Nutrition Services

Pay for meals or check transactions from the LINQ Connect Online Portal button below.

Angela Richey
Nutrition Services Supervisor
651-635-1619
angela.richey@isd623.org

Maria Amerman
Nutrition Services Coordinator
651-724-6461
maria.amerman@isd623.org

Stacey Gaetz

Nutrition Services Specialist
stacey.gaetz@isd623.org

Roseville Area Schools offers breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students. The Free School Meals Bill, allows one complete breakfast and lunch each school day to each student at no cost.

All items outside of the complete meal are considered a la carte purchases.

Items that would incur a charge:

Additional cartons of milk
Snack items
Second entrée
A second breakfast or a second lunch
Meals that do not meet the minimum requirements
Meals served to teachers, staff, and other adults

Additionally, a second breakfast and/or lunch would incur the following fees:

Meal Prices 2023-24	First breakfast	Second breakfast
Elementary	$0	$2.25
Middle and high school	$0	$2.25
Adult	$2.25	$2.25

Meal Prices 2023-24	First lunch	Second lunch
Elementary	$0	$4.95
Middle and high school	$0	$4.95
Adult	$5.00	$5.00

Our menu offerings and service style will still consist of high-quality ingredients and top-notch customer service. All complete breakfasts consists of an entrée, fresh fruit, 100% juice, and milk. All complete lunches consist of whole grains, lean proteins, milk, and "all you care to eat" fresh fruit and vegetable bars. All schools also offer a no-cost afterschool "super snack."

Questions & Answers

Will extras and adult meals be free?

Do I need to complete the Application for Educational Benefits (AEB) for my family?

Does my student need to enter a PIN at meal times?

What do I do with the remaining money in my child's lunch account?

Video: School Lunch Procedures

Information & Resources

How to Pay for School Meals

The Free School Meals Bill allows one complete breakfast and lunch each school day to each student at no cost. All items outside of the complete meal are considered a la carte purchases.

Payments can be made online through the LINQ Connect Family Portal.

You will need to create a new account that includes an email, password, and other information for this secure payment system. There is a convenience fee added to all payments made in LINQ. To avoid the convenience fee, you can pay with cash or check.

CASH: Please write the child’s name, PIN number, and amount on the outside of the envelope
CHECK: Please make sure to include your child’s name and PIN number on the memo line of your check

If your children attend the same school building, the amount of the check can be divided among accounts. Be sure to note each child’s PIN and amount for each child in the memo line of the check. If your children are at different schools, separate checks are needed.

If a check is returned for insufficient funds, you will be required to pay cash.

First Meal
(All grades Pk-12)

Breakfast: Free
Lunch: Free
Super Snack (if available at your school): Free

Adults and Second Meals

Breakfast: $2.25
Lunch: $4.95
Adult Lunch: $5.00
Milk only: $0.50
Entrée only: $2.50

Meal Charge Regulations

Meal Charge Regulations

I. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish consistent district practices for the provision of meals to students who have insufficient funds in their school meal accounts and the collection of unpaid meal debt.

II. Regulation Statement

Roseville Area Schools’ goal is to provide nutritious meals to students to promote healthy eating habits and enhance learning as well as maintain the financial integrity of the National School Breakfast and Lunch program and eliminate stigmatization of children who are unable to pay meal charges. We are in the business of child nutrition—making sure that all students, regardless of family socioeconomic status, receive nutritious meals to support classroom learning.
It is the policy of Roseville Area Schools to offer breakfast and lunch meals that meet the state and federal guidelines.
Breakfast and lunch prices will be made available to families on the Nutrition Services webpage, on the menu, as well as at the point of sale. Meal purchases (breakfast, lunch and a la carte) are to be pre-paid before meal service begins. Accounts can be paid using Titan Family Portal online payment tool [LINQ Connect] or through bringing check or cash to the student’s school.
Families may apply for free/reduced-price meal benefits anytime during the school year. Meal applications are available online and are also distributed to all families in the district prior to the student’s first day of classes. In addition, applications are available at the District Center. Translation services are available. If household income or size change, families can apply for meal benefits anytime during the school year.

III. Charge Regulation

If the student or family account has insufficient funds to pay for breakfast and/or lunch meals, they will be allowed to charge meals. All students will be provided a meal regardless of meal account status.
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will always be served a meal regardless of unpaid food service accounts. When a student eligible for PAID meals has “cash in hand” to pay for a meal, the student will be served a meal regardless of unpaid foodservice accounts. The “cash in hand” will not be applied towards past due balances. In the event a student with a negative balance is approved for free or reduced meals, there can be no retroactive approvals of free or reduced benefits and that debt is still required to be paid in full.
Students may charge their accounts only for a reimbursable meal or milk – students will not be permitted to charge a la carte items.

