Hello Comets,
As we enter our third week of school, I am very happy to report that our new food service vendor, Taher Inc., is seeing higher participation than we have seen in a number of years. While this increase has caused us to run short of and/or substitute items a couple of times during the first few weeks of school, Taher has done an excellent job of making sure that every child is fed a healthy and nutritious meal. They are also quickly adjusting to the new normal of kids being excited to eat hot lunch at Delavan-Darien again, even the vegetables, and we want to make sure you are too.
We are very excited to see our students excited about eating the healthy food here at school, we have also been made aware that some parents are a little surprised by how quickly their child’s lunch accounts are being spent down. While some of the increased spending is due to students eating lunch every day, we have also noticed that many students are also purchasing double lunches and/or a la carte items. We are happy to provide our students with all the healthy food they want, but we also want to encourage parents to have discussions with their children to ensure that they are respecting your wishes regarding how much food they are purchasing.
With so many students enjoying school lunch again, we also want to remind all parents that the District participates in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Through these federal programs, the District is able to provide free and reduced price meals to students in need and ensure that all children have access to a healthy and nutritious breakfast and lunch each school day. Below you will see a copy of the income eligibility for these programs for the 2019-20 school year. If you believe you qualify, a free and reduced application can be completed using Infinite Campus or on paper at the School Administration Center. To complete the application online, login to Infinite Campus, click on “More” in the left-hand column and select “Meal Benefits”.
While these programs allow us to provide free breakfasts and lunches to students, it is important to note that these programs do not cover double meals and/or a la carte items (extra items). As double meals and/or a la carte items will be charged to the accounts of free and reduced students, we encourage a similar conversation with your child regarding your expectations on additional purchases to prevent any unexpected financial hardships.
Thank you and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns,
Anthony Klein
Business Administrator
262-233-6757
aklein@ddschools.org
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