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FAQ

Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions section. Click on any subject below you would like more information on.

• Free/Reduced Lunch Program
• Special Diets
• Point of Sale (WebSMARTT)

If you have any further questions or concerns that are not answered or explained here, please feel free to contact us at foodzone@lps.org.

Free/Reduced Lunch Program

Do we have to fill out a new meal application at the beginning of each new school year?
Yes. A new meal application must be filled out each new school year.

Do I need to fill out an application for each child?
No. Complete the application to apply for free or reduced price meals. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Child's School, or Nutrition Services Department, 505 South Street, Lincoln, NE 68502.

Who determines the guidelines and rules for the free/reduced meal program?
The program is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

What is the grace period at the beginning of the school year?
Students who were on the active free/reduced meal program when school was out in May, have a grace period to fill out and submit a new meal application before they are dropped from the program.

What status will my children eat at during the grace period?
Students eat at the meal status they were at when school was out in the Spring. When the new meal application is entered into the computer that becomes the student's meal status for the new school year.

How are we notified if we qualify for free or reduced meals?
You will receive a letter by mail. The status of the student is downloaded into the cafeteria POS within 15 minutes of the application being entered.

How long does it take to process the meal applications?
According to Federal Guidelines we have 10 working days to enter meal applications. After September most applications are processed in 48 hours.

How is the determination of free/reduced or paid meal status made?
Determination is made by gross monthly income (before deductions), and family size.

What is the cost of reduced priced school meals?
A reduced priced school lunch is .40 cents, the reduced priced breakfast is .30 cents.

Can I claim a child who lives with someone else?
No. Only children who physically reside in the household can be put on the meal application. The exception to the rule would be a child who is temporarily away at school (example: attending boarding school or college). They should be counted as a member of the household.

Is a foster child/state ward counted in the total household size?
No. They are considered a household of one by themselves and are not counted in the household size. They must have their own meal application filled out.

Do I have to claim child support in my total monthly earnings?
Yes. Child support is considered part of the monthly income, if it is being received at the time the meal application is filled out. Federal Guidelines require this.

What is Verification?
If selected, you must provide current, acceptable papers and documents to prove you are eligible for free or reduced meal benefits. You have 10 days from the date of the Verification Letter to send your information to the Nutrition Services Department.

Are foster children/state wards exempt from the verification process?
No. Foster children/state wards are treated like any other family application in the verification process.

Can free or reduced information be released without the family's permission?
No. All free or reduced information is confidential and information about a family's meal status cannot be released without the family's consent. Limited Disclosure/Privacy Statement.

Why has our Meal Status changed?
Listed below are some situations that may change a meal status:

Grace Period:

Families that were on the free/reduced meal program at the end of the school year are given a 30-day grace period at the beginning of the next school year. The cut-off date is around September 30th in which families will be removed from the program unless a new meal application is on file.

Verification:

Verificaiton requires proof of income of families on the free or reduced meal program. It is a random selection of families whom are sent a letter for income verification that begins the first of October and must be completed by the fifteenth of November. Each family who receives a letter must return the verification within this time period. If we receive no response, the meal record is ended at the end of 10 calendar days. Have you recieved a

Verification Letter?

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Special Diets

If my child has a special dietary need, what do I need to do?
A medical statement for children requiring special meals needs to be filled out by your child's physician, or physician's assistant.

Where do I get this form?
The form is available from the Nutrition Services Department at the Lincoln Public Schools district office or from your child's school office.

How often do I need to complete this form?
A new form is requested each school year.

When is a medical statement for children requiring special needs required?

1. If the child's diet requires changing portion size of any menu item - an example would be diabetic diets.
2. If any food components required to be considered a school lunch meal must be omitted from the child's diet - an example is milk for lactose intolerance or other food allergy.
3. If a substitution of any food(s) is requested.

What information is available on food ingredients?
We attempt to use food label information to eliminate ingredients for specific children for specific allergies. This is ongoing because manufacturers make ingredient changes without notice. We also have carbohydrate information available for parents of diabetic children.

How can this information be used?
We encourage parents to use the menus that they receive from the school to plan the appropriate choice at school.

If I have questions or need help with special diet information, who do I contact?
You may contact Jessie Coffey at 436-1745 or e-mail jcoffey2@lps.org.

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Point of Sale (WebSMARTT)

How do I make a credit card prepayment over the Internet?
Visit the LPS website at www.lps.org, then click on the link on the left side of the page titled “Buy Student Meals”. The first time you’ll be asked to set up an account, and will need your student’s birth date and student ID.

Once you’ve logged in, there is information about what is in your child’s account and a place for you to enter how much money you’ll be depositing. You can also use this website to check your student’s balance without making a prepayment. If you do submit a prepayment, a fee of $1.50 is assessed each time you submit your credit/debit card number, or .20 for electronic check. There is only one fee charged if you put money into more than one student’s account in the same family at the same time.

What if there’s a problem submitting an Internet prepayment?
We hope that submitting a prepayment online will be a positive experience; however, if you receive an error message you are welcome to call 436-1743 or go back to www.lps.org, click on the white box titled “Search/Keyword” and type “send”, then click “Go”. This will take you to an area that will allow you to let LPS Computing Services technicians know more about the nature of your problem and give them the opportunity to contact you about the issue.

How can I check my student(s) account balance?
You can log on to the “Buy Student Meals” section of www.lps.org to check your student’s balance. You are also welcome to call your student’s school Cafeteria Manager. Many elementary schools send home notices if a student’s account is low or if a student has a negative balance and is borrowing. At the secondary level, students are told when their account balance has less than $5.00 or if they have a negative balance. You may also have the online web payment system send you e-mail notifications.

What do I do if I think my child is using their money too quickly?
You may call the Cafeteria Manager of your student’s school and they can look to see what your student’s account activity has been. You may also request an Account History printout for your student by calling the school Cafeteria Manager. The Cafeteria Manager can discuss options with you once you’ve taken a look at what’s happening with the account.

What if I don’t want my child to be able to purchase extras?
You can specify that the money deposited in your student’s account be available to purchase only school breakfasts or lunches. When Breakfast or Lunch credits are specified, the student is unable to buy extras or a la carte items unless they pay cash for them. You can also designate just a portion of a prepayment for school meals.

Log on to the “Buy Student Meals” section of www.lps.org and make a deposit into lunch credits or breakfast credits. Or if you choose to send a check to the school, note “lunches only” in the memo section of the check.

It’s also possible to allow the occasional cookie or extra milk to be purchased—simply specify that you only want a certain amount of money to go into the cash/ala carte account (the portion of the account that will allow a student to purchase anything the cafeteria sells).

For example, if you send $25.00 with your student, you could note on the check $20 lunches only, $5 cash. The cashier will make sure it’s deposited correctly into your student’s account. The student will be able to buy some a la carte items, but won’t be able to spend the entire prepayment on them.

What do I do if I have a question about Free/Reduced meals?
The office staff at your student’s school should be able to assist you, you can call the Nutrition Services Office at 436-1747 or check out Our Programs here on our website.

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