IV. Notification of Account Status

Families can check their student’s meal account balance via LINQ Connect Family Portal or by asking a Nutrition Services’ staff member. In addition, they can set low balance reminders.
Students may also be given a written and/or verbal reminder in the meal service line.
The student/family will be notified when the account has a balance of <$5. After the account has reached a negative balance, an automated phone messaging system (robocall), text message, and/or email may be sent as a reminder and/or letters will be sent home to notify parent/guardian at least once per month until the balance has been paid in full.

V. Collection of Unpaid Meal Debt

Student accounts with balances higher than negative twenty dollars (-$25 or the equivalent of breakfast and lunch for over a week) for which payment arrangements have not been made may be subject to closure by Roseville Area Schools. Both principals and families will be notified of any account closures.
The district will make reasonable efforts to communicate with families to resolve the matter of unpaid charges.
Families are strongly encouraged to submit Application for Educational Benefits (AEB) forms yearly as well as when their household information or income changes. Applications can be submitted at any time and are available during registration, through Roseville Area Schools Nutrition Service’s webpage, or through the LINQ Connect Family Portal. AEBs are also a part of all paperwork provided to families of students transferring into Roseville Area Schools. While Roseville Area Schools strongly encourages families to complete an AEB, the final application responsibility lies with the families.
Assistance from the county social services may be requested by the school if parents refuse to provide meals or pay for school prepared meals for their children.
Families are strongly encouraged to monitor their students’ breakfast/lunch account activity through the LINQ Connect Family Portal. This system can be used to confirm payments have been received, make payments, and monitor account activity.
The expectation is all fees owed to the district will be paid in full on the last day the student will be attending classes.
The district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. Unpaid meal charges are designated as delinquent when payment is overdue, the debt is considered collectable, and efforts are being made to collect it.
Roseville Area Schools is committed to providing meals to students who choose to participate in the program. However, there is a responsibility on the part of the students and families to satisfy all financial obligations to the Nutrition Services program in a timely manner.

Application for Educational Benefits

ALL families with children enrolled in the district should complete an Application for Educational Benefits each year.

Information provided on Applications for Educational Benefits:

Generates millions of dollars in funding for Roseville Area Schools and our schools, students, and families
Determines benefits for students and families such as reduced activity fees, free bus cards, and discounted internet service

The Application for Educational Benefits (formerly known as Free and Reduced Lunch Form) can be completed beginning early August at L INQ Connect Family Portal.

Visit LINQ Connect Family Portal.
Click on the green "Start Meal Application" button (log in not required).
Follow the instructions to complete your online application.

An eligibility notice letter will arrive via mail or email within 10 business days.

Additional Information:

One application needed per family each year
Formerly called the “Free and Reduced Lunch” form
Income thresholds are higher than in some programs, so many families are surprised to find they DO qualify

Cafeteria Recipes You Can Make at Home

You can now bring your student's favorite MN Thursday recipes home to your kitchen! Our recipes have been resized for your family, but still include all the flavors and fun!

Honey Roasted Carrots

Honey Sriracha Carrots

Maple Delicata Squash

Roasted Garlic Green Beans

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Pickled Vegetables

Carribean Black Beans

Jollof Rice

Farm to School

Roseville Area Schools is proud to have a robust Farm-to-School program featuring locally grown, sourced, or made items in all of its programming (breakfast, lunch, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, after-school super snack, Summer Food Service Program).

Minnesota Thursdays

Every other Thursday, we menu an all-local lunch menu. Elementary students learn about where the food comes from, how it grows and how it affects their bodies ever Minnesota Thursday in their classroom. Be sure to check out our Minnesota Thursday menu days, which feature a twice monthly all-local menu! #MNThursday

Beginning this year, all students will watch a short video each Minnesota Thursday in their classrooms to learn about the food on their trays--where it comes from, how it grows and how it effects their bodies.

All Minnesota Thursday "Ag in the Classroom" videos can be viewed here.

