Dear Parent/Guardian: 

Welcome to a new school year! 

The MCS School Nutrition Department is excited to have the opportunity to provide your child with nutritionally balanced meals that promote exceptional student achievement and learning.  We invite you to come eat a delicious and healthy meal with your child in his/her school cafeteria.

The Monroe County School Nutrition Program serves more than one million breakfast and lunch meals annually. Each school nutrition manager oversees daily operations in coordination with the Director of Nutrition. School nutrition managers and assistants are certified in knowledge of food safety through the National Restaurant Association. This helps ensure students and staff receive meals in a consistently clean and safe environment.

The Monroe County School Nutrition staff share a passion for the important work they do and many go above and beyond with efforts such as hosting school gardens to engage students in learning the origins of locally sourced fresh fruits and vegetables and making healthier food selections. The goal of Monroe County School Nutrition Program is to fuel and provide the energy students need to succeed in the classroom and beyond!

The Monroe County Schools Nutrition Department will operate meal services under the traditional rules and regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture’s School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program requiring Free & Reduced Applications for school year 2026-2027.

The Department of School Nutrition provides a variety of breakfast and lunch offerings. Menu items along with nutritional information are listed monthly on the Nutrition Service website. Individual a la carte items may be purchased separately where available.

 View Your Child's Breakfast/Lunch Menus

The SY27 Adult/Visiting Student meal prices will be as follows:

(It is very important to note that your student will be provided 1 reimbursable breakfast and 1 reimbursable lunch per day. Any 2nd meals or extra items will be charged)

ONLINE PAYMENT OPTION

The School Nutrition Program will continue to offer the ability for parents to monitor their child’s meal account balance, make online payments into their child’s account, and receive low balance email alerts.  In an effort to improve customer service, we have School Cafe which allows parents to view their child’s account history online.  Parents can see exactly what extra meals and extra items their child purchased.  In addition, this program is web-based so all activity is “live;” therefore, parents won’t have the 24-hour delay. To learn more about School Cafe or to set up an account id, visit the School Cafe website or the MCS Nutrition Services page.

FREE & REDUCED MEAL APPLICATIONS ARE ONLINE

If you would like to apply for Free & Reduced school meals, please visit SchoolCafe.com and complete a meal application.  Applications should be submitted before the first day of school to allow time for processing. 1 (ONE) application per household is needed.

Monroe County School Nutrition encourages families to complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application to determine eligibility to receive school meals at no cost. School year 2026-2027, students eligible for reduced rate meals can receive meals at no cost. Eligibility is based on state and federal requirements. One application will be accepted per household. Families receiving SNAP and/or TANF food assistance are eligible for free meals; however, these families are still encouraged to submit an application. Families who are unsure if their student(s) are eligible should complete the form or contact Monroe County School Nutrition. Applications will be available online beginning in July and should be completed prior to the first day of school on August 3, 2026. Please call Monroe County School Nutrition at (478) 994-2031 if you have any questions or need any assistance.

SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS – The School Nutrition Program will work to accommodate students who have special dietary needs when the needs are accompanied by a physician or certified dietician's request.  Before we can make accommodations, we must have a Modified School Meals form completed and signed by a licensed physician.  Parents can obtain this form from the School Nutrition Central Office, your child’s school nurse or school Nutrition Manager, or by visiting us on the web.

BREAKFAST – Please encourage your child to eat breakfast at home or at school.  Studies show that students who eat a nutritious breakfast are tardy less and absent from school less, spend less time out of class for behavior problems, and perform better on tests.  Our breakfast program is expanding every year.  All SNP staff looks forward to greeting your students each morning for breakfast and each day for lunch. Please note, according to the USDA meal pattern for breakfast, all students are required to take a fruit or juice (OR both) with their breakfast.  Please check with your child’s school for serving hours.

OFFER VS. SERVE – Students in grades K-12 participate in Offer vs. Serve at breakfast and lunch.  This allows students to choose only what they want from a variety of entrees, fruits and vegetables and milk and not be required to take everything offered.  As a part of the USDA menu meal pattern, it is necessary for all students receiving a school lunch to choose either a fruit or a vegetable OR both every day.

CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB – If you have not visited our website, please do so at your convenience.  You will find resources on meal payment options, menu information, health inspection scores, educational websites related to nutrition and health, contact information for school nutrition staff, and other helpful information. 

School Nutrition Frequently Asked Questions

 Please feel free to contact your child’s school Nutrition Manager anytime during the year:

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

Fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

Email:
program.intake@usda.gov

Track Your Child’s Bus with the Chipmunk App

Parents and/or students can use the Chipmunk School Bus Tracker app to see a student’s assigned bus location on a map, view an ETA summary, and set up custom alerts. 

How to access the Chipmunk App:

Download the app by visiting the app store and searching for “Chipmunk” (the app icon features an outline of a chipmunk).

1. When you open the app, you’ll first select the school district “Monroe County Schools”. 

2. You can use your existing BusPlanner Web credentials to log in, or easily create a new account by clicking “Create an account”. 

3. Once logged in, navigate to “My Students” and press the plus sign “+” to add a new student. 

4. Enter the required student information and click “Add Student”.

5. Once a student is added, you can click on that student and view assigned bus information, view ETAs, and see where the bus is located on the map. 

Please Note the Following: 

• Estimated arrival times are approximate and should not replace planning to arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes early.

• Chipmunk uses GPS data transmitted by each school bus using cellular network. Under ideal conditions, the bus location is updated approximately every 15-30 seconds. If the bus is being operated in an area with poor cellular service, or there is a temporary issue with cellular service, the Chipmunk app may not refresh as often as it should. Under these circumstances, parents and students should rely on the planned bus stop time. 

• Students must already be assigned to bus transportation before bus information will appear in the app. If your child needs bus transportation, please contact your child’s school to request transportation services. New transportation requests and route changes may require 1-5 school days to process.

Verify Your Child's Bus Information with BusPlanner Web

How to create an account in BusPlanner Web

1. Visit: https://monroe.mybusplanner.com/

2. Click on “Parent Portal”

3. Click Create Account.

4. Enter an Email address and Password that meets the requirements listed.

5. Check I'm not a robot.

6. Click Submit. By clicking 'Submit', you agree to the Collection Notice.
             Note: You can click on the Collection Notice to learn more.

7. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address entered.

8. Open that email and follow the link to validate the account and set up a password.

How to add students in BusPlanner Web

In My Students, click the Add Student icon at the bottom

1. Enter the required information.

   1. Student ID (lunch number)

   2. Birth Date

   3. Street Number (house number)

2. Select the School Your Student Attends

3. Check I'm not a robot.

4. Click Add Student.

5. The student will now appear in the Name dropdown.

*For students assigned to bussing, both pickup and drop off transportation will be displayed. This will include the home/group stops, school stops and transfers.

If your child is not routed for a bus, but needs to ride a bus, please contact your child’s school to sign up for transportation services. New transportation requests and route changes may require 1-5 school days to process.

Transportation Reminders

• Students should be at their assigned bus stop and ready to load at least 5 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. Failure to be at the stop on time may result in the student missing the bus and requiring parent transportation to school.

• Bus stop times may vary slightly due to traffic, weather, road conditions, and other factors.

• Students who are 8 years old or younger must be met at the bus stop by a parent, guardian, or other responsible person age 13 or older.

• Students waiting at bus stops should stay away from the roadway and remain out of the 12-foot danger zone surrounding the school bus until the driver signals that it is safe to approach.

• Students should never cross the roadway unless directed to do so by the school bus driver.

• Transportation requests and address changes may require 1-5 school days to process.

• Questions regarding bus routes, stops, or transportation concerns may be directed to the Transportation Department at (478) 994-6205.

Need Transportation?

Bus transportation is not automatically assigned to every student. If your child needs bus transportation, please contact your child's school to request service. Most transportation requests are processed within 1–5 school days; however, requests submitted at the beginning of the school year may take longer due to increased demand.