Nutrition Services

This information aims to help you and your children better understand the meal program, why staff encourage them to take certain food components, and how student choices can influence meal costs.

A reimbursable meal meets USDA nutritional guidelines, allowing schools to offer healthy, affordable breakfast and lunch meals to students.  In turn, the district receives reimbursement through State and Federal aid for each meal served as long as it meets these requirements.  This aid helps to keep our meal prices lower, thus supporting our meal programs.  For simplicity, we will refer to reimbursable meals as “full meals.”

• Requirements for a Full Meal: Students must select at least ½ cup of fruit or vegetables at both breakfast and lunch in addition to other food items or components.
  • Elementary Schools (SELC, Herrman, Montessori): Food service staff assure students receive a full meal that meets breakfast or lunch requirements.  To simplify, students must have certain food choices on their tray which allows us to “claim” the meal for reimbursement. 
  • Secondary Schools (Meadowview Middle, Innovations STEM, SAILS, Sparta High): If students choose fewer items than required for a full meal, they will be charged ala carte (individual item pricing). Our staff encourages students to take the necessary items to create a full meal, as it is often more affordable than individual item prices, especially for students on free or reduced meal status.

We are dedicated to creating menus that students love. To help with this, we regularly seek feedback from students about the foods they enjoy or dislike. Their input shapes our menu choices, allowing us to offer meals that feel more personalized and satisfying. The two bullet points below show our current student participation in the meal program. 

• Breakfast Participation: Just 48% of students eat breakfast at school. Approximately 51% of our students  qualify for free or reduced meals, and only 53% of them are eating breakfast at school.
  • School breakfast enhances learning, supports good behavior, and prevents morning fatigue by providing the energy they need to focus and thrive!   Please talk to your child(ren) about the benefits of a healthy breakfast and encourage them to make the time in the morning to assure they have the nourishment they need for academic success!
• Lunch Participation: 60% of students participate in school lunch, with 67% of our students who qualify for free or reduced meals eating school lunch.
  • While participation is greater at lunch, we would love to see all children eating healthier school lunches.  These meals provide the energy they need to carry them through the day and into their evening academic and co-curricular activities!

If your child has any meal suggestions, please encourage them to share their thoughts with us Nutrition Services staff members. Together, we can make mealtimes a highlight of their day!

Ala carte items are available at Meadowview Middle School, Innovations STEM Academy, and Sparta High School. These items include snacks, beverages, and additional entrees that can be purchased as alternatives to a full meal or serve as extra options for students with larger appetites. All ala carte items are “smart snacks,” meeting specific nutritional requirements.  Students must have a positive meal account balance to purchase ala carte items.

Breakfast Ala Carte

Single Breakfast Entrée: $2.00 per item

Students can combine a breakfast entrée with at least two other food items (such as a fruit and milk) to create a full meal.  They will then be charged for a meal based on their paid, free, or reduced meal status.

Lunch Ala Carte

Single Lunch Entrée: $3.00 per item

At Sparta High School, we are excited to offer an expanded variety of lunch entrée options.  In addition to the new selection of main courses this year, students can choose from the following options offered daily:

• Salad Bar Entree
• Grab-and-Go Wraps
• Cheeseburgers
• Chicken Sandwiches
• Variety of Pizza

Each of these entrees can be combined with other items (one must be at least ½ cup of fruit or vegetable) to form a full meal. Again, this will allow students to receive the meal at lower costs based on their paid, reduced or free status.

Other ala carte items include fresh fruit, whole grain cookies and chips, fruit snacks and assorted beverages. Pricing can be made available to you upon request.

1. Negative Account Balance:  To avoid disruption to your child’s meal services, negative account balances must be paid in a timely manner.  Additionally, students must have a positive account balance to purchase ala carte items. In response to your feedback, communication is now sent to households while student meal accounts are still positive, but less than $10.00.  Daily communication occurs when the account is negative and follow up phone calls will occur when an account is negative $25 or more.  To maintain a successful program it is important that payment is made on negative balances.  If you are experiencing temporary hardship, assistance may be available.  Please reach out to Kylee Brooks at (608)366-3422 or kbrooks@spatan.org for more information.
2. Free/Reduced Meal Applications: If you have questions about free or reduced eligibility or need assistance with the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact the Nutrition Services Secretary, Kylee Brooks at (608)366-3422 or kbrooks@spatan.org. 
3. Ala Carte Block Option:  Parents have the option to block ala carte purchases on their child’s account if desired.  Please reach out to Kylee to learn more information.