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 outlined 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.
Summer EBT to Start July 2024
SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, is a new federal program starting in 2024. It provides $120 per school aged child of food benefits to qualified families, when schools are closed for the summer. New York State will be participating in the program, and SUN Bucks will be administered by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).
Eligibility for SUN Bucks:
To be eligible for the SUN Bucks, a school aged child must:
- Be in grades K-12 during the 2023-24 school year (unfortunately PreK students are not eligible for this program), AND
- Already receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Temporary Assistance (cash) benefits, or be directly certified for free meals through Medicaid, OR
- Determined eligible for free/reduced price school meals by the Syracuse City School District.
To be eligible for free/reduced priced school meals by SCSD, a child’s family must:
- Attend an SCSD school (please note: students attending other districts, private schools, and/or charter schools should contact their child's school directly to complete a Free/Reduced Lunch Application, SCSD cannot process your application),
- Complete the household income form before May 27th, AND
- The household’s income must be at or below the income limits for eligibility for free/reduced price school meals (185% of the federal poverty level).
Benefits:
- Each family with eligible school-aged children (in grades K-12) will receive $120 in SUN Bucks per child in 2024 ($40/month).
- Summer EBT can be used just as SNAP, it can be spent on groceries, including at Farmers Markets and for "Double Up Bucks" (when spent on fresh fruits and vegetables the value is doubled).
- For all families (those that receive SNAP and those that do not), benefits will either be issued to your old P-EBT card, or a new Summer EBT card will be mailed to your residence.
- Benefits will not be issued before July 2024 and the timeline is still being finalized. Eligible children will receive benefits at different times.
- Once benefits are issued, families will have 122 days from the date they are issued to use the benefits. All unsured benefits expire after 122 days.
How to Apply:
Most households do not need to apply for SUN Bucks. However, if you did not complete a household income form through SCSD or do not receive SNAP, SCSD households with school aged children may apply.- The online application will be available in English and Spanish, starting July 1, 2024. Paper applications will be available in 12 different languages.
- Summer EBT applications must be completed by September 3, 2024.
- The application will be for an entire household, not per child.
- The caregiver completing the application will need a NY ID number to apply for their children, no social security number is required or will be collected during the application.
- A district ID number for each child is helpful to correctly match them in the NYS system, but not required.
- No supporting documentation is required for the application, applicants will complete
- Ordering Replacement Cards: If your address has not changed, but you need a replacement Summer EBT card, information about requesting a new replacement card will be including in a letter sent to each family from OTDA. Replacement cards can also be requested from the Summer EBT Helpline can be reached at 1-833-452-0096.
- Address Change Form: If your address has changed, please complete the online "Address Change" form won the OTDA website.
More Information:
NYS OTDA will be issuing letters to qualified families during the summer to outline their eligibility and with more information. You can expect a letter in the mail. This is a new program and many details are still being finalized. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the OTDA website at https://otda.ny.gov/programs/summer-ebt/
Household Income Eligibility Application
The Syracuse City School District continues to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under Child Nutrition Programs. In New York State, schools where 25% or more of students qualify for free/reduced priced school meals qualify as CEP. Under CEP, all students within the Syracuse City School District receive breakfast and lunch at no charge for the entire school year. We offer daily meal service to our students when school is in session. During the school year we provide more than 12,000 breakfasts, 15,000 lunches, 7,000 after school snacks and 2,500 suppers daily. We also offer a Summer Nutrition Program at select schools, city parks, churches and community agencies during our Summer Nutrition program.
However, for the District to continue to provide free meal services, and to receive further state and federal funding, we need each family to complete a household income eligibility form. If your children qualify, students may also receive additional benefits such as college application fee waivers, SAT and other testing fee waivers, and/or Summer EBT.
Allergies and Dietary Restrictions
The health of your child is important to us. To ensure the safety and protection of your child from any potential allergens, communicating any known allergies and dietary restrictions to the school nurse is critical. A parent letter and documentation from a medical authority are mandatory.
Any student with documented food allergies will receive the support of food allergy coordination and management in school. This support involves coordination from: the Food and Nutrition Services School Dietitian, 504 coordinator, school nurse, building administration, food service staff, and/or classsroom teachers.
Food allergy management includes:
- Documenting and tracking individual student allergies in a confidential and respectful way.
- Making appropriate menu accommodations for food allergies.
- Review district policy/ procedures, staff responsibilities, student privacy/confidentiality, signs/symptoms of an allergic reaction, and the use of epinephrine auto injectors.
- Ensure epinephrine auto-injectors will be in a secure, accessible area for all staff that have adequate training to administer.
- Establish food bullying and harassment prevention strategies.
- Avoid the use of identified allergens throughout the school day; including class projects, school celebrations, arts & crafts, science experiments or cooking classes.
- Enforce proper hygiene for all students before and after meals to prevent cross contamination.
Food & Nutrition Services will make necessary substitutions available once approval is obtained from a licensed physician through dietary orders. Specialized menus may be developed in coordination with staff Registered Dietitian as needed. Please contact Food & Nutrition Services at 315-435-4207.
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My child has had a change in food allergies!
Please provide a physician's note or Meal Modification Form signed by a medical provider. This documentation must indicate the allergy, how it restricts the child's diet, the food (or foods) to be omitted from the child's diet, and the food (or foods) that must be substituted. Please note that documentation is also needed to update or remove allergies from a student's record. |
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How common are food allergies among children?
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, approximately 5.6 million children have food allergies. Eight foods cause 90% of most food allergy reactions, which include; milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. Currently, there is no cure for food allergies and strict avoidance is the only way to prevent a reaction from occurring.
What is the difference between food allergy and food intolerance?
