Meals & Nutrition

Tuscarora will serve a Universal Breakfast to all students daily in the classroom. Students who would like to participate in breakfast at school will have the option to take an entree, milk, and fruit each day during arrival (8:30 - 8:55 AM). Universal Breakfast is free to all Tuscarora students. No outside breakfast items may be brought to school to consume in the classroom.

Students may bring lunch from home or receive a school lunch from the serving line in the cafeteria. Students that are not eligible for free or reduced meals will be charged for their lunch from the serving line. 

All lunch bags or boxes should have the student's name printed clearly on them. Glass containers are not permitted. Drinks containing large amounts of sugar, including carbonated sodas are highly discouraged. It is recommended that students drink water or milk.

Forgotten packed lunches may be delivered to the school but must arrive before the student's lunch time with their name clearly and visibly labeled on the outside. If lunch time arrives and a student is without their lunch, the student will be directed to check their grade level bin outside the cafeteria. If they do not have lunch, the student will be sent to the serving line to receive a school lunch. As noted above, students that are not eligible for free or reduced meals will be charged. 

Note: Fast-food breakfast or lunch may not be delivered to a student during the school day. 

Lunches packed at home are not refrigerated at school and are not able to be heated.  

Lunch menus and costs can be found on the FCPS Nutrition Website.

Elementary School Prices (subject to change):

• Lunch: $2.65

• Milk (a la carte): $0.60

If the need should arise, students will be permitted to charge their lunches and will be expected to pay for the charged lunch the following day.  You will receive notification that a lunch was charged. 

Due to fire code capacity restrictions and to ensure the safety of our students, we are unable to accommodate guests during lunch. Lunch periods are 30 minutes long.  Staff members are available to assist with opening packaging or drink containers, but it is helpful to work with your child to learn to do this by himself/herself.  Students may not share food. 

Meal accommodations are available. Click here for more information. 

Applications for free and reduced-price school meal benefits for the upcoming school year are online at www.fcpsnutrition.com/. If you need a hard copy of this form, please contact the TuES front office. Enter Frederick County Public Schools (MD) here to begin the application.  

IMPORTANT: Families must be approved each new school year. Even if your student has been approved every previous school year, please contact the FNS office to verify current meal benefit status. Last year’s benefits only carry over for the first 30 school days. Without a 2024-2025 meal benefits approval, your student(s) will have to pay for meals starting Friday, October 4.

• If you received a 2024-2025 NOTICE TO HOUSEHOLDS OF MEAL BENEFIT APPROVAL or NOTICE OF DIRECT CERTIFICATION Email or Letter, do NOT complete an application. IMPORTANT: Contact the FNS Office to verify 2024-2025 Meal Benefits status of any children in your household NOT listed on letter.

• If any children in your household receive SNAP or TCA BENEFITS, do NOT complete an application. IMPORTANT: Contact the FNS office by phone or email to verify 2024-2025 meal benefit status. 

For students approved for Free or Reduced-price Meals: Meal purchases will automatically be recorded on the student account at no charge ($0.00). Meal benefits approval covers one breakfast and/or one lunch each school day, but does not cover snack/a-la-carte items. Students purchasing extra meals or snack items will pay with cash or money placed on the student’s meal account.

FCPS offers an online parent portal -

Visit the parent portal at http://linqconnect.com/ where you can:

• Apply for meal benefits (Free and Reduced Meals)                                 

• View menus, meal prices, and a la carte prices

• Add money to student accounts

• Transfer funds between students

• View student meal transactions                                 

• Set low-balance notifications

Students may purchase lunch by cash or check, or families may place money on a lunch account using the LINQ Connect program. To set up online payments, visit the FCPS Food and Nutrition Website. 

If paying by check, families may indicate “Meals Only” on the check if they prefer their child not purchase a la carte items.  When the check is received indicating “Meals Only,” a notation will be made on the child’s account to alert the food service staff.