Menus and Meal Prices

If a student forgets their lunch money, they can still receive a meal. However, charges may not exceed the cost of three days of meals (breakfast and lunch combined) based on current prices.

• Students cannot charge a la carte items if it causes a negative balance.
•  Adults may not purchase any meal or a la carte item that would cause a negative account balance 

Notifications of low or negative balances in a child’s meal account will be sent to families and the principal during the school year. Balances must be paid in full by the last day of school. Prepayments go toward any negative balance first. For more information, see Policy Code: 6220 Operation of Child Nutrition Services.

Families of elementary and middle school students receive automatic low/negative balance alerts on Wednesdays. To opt out, call 919-856-2918.

Want to control snack purchases? Talk to your school’s dining manager to:

• View your child’s purchases
• Set limits (e.g., snacks on Fridays only)

We use CHECKredi as our check service provider. Your check should include your full name, street address, and phone number. By writing a check, you authorize service charges and processing fees to be debited from your account. Questions? Contact CHECKredi at (800) 686-9522.

Donations, Refunds, and Monetary Transfers

For questions about AutoPayments, contact Child Nutrition Services at 919-856-2918.

• A student must take at least ½ cup of fruit or a vegetable (or a combo of ¼ cup each).
• Students may choose two ¼ cup servings (fruit or vegetable) of the same item.
• Students with incomplete meals will be reminded before being charged à la carte prices.
• We offer more fruits and vegetables daily than required. Students may take all sides, but no more than 2 fruits when fresh options are available

We follow a flexible “Offer vs. Serve” approach that encourages students to choose what they like while reducing food waste. Students are offered a "meal" consisting of a certain number of components; however, students may choose to decline certain components and still be served a complete meal that qualifies them to pay the combination meal price.

What's required?

• Lunch: Choose at least 3 of the 5 components:
  • Meat or meat alternative
  • Grain
  • Fruit
  • Vegetable
  • Milk
• One must be a fruit or a vegetable to qualify for the meal price.
• Breakfast: Choose at least 3 of the 4 items, and only 1 must be a fruit or a vegetable.

For example, lasagna is a meat, bread/grain, and a vegetable.

Students who take less than the required components must pay the à la carte price for those items because the U.S. Department of Agriculture will not subsidize the cost of the incomplete meal.

School dining rooms are inspected more often than other places that serve food because they serve children. Middle and high schools are inspected three times a year. Elementary schools are inspected four times a year.