• Click to ApplyThe federal waiver that enabled schools to provide meals at no cost to students ended on June 30, 2022. School lunches are no longer free for all Athens City Schools students. If you feel your family may qualify for free and/or reduced meals, please take a moment to complete the 2022-2023 Free and Reduced Lunch Application. Families must re-apply each school year to potentially receive this benefit. Only one application is necessary per family. Click here to apply and see if you qualify! Click here to learn more. 

    2022-2023 ACS Student Daily Lunch Pricing: 
    •$2.75 - PAID (Family does not qualify for free or reduced lunch)
    •$0.40 - REDUCED (apply & see if you qualify) 
    •$0.00 - FREE (apply & see if you qualify) 

    Remember, families who do not qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch must pay the $2.75 daily lunch rate. If you have any questions or need help with your Free and Reduced Lunch Application, contact Tandy Blackwell, Director of Child Nutrition, at Tandy.Blackwell@acs-k12.org or (256) 233-6600. Click here for a paper application. Apply and see if you qualify today!

     

Child Nutrition Program: Our Purpose

  • The goal of the Child Nutrition Department is to provide affordable and nutritious meals to students of our school system. Athens City Schools deliver healthy and delicious school meals based on the USDA’s nutrition guidelines so that students are engaged and ready to learn in school. All meals include a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable choices and a variety of chilled non-fat or low-fat milk.

    Athens City Child Nutrition Program Fact Sheet

    • FREE breakfast at every school for all Pk-12th grade children.
    • The average number of children served daily — Lunch: 2,200 / Breakfast: 2,100
    • All meals must meet federal nutrition guidelines.
    • Breakfast offerings always include fresh fruit.
    • Lunch options always include fresh fruit and fresh vegetables (salads).
    • Lunches also include whole grains, reduced/zero trans fats, low-fat dairy, baked items, healthy cooking, and prep techniques.
    • Calories are limited based on the age of the children being served.
    • All fluid milk must be 1% milk fat or less.
    • Students have choices but must take at least 1 serving of fruit or vegetable.
    • Items may appear to be the same as store-bought products, but they have been specifically made for schools with whole grains, reduced sodium, fewer calories, etc.
    • Chicken and Potato products may appear fried to appeal to students, but they are baked.
    • Pizza has a whole-grain crust, low-fat cheese, and reduced sodium sauce.
    • Our School Nutrition Services team uses a program that calculates the nutritional values of all meal offerings to ensure they meet strict standards.
    • All menus and nutritional information are available on any school website, the district website, or our YumYummi app that can be downloaded to any Apple or Android device for free.
    • Free and Reduced Priced Meals can be completed online from the district website by clicking FREE & REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATION or downloaded from the district website.
    • Online payments and alerts of low balances can be set up by clicking the link ONLINE MEAL PAYMENTS on any school or district website.
    • USDA research indicates that children who participate in the School Lunch Program have superior nutritional intakes compared to those who do not participate.

    Non Discrimination Statement 

    https://www.fns.usda.gov/fns-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:

    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:
      program.intake@usda.gov

    This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

    Spanish Non-Discrimination Statement

    De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de EE.UU. (USDA), esta institución tiene prohibido discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluida la identidad de género y la orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad o represalia o represalia por actividad anterior de derechos civiles. La información del programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas además del
    inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieran medios alternativos de comunicación para obtener información del programa (p. ej., Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas estadounidense), deben comunicarse con la agencia estatal o local responsables que administra el programa o el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339. Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el Demandante debe completar el Formulario AD-3027, Formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, que se puede obtener en línea en: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, desde cualquier oficina del USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida al USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre, la dirección, el numero de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la supuesta acción discriminatoria del denunciante con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y la fecha de la supuesta violación de los derechos civiles. Él formulario o carta AD-3027 complete debe enviarse al USDA por:
    1. correo:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; o
    2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; o
    3. correo electronico:
    program.intake@usda.gov
     
    Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.

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