A HUGE thanks to our partners for sourcing locally:

Produce & other products
- The Good Acre
- Co-op Partners Warehouse
  - Apples
  - Beets
  - Broccoli
  - Brussels Sprouts
  - Cabbage
  - Carrots
  - Cauliflower
  - Cucumbers
  - Green Beans
  - Kohlrabi
  - Onions
  - Potatoes- Purple, Yukon Gold, Fingerling
  - Radishes
  - Summer Squash
  - Sweet Corn
  - Sweet Potatoes
  - Zucchini
  - Watermelon
  - Winter Squash- Butternut, Delicata, Spaghetti
  - Tofu
  - Eggs
Turkey
- Ferndale Market-Cannon Falls, MN
Chicken
- Smart Chicken -NE Nebraska
- Kadejan Inc -Glenwood, MN
Beef
- Churchill Reserve- Cannon Falls, MN
Pork
- Hidden Stream Farm, Elgin, MN
Dairy/Milk
- Bongards Premium Cheese -Perham or Bongards, MN
- St. Paul Beverage Solutions -St. Paul, MN
- Land O’Lakes- Arden Hills, MN
Wild Rice
- Red Lake Nation Foods -Red Lake, MN
Pinto Beans
- Askegaard Organic Farm -Moorhead, MN
Mushrooms
- R & R Cultivation – New Hope, MN
Fresh Breads & Buns
- Pan-O-Gold- St. Cloud, MN
Whole Wheat Flour and Cornmeal
- Sunrise Flour Mill – North Branch, MN
French Baguettes
- Mi Sant – Roseville, MN
Maple Syrup
- Hamel -Hamel, MN
Sambusas
- Hoyo Sambusa – Bloomington, MN
Plant-forward
- Deeply Rooted- Cannon Falls, MN
- The Amazing Chickpea- New Hope, MN
Treats
- Jonny Pops

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a federal grant that provides a fresh fruit or vegetable snack to qualifying K-8 schools. The goal of the FFVP is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. The FFVP also encourages healthier school environments by promoting nutrition education.

The following schools are participating in FFVP during the 2023-2024 school year: Edgerton Elementary, Central Park Elementary, Harambee Elementary and Little Canada Elementary

Click the Image Below to Access the FFVP A-Z Guide

Our Food Values and Philosophy

Our menu planners go above and beyond USDA requirements to create menus chosen with care, including:

Intentional purchasing from local and emerging farmers in our community
Values-driven procurement to support sustainable growers and producers
Ingredient choices backed by the science-based "Ingredient Guide for Better School Food Purchasing"
Representation of meals preferred by our diverse student body
Presented in a restaurant-worthy fashion
Menus crafted by two registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN)

School Meal Account Refund

Families may request a student meal account refund or donate money to the Nutrition Services "Angel Fund," which helps students who are still hungry after their first and request extra food but cannot afford to buy additional meals. If you would like to do a student meal account transfer, you can do so by completing the survey linked below.

CLICK HERE to Request a Meal Account Refund/Transfer

Note: School meals will be free beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. However, meal accounts will still be used for students who wish to purchase food beyond the first free meal.

Special Diets

Roseville Area Schools will make reasonable substitutions to meals and/or snacks on a case-by-case basis for participants who are considered to have a disability that restricts their diet. Guardians must request special diet accommodations using this form*.

A complete list of ingredients found in our recipes can be found here.

CLICK HERE to complete a Special Diet Statement

A special diet statement MUST:

Contain the following information in order to be considered complete:
- Food or allergen to be avoided
- Explanation of how exposure would affect the participant
- Foods to be substituted
Be completed and signed by one of the following state-licensed medical authorities:
- Physician
- Physician Assistant
- Advanced Practice Care Nurse, such as a Nurse Practitioner

*NOTE: If the child’s IEP or 504 Plan includes the same information that is required in a Special Diet Statement, it is not necessary for the school to obtain a separate Special Diet Statement.

The following are dietary preferences and are not considered medical conditions or disabilities and, thus, we are not legally required to accommodate but will do our best to ensure children have access to appropriate choices when able.

Lifestyle choices (such as vegan, vegetarian, or organic)
Religious choices (such as eliminating pork)
General health concerns (such as a preference that a child eat a gluten-free diet because a guardian believes it is better for the child)

More information can be found here:

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

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 which can be obtained online (CLICK HERE), 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

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Wellness

Every school participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) must conduct an assessment of their wellness policy every three years, at minimum. The results of the most current assessment (November 2023) can be found here.

For more information about the wellness policy and joining the wellness committee please contact Erica Anderson (erica.anderson@Isd623.org).

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