Cafeteria

Each school in the Southern Tioga School District, including NPLHS, has a cafeteria in which prepared meals may be purchased. Menus are published monthly in the Penny-Saver and weekly in the Wellsboro Gazette. They are also posted in each school cafeteria and classrooms and on the SOUTHERN TIOGA SCHOOL DISTRICT WEBSITE.

The Southern Tioga School District Food Service Department is currently utilizing a computerized cash system, which allows each student to have his/her own account and payments to be deposited to his/her account. (Please understand that these accounts are set up for advance payments and are not to be used as charge accounts.) Cash may be sent on a daily basis, or weekly or monthly payments may be made to a student's account. When a student purchases a meal, his/her account will be automatically debited, as our department’s computer system keeps an up-to-date listing of all transactions in each student's account. Account balances (positive or negative) from the previous school year are carried over to the current school year.

When making payments, we request you specify the name of the student and the amount to be deposited in each account if payment is for more than one student. Additionally, the Southern Tioga School District is now using an on-line meal payment service, which is available at http://schoolpaymentsolutions.com.

This service allows parents to make meal payments to a child’s meal account via the Internet and view balances and transactions. A convenience fee of $2.75 will be charged per meal payment transaction for only those who choose to make online payments. You may access this service by logging onto the District’s website at http://www.southerntioga.org and clicking on the “On-line Meal Payment Service” link. On the next page, click on the “schoolpaymentsolutions.com” link, and then click on the “Sign Up Now” link in the top right corner of the very next page. Follow the instructions on the site to register. To complete the registration process and create your account, you will need to use the information that is on file at the school district. This information must match the information that is in the Southern Tioga School District’s database, including the child’s state, school district, school, student ID number, student name, student address, and student birth date. You will also need a valid e-mail address for your account. All parents not making on-line payments will have the ability to view account balances and transactions by simply setting up an on-line account at no cost.

The school meal program is federally subsidized and meals, not milk, may be obtained at a reduced price or free based on family size and income.

1. COMPASS
   • A. Families with children attending a public school district can apply for free or reduced price school meals through the National School Lunch Program online using the Internet. This can be done using COMPASS. COMPASS allows Pennsylvanian’s to apply for social service programs, such as Food Stamps (FS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Energy Assistance, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), etc., online. Families can use compass to apply for free or reduced price meals only, or they can apply for other services at the same time (FS, TANF, etc.).
   • B. Parents/guardians of children who attend the Southern Tioga School District, which is a public school district, can apply for free or reduced price school meals online by going to the COMPASS website at www.compass.state.pa.us or they can continue to use the paper “Household Meal Benefit Application.” Households that apply for free or reduced price school meals through COMPASS do not need to submit a paper application.

2. Paper “Household Meal Benefit Applications”

• A. Applications for free or reduced meals are sent home with each student. Parents who have not completed a meal application via COMPASS are requested to complete the application and return it to the school office if interested in receiving the free or reduced price benefits (a new application must be submitted by the household each school year).
• B. The applications are then screened and those who qualify for free or reduced price meals are notified. (Those students who qualify for free or reduced price lunches also qualify for free or reduced breakfasts).

3. Students who qualify for free or reduced benefits prior to the current school year will automatically be carried over for up to 30 school days until new applications have been processed.

Students who are eligible for meal benefits but decide to pack a meal from home are not eligible for milk at a reduced or free price. A student must take the complete meal to be eligible for meal benefits.

The school meal program also provides special diets for those students with special dietary needs. A special diet will be served to a student only by following the procedures as described below:

A “Medical Plan of Care for School Food Service Form” must be filled out by a physician for each individual student requiring a modification from the regular menu. This form may be obtained from the school nurse at the student's school or by contacting the office of the Director of Food Services.

The special diet must include the physician's diagnosis, dietary substitutions, dietary omissions, limitations, disabilities, and/or special equipment the student will require.

The “Medical Plan of Care for School Food Service Form” must also be signed and dated by the physician.

The completed “Medical Plan of Care for School Food Service Form” is then to be distributed to the Director of Food Services where it will be kept on file. If there is a change in your child’s special diet, a new form must be submitted.

Lunch Program

Lunches are served daily in thirty minute intervals at a current price of $2.45 (price subject to change) at the high school level. Reduced price lunches cost $.40. A lunch consists of the following five components:

• Meat/meat alternative
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Bread
• Milk

Only one lunch may be purchased per day, per student. A second full lunch may be purchased for $2.85 at the high school level. The reason for the additional cost is the District only receives reimbursement for one lunch per student. One eight-ounce individual serving of 1% white, fat free chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, skim, or lactaid milk is also available to students who pack their lunch at a price of $.50. Those students who qualify for free or reduced meals are not eligible for free or reduced milk. A student must take the complete meal to be eligible for meal benefits.

In addition to the regular menu at the high school level, we are currently offering several a-la-carte items (individually priced items) including entrees, snack items, and drinks. The a-la-carte items are available for the students to purchase on a daily basis. These items are not included in the menu, but may be purchased separately and/or in addition to a regular meal purchase. Prices are posted in the cafeteria. A-la-carte items cannot be charged.

Because of the consecutive lunch periods and the fact that the cafeteria is crowded, it is important that consideration of others be shown by leaving the cafeteria clean and in good order. Students who behave inappropriately may have their cafeteria privileges suspended.

Each building has its own procedure for students to identify their intent to purchase lunch; this count is usually taken with daily attendance.

Students are not permitted to have food delivered to the school by local restaurants.

Breakfast Program

The Food Service Department of the Southern Tioga School District is currently offering breakfast in all high schools within the district from 7:50AM until 8:03 AM. Those students who have participated in the program have found that breakfasts are both tasty and nutritious and a good breakfast is a great beginning for a profitable day at school. Each student is encouraged to eat a well-balanced breakfast whether at school or at home.

The breakfast program is designed to improve the dietary habits and nutritional well being of students and is administered through and endorsed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. A school breakfast must meet USDA requirements. The breakfast served in all schools consists of 1/2 pint of milk, 1/2 cup serving of fresh fruit or fruit juice, cold cereal, and/or muffins, biscuits, bagels, peanut butter, nuts, eggs, or cheese.

The cost for the breakfast is $1.25 per day for high school level students. Students who qualify for reduced price lunches qualify for reduced price breakfasts and pay $.30 per day. In addition to the breakfast program, prepackaged items are sold a-la-carte (individually priced items at the high school level). The cost of a second full breakfast is $1.70. The reason for the additional cost is the District only receives reimbursement for one breakfast per student.

NOTE: Breakfast will be served at 10:00 AM on late start days due to inclement weather.

At NPLHS, students who eat breakfast or obtain breakfast items must report to the cafeteria no later than the bell at 8:03AM. After this bell, students will only be allowed to enter the cafeteria if they have a pass that was obtained at the main office.

All students who eat breakfast or obtain breakfast items must obtain a breakfast pass from the cafeteria monitor and report to their first class in a timely manner. This is so teachers can keep accurate attendance records for their students. Students who have a breakfast pass and do not report to their first period classes in a timely fashion are considered tardy for the school day and must report to the main office. Here, these students will be marked present (but tardy) for the school day and obtain a pass to their first class of the day.