A food allergy is an immune reaction. This means the body’s immune system identifies a food as dangerous, and then creates antibodies that lead to an allergic response. Severe cases of an allergic reaction may cause anaphylactic shock, which is when your blood pressure drops so low that your cells and organs do not get enough oxygen. If not treated right away anaphylactic shock may be life threatening, Food intolerance is caused by the body not producing proper enzymes to break down elements of a food. As a result, those with food intolerance may have difficulty digesting certain foods. It is important to note that a food intolerance is different than a food allergy. Often times people with an intolerance may eat a small amount of these foods without a reaction. Food intolerances are non life-threatening and SCSD does not provide substitutions for food intolerances.
How does the school prevent bullying around food allergies?
Having a food allergy is considered a disability. A student experiencing bullying based on a disability is discrimination and is a Section 504 violation. Complaints can be made to the Office of Civil Rights.
Where can I get additional information about food allergies?
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team
Food Allergy Research and Education
Tips for Newly Diagnosed Allergies
Allergy Symptoms and Reading Food Labels
CDC Healthy Schools/Food Allergies in Schools
Children Food Allergy Facts & Figures
Reading Food Labels
Wellness Policy
Syracuse City School District views wellness as an active process to achieve lifelong social, mental, and physical health. To help our students reach this state of wellness, we have developed a tailored wellness plan as well as implemented programming that support and help our students achieve the highest levels of success. The plan describes specific goals and objectives for nutrition standards of all foods and beverages available on the school campus, food & beverage marketing in schools, nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, physical education and many other school based activities that promote overall student wellness.
Overview of Wellness:
The Syracuse City School District’s mission is to build, support, and sustain school communities that provide all students with a high-quality education that prepares them to graduate as responsible, active citizens ready for success in college and careers and prepared to compete in a global economy. Research shows how good nutrition, physical activity, and social interaction are strongly correlated with positive student success in and outside of the classroom. To achieve maximum student wellness, the Syracuse City School District participates in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program as well as partners with the American Heart Association and National Dairy Council school wellness programs. These collaborative programs incorporate wellness at the individual level as well as into the surrounding community.
Student Wellness and Health Promotion:
Nutrition education and promotion throughout school and in the community has the potential to positively influence life long healthy eating behaviors. For this reason, SCSD includes both marketing of nutritious foods throughout schools, as well as, ongoing nutrition education throughout educational disciplines. For continued nutrition education and exposure many of our schools also participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which is available to students in grades Pre-K through 6th. The students are offered a variety of produce samples throughout the week, paired with nutrition education in the classroom. This allows students to experience new and exciting produce, increasing their weekly consumption of fruits and vegetables and expanding their knowledge of foods consumed. The USDA FFVP toolkit provides nutrition education lesson plans and resources to support a healthier school environment.
Our District continues to develop and enhance relationships with community partners in support of our wellness policy to benefit our children and their families. Within the District we have developed school wellness committees that ensure the implementation and maintenance of our wellness policy. We empower parents/guardians and care givers, as well as the community at large, to become an active members of established school wellness committees throughout the District. These committees work on wellness policy initiatives encouraging health and academic success of our students. Strategies that schools use to encourage wellness include; fitness classes, walking clubs, stress management and more. Those interested are encouraged to reach out to school building administration to work with school wellness champions, who organize wellness activities and develop plans that support a healthier school environment as outlined in the SCSD Wellness Policy.
Hunger Prevention
Hunger and food insecurity are two big issues that we aim to address every day when children arrive at school. Not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle or having a limited availability of healthy, nutritious foods can lead to poor health including frequent stomach aches, headaches, behavioral issues and developmental delays, resulting in poor academic performance. In addition to providing free meal service to all, Food & Nutrition Services participates in multiple hunger prevention programs to combat childhood hunger in our schools.
Breakfast After the Bell:
Students who eat school breakfast have higher scores on standardized tests, lower levels of behavioral, emotional, and educational problems, higher graduation rates, and higher school attendance as evidenced by No Kid Hungry. Our “Breakfast After the Bell” program allows students to receive a free breakfast even if they arrive late to school as long as arrival is before lunch service begins.
Weekend Food Packs:
The Food & Nutrition Services Department is grateful for our key partners, Blessings in a Backpack and the Food Bank of Central New York, who provide weekend food packs to deserving students across the district. Because of their commitment schools are able to send children home with a pack of nutritious and accessible food items. Currently, nearly 2,000 students receive a food pack each weekend.
If your family could benefit from a weekend food pack, please complete the Food Assistance form and staff will add your family to the recipient list.
Gratitude Meal Kits:
In collaborate with the Office of Student Support Services and the Office of Family Engagement, and thanks to the generous support of the Food Bank of Central New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse University, the American Heart Association's Community Action Committee, and the United Way of Central New York - the Food and Nutrition Services Department regularly delivers supplemental meal kits to families during school holidays. These boxes are delivered directly to family's homes via DoorDash.
If your family could benefit from a Gratitude Meal Kit, please complete the Food Assistance form and staff will add your family to the recipient list.
Make a Donation:
Click here to donate online to Blessings in a Backpack. You may also mail a check made out to Blessings in a Backpack with Syracuse City School District Fund #1912” to Blessings in a Backpack Lockbox, P.O. Box 950291, Louisville, KY 40295.
Click here to donate online to the Food Bank of Central New York, you may list "Syracuse City School District" in the comment section if you would like the donation to support these programs directly. You may also mail a check made out to the Food Bank of Central New York with "Syracuse City School District" in the memo and mail it to Food Bank of Central New York 7066 Insterstate Island Road, Syracuse, NY 13209.
Discrimination Complaints
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
