Contact: Cristina Harder RD LDN, Food Service Manager, (708) 447-7893 or lunchprogram@district96.org

 Dear District 96 Families, 

The Food and Nutrition Services department will continue to provide lunch in all our schools starting 8/22/24, the first student attendance day. Students are welcome to bring a packed lunch from home or purchase a school lunch (milk is included with all school lunches). White or chocolate milk is available à la carte for students who bring their lunch from home.

 Each day before lunch, elementary teachers will give students a scannable badge to give the lunchroom staff when they purchase lunch or à la carte milk. The badges will not go home with students. Hauser Jr. High students will continue to enter their ID numbers at checkout. ID numbers can be found on their schedules.

 Both lunch and milk are available with no pre-pay in all schools on student attendance days. Students can purchase a school lunch or ala carte milk even if there are no funds available in the wallet. Lunch and à la carte milk requests will be charged at the time of purchase against the wallet balance in the student’s PushCoin account, and families will be automatically notified by email when a purchase is made. While it is helpful to preload your child’s PushCoin wallet, it is not a requirement. Parents get automatically notified once a month of a negative balance.

 Please note that all students who request a lunch or an à la carte milk will receive it and their PushCoin wallet will be charged. Please ensure your child knows whether they should order a lunch, milk, or eat the lunch they brought from home for the day. Plant-based lunch options are available upon request.

Please Contact Ms. Harder will all food/menu related inquiries.

      
To learn more about PushCoin please click here. To add funds to your child’s PushCoin wallet, please login in to PushCoin at View Website Pushcoin.

 If you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced priced meals, please complete the 2023-34 Application for Free/Reduced Lunch, which is accessible here. If you have questions regarding the application, please contact Email District 96 Registrar or call Nancy Schuenemann at 708-447-5007.

Please Email District 96 Lunch Program with any lunch-related questions.

2024-2025 School Year Lunch Prices*

Milk only

     Milk – $.40 per carton (choice of 1% white or fat free chocolate)

Lunch

     Student Paid Rate: $4.01 per lunch (based on USDA reimbursable rates)

     Student Reduced Rate: $0.40 per lunch (based on USDA reimbursable rates)

     Staff Lunch: $4.65 per lunch

*Student lunch rates are based on the USDA reimbursable rates

Riverside District 96 School Meals Meet New Nutrition Standards

As students return to school this fall, they’ll find healthy choices in their school cafeteria.

Our Cafeteria will be providing school meals that meet new federal nutrition standards, ensuring that meals are healthy, well balanced and provide students all the nutrition they need to succeed at school.

 School meals offer students milk, fruits and vegetables, proteins and grains, and they must meet strict limits for saturated fat and portion size. School lunches meet additional standards requiring:

• Age-appropriate calorie limits

  • Larger servings of vegetables and fruits (students must take at least one serving of produce)

  • A wider variety of vegetables, including dark green and red/orange vegetables and legumes

  • Fat-free or 1% milk (flavored milk must be fat-free)

  • More whole grains

  • And less sodium

We are always working to offer our students healthier and tastier choices. 

Menus:

The Food Service Department works with the school nurses to make sure that students who eat with us are safe. Please contact your child's school nurse to ensure the information about student allergies is up to date.

Peanut products are not restricted in our district, but the entree, bread, snack and condiment items we offer are peanut free including the kitchen and prep surfaces. Also, all our schools have peanut-free zones.

Important Disclaimer: Information concerning product allergens is obtained solely from the vendor or the manufacturer of the specific product. District 96 does not warrant or guarantee the information provided by the vendor or manufacturer. 

Quick Links

Fee Waiver Application

Summer meal Program

Programa de comidas de verano