund check be mailed to you, or donate the balance to a student in need.

●                 All account balance requests should be made in writing by contacting Jessica Beller at bellerj@parklandsd.net.

 

What is the difference between a meal price and an a la carte price?

●                 Meal price:

o     must contain 3 of the 5 components;

o     is reimbursable by the State and federal government;

o     may only be applied once per child per day;

o     must contain ½ cup of fruit OR vegetable;

●                 A la carte price:

o     the price for any item served in a cafeteria that is not part of a reimbursable lunch;

o     the price for an additional menu item; (for example, if a child wants to purchase 2 cheeseburgers, the first cheeseburger is part of their lunch. The second cheeseburger would be at the a la carte price.)

o     A la carte prices can be found on our web site and are available in each cafeteria.

 

If my child packs, may he/she still purchase an item from the cafeteria?

●                 All items served in the cafeteria may be purchased on an a la carte basis by any child.

●                 Students must have funds in their account to purchase a la carte items.

 

How do I apply for free or reduced-price meals?

●                 New applications are available and must be submitted each year.

●                 Applications are submitted at SchoolCafe.com.

●                 Families participating in the program at the end of last school year will automatically receive benefits at the start of the new school year. Each family has 30 days at the start of each school year to submit a new application.

 

What is a Birthday Bag and how do I order one? (Elementary Only)

●       To provide a safe, consistent learning environment for all our children, no edible forms of treats for birthday recognition will be accepted from an outside source.

●       A birthday bag may be purchased from the Food Services Department for $25 per class or $35 per class. On the special day, your child’s birthday bag will be delivered directly to his/her classroom. No Hassle. No Stress.

●       Birthday bag order forms can be found here.

●       The “everyday birthday bag” consists of both a prize and a snack option for every student in the class and costs $25 per class.

●       The “school mascot birthday bag” consists of both the prize and snack option for every student in the class, plus a small stuffed animal school mascot for the birthday kiddo and costs $35 per class.

●       Please note, orders must be received in the Food Services office at least 1 week prior to the requested delivery date.

WHAT IS the District's Snack Policy?

The Parkland School District permits parents of students to send a daily snack to school for their child. Parents are not required or asked to send a snack but are permitted to do so if they desire. 

The District supports a parent provided snack based on the following guidelines:

●      The snack should be small and reasonably consumed within a short time frame.

●      The snack may consist of water and one food item, or one or the other; parents do not have to choose to do both each day.

●      The snack should be peanut and tree nut free, should not be processed in a facility where peanut/tree nut products are manufactured, and must comply with the District’s Wellness Policy.

●      We encourage parents to choose a healthy snack consisting of fruits, vegetables, or pre-packaged snacks such as crackers, pretzels, cereal, yogurt, cheese, cereal bars, or rice cakes. All pre-packaged snacks should not contain peanuts, tree nuts or be processed in a facility where peanut/tree nut products are manufactured. This list is not meant to be exclusive, but simply to serve as a helpful guide. 

●      The snack should not be cumbersome or require detailed clean-up for your child or District staff.

The District does not provide or store snack items. If your child has forgotten his/her snack, one will not be provided. This snack is for your child’s consumption only. 

If you have any questions concerning snack time in our classrooms, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or school nurse. We wish you and your family a safe and healthy school year.