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Meal Program » Meals at School

Meals at School

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National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

The National School Lunch Program was established to provide nutritionally balanced school lunch meals at a low cost for children at school. All prepared meals meet federal guidelines.

 

All menus include ½ pint milk

Subject to change without notice

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

 

Meal Payments

 

  • Student ID cards hold the barcode to access meal funds. The first card is complementary and replacement cards cost $5.00.
  • Meal payments (cash or check) are accepted during office hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Payments received after 8:30 a.m. will be credited the following day.
  • Checks should be made payable to Hawaiʻi Department of Education.
  • PAY ONLINE and set up auto-reminders/drafts at https://www.ezschoolpay.com

 

Remaining funds in a student’s account at the end of the school year will be refunded, carried over, or donated per parent’s request.

  

Meal Loans

 

Based on the updated United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutritional Service (FNS) policy SP 46-2016: Unpaid Meal Charges - Local Meal Charge Policies and Hawaii Senate Bill 423 the following is the Department’s policy:

 

  • Students that were eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the previous school year will continue to receive the same benefits until a new application is processed or up until 30 days (grace period) of the new school year;
  • All applications received at the school level shall be date stamped to authenticate the submission date;
  • Students that are submitting new applications and approved for free or reduced-price meals will receive a retroactive credit to clear charges based on the application submission date. However, applications may not be backdated to the month prior, due to the closing of monthly reports;
  • Students submitting a new application that results in their eligibility status changing from free to reduced or paid will incur a balance based on the applications submission date; and
  • The process of backdating new applications will only occur during the first 30 days of the new school year, then the application submission date will be the date that it is received at the School Food Services Branch (SFSB).

 

Furthermore:

 

  • Students who are unable to pay for their meal at the point of service shall be allowed to incur (meal only) charges for the first 21 days of school;
  • The parent/guardian shall be responsible to repay all meal charges that are incurred during the first 21 days of the school year; and
  • After the first 21 days, unpaid meal charges should not exceed the cash equivalent of seven days. (i.e. meals charged at full price are not to exceed $25.20 for grades K - 8 and $26.95 for grades 9 - 12.)

 

Schools shall disallow the charging of àla carte or extra items by any child with a negative balance, regardless of the child’s eligibility status.

 

Special Lunches

 

Sometimes parents want to drop off special lunches to their child at school.  Please double-check the start time of your child's lunch period. We will permit a child to wait for 10 minutes beyond the start of their lunch period for their special lunch.  After that, we will send the child through the lunch line to purchase a meal and the family is responsible for repayment. This ensures that our students eat and that their after-lunch activities are not impacted due to an adult's tardiness.

 

On occasion, we permit families to join their child at lunch to create special memories.  As a guest on campus, you must follow the guidelines below:

 

  • You are welcome to eat in the cafeteria (space available) or outdoor pavilion if there are no scheduled activities in the area.
  • You may only eat/share food with your child.  Friends are not permitted to join you for lunch.
  • Students of DKIES must continue to follow our school rules of Taking Care of Themselves, Taking Care of Others, and Taking Care of Our School.  Please teach / model / practice good table manners.
  • Our school playground if OFF LIMITS to students and guests during this time.
  • Taking pictures and video taping other students and staff is strictly prohibited.  Should you be caught in violation, you will not be welcomed back as a guest during school hours.

 

Meals and Snacks

 

You are welcome to send healthy and nutritious snacks with your child.  PLEASE DO NOT SEND candy, gum, or soda.

 

Many students on our campus have various allergies which can be life-threatening.  Some children will experience a reaction through ingestion as well as casual contact.  

 

Sharing meals or snacks with others during recess or lunch is not permitted.

If your child has a special need in terms of diet, please see our Special Dietary Needs page.