Welcome to Food and Nutrition Services

One of the most important ways we can help our children perform better academically is to provide them with the nutrition necessary for the healthy growth of their minds and bodies.  Our breakfast, Lunch, Supper, Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program and Snack menus are designed to offer a variety of appealing and healthy food options for our students. Menus meet or exceed the regulations set forth in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Menus reflect increased fresh fruit and vegetable selections, whole grain breads, 100% juice products and skim, 1% and no fat chocolate milk.

We offer daily meal service to our students when school is in session. During the school year we provide more than 11,000 breakfasts, 15,500 lunches and 7,000 after school snacks daily. We also offer a Summer Nutrition Program at select schools, city parks, churches and community agencies for six weeks during our Summer Nutrition program located at several schools, churches, Boys & Girls clubs and City of Syracuse Parks & Recreation sites.
 

Your child’s safety is important to us.  To ensure Food and Nutrition is aware of your child’s particular dietary restrictions, such as allergies or diabetes, it is necessary for the parent or guardian of the child to submit a doctor’s note to the school nurse every year. You need to give permission to the nurse to release the information to Food and Nutrition. This is to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.  Please send in a parent letter and documentation from a medical authority stating the foods that are potentially dangerous or life threatening. If your child is lactose intolerant, a signed medical note from your physician (required by the state) must be on file in order for an alternative drink to be offered in place of milk. This must be a medical condition, not a preference and does not apply to á la carte food sales.
 

Community Eligibility Provision

The Syracuse City School District has entered into an agreement with The NYS Department of Education Child Nutrition Administration to offer meals free of charge to all students of the City School District beginning with the 2012/2013 school year.  To qualify, our student population is directly matched to the benefits they receive through several documented programs. Reimbursement is based on the percentage (plus a multiplier) of documented students. This reimbursement is guaranteed for a minimum of four years, with an option for a fifth available.

While this program benefits all students regarding meal service, it is still vitally important that we continue to collect eligibility applications to continue other services offered by the District.  You may access the Household Income Eligibility form to the right. There are many competitive grants that use the financial information collected from the Household Income Eligibility Form.

Annually, the Syracuse City School District sends out an application to all parents or guardians of students attending the District requesting the application be completed and returned. A self-addressed stamped envelope is provided with the application. If you have received a request to complete a Household Income Eligibility form, please complete one application for all family members. This assists in getting all of the information on one application and eliminates the need to complete an application for each child.  The application is valid during the current school year and through the last day of September of the next school year.

If you feel you do not qualify you may complete the application by stating that you do not qualify across the body of the application. Please identify the students at the top of the application and sign at the bottom. No other information is necessary.  If you are unsure whether you will qualify, a household income chart is included with the request for application.  If your income, based on your family size, falls below the income listed in the income chart you qualify and we request that you fill out the application completely and return it.