Published Thursday, September 15, 2022
School districts nationwide returned to pre-pandemic student meal operations this year, and Berkeley County School District is no exception to that. Please review the following items as we aim to make this transition as smooth as possible and keep you updated on what’s happening in our school cafeterias.
Breakfast and lunch meal components
All BCSD schools serve breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, students are offered grain, milk and fruit options. Students must pick three items (one must be a fruit) for the meal to be considered a complete meal and sold for the standard meal price of $1.25 (or $.30 reduced). If the student’s selections do not equate to a complete meal, a la carte pricing will be applied. Also, items added to a complete meal will be sold at an a la carte price.
For lunch, students are offered five components – a meat (or meat alternative), a grain, fruit, vegetable and milk. For the student’s meal to be considered a complete meal and to be sold for the meal price, the student must select three different components, with one being a fruit or vegetable. Only one milk is provided. As with breakfast, a la carte pricing will be applied for items that do not quantify as a complete meal or are in addition to a complete meal. Lunch prices are $2 at the full price and $.40 for those students who qualify for reduced lunch.
A la carte pricing
As mentioned above, items that do not quantify as a complete meal or sold in addition to a complete meal will be sold at an a la carte price. For example, an additional milk with a meal will cost $.75.
Our a la carte price list can be found on our Child Nutrition Services website.
MySchoolBucks
Berkeley County School District is a MySchoolBucks partner. Through the partnership, parents are able to utilize the MySchoolBucks mobile app to make meal account payments and also to stay up to date on meal service news and information. The app is free, and additional information can be found at myschoolbucks.com.
If you do not wish to utilize the MySchoolBucks app, cash and check payments can still be made at the meal line.
Free/reduced meal applications
Waivers allowing school districts to offer all student meals at no charge were halted this year by the USDA. As a result, our cafeterias returned to normal, pre-pandemic operations. Families are once again required to complete a NEW free/reduced meal application if they wish for their student to be considered for free or reduced meals. The only exception is if the child attends a Berkeley County Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school.
If you completed a free/reduced meal application prior to July 1, 2022, you will need to complete a NEW application before September 26 to prevent incurring charges at the full price of a student meal. We encourage online applications.
If you have completed a new application after July 1, 2022 and have received a letter or email confirming the status of free or reduced meals, you are in good standing.
Harvest of the Month
The Harvest of the Month program provides students the opportunity to learn about and taste various fruits and vegetables. Featured items will be served to students and will be accompanied by educational information regarding the benefits of healthy fruits and vegetables. Information on each Harvest of the Month featured item can always be found on our website under the “Menus” tab.
National School Lunch Week
October 10-13 is National School Lunch Week. There will be giveaways for students purchasing lunch that week. We’ve also planned some “groovy” meals to match this year’s nationwide campaign and theme.
