Bulloch Co Schools: School Nutrition – What to know for back to school

• Breakfast is free for all students
• Lunch is free for all students at six schools
• Complete meal assistance applications by Sept. 11
• School menus will highlight a fresh, local produce item each month
• Manage your child’s meal account with the My School Bucks mobile app

Breakfast is free for all children enrolled in Bulloch County Schools, and at six schools, lunch is free too, but other families who need assistance should complete a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application by September 11. Check out the meal menus this year which will highlight local produce to help children learn more about seasonal agriculture products.

Lunch is free for all students at these schools  
If you have a child at one of these six schools, a meal application is not needed. Meals are free because the schools now qualify for the national Community Eligibility Program: Langston Chapel Elementary, Langston Chapel Middle School, Mattie Lively Elementary, Mill Creek Elementary, Portal Elementary, and William James Middle School.

Complete a Free & Reduced-price Meal Application
Children who are not enrolled in one of the six schools listed above are not eligible for lunch benefits without a completed, approved application. Families only need to complete one application per household, and not an application for each child. If you do not believe your family is eligible for benefits, you do not have to submit an application.

If the school district has documentation that a family is eligible for the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Department of Human Resources’ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program(TANF) or if a family completed an application and was eligible for benefits in Bulloch County Schools during the 2022-2023 school year, the school district will grant a grace period for benefits until September 11, but a completed, approved application will be needed for benefits to continue after that date.

Any eligible family without a completed, approved application after September 11, will be required to pay full price for lunches. Elementary school lunches are $2.25 per day and middle/high school lunches are $2.50.

Applications Help Your Family Beyond School Meals
Completing a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application can help prevent food insecurity, but it can also help families in other ways beyond school nutrition. It can help your child’s school receive needed federal grants, like Title I to support learning, and it can help families receive home Internet assistance, waivers for SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement testing fees, and waivers for college application fees.

Where to get an application

• At your child’s school during Open House or when school begins
• Your school’s or Bulloch County Schools’ website via the My School Apps link
• The application is embedded in the school district’s online Register for School tool when parents register new students
• The application is embedded in the school district’s Campus Parent Portal and mobile application (app) for returning students when families use this tool to update their child’s information.

Turn in printed applications
You may complete an application online, or submit a paper application to your child’s school or the
school district’s School Nutrition Department located at 18201 Hwy. 80 West, in Statesboro, GA 30458, either by mail or in person. A secured drop box is located at the office to drop off applications after business hours.

Manage your child’s meal account with the My School Bucks mobile app

Families may use the My School Bucks website or mobile app to pay for school lunches or if they want their child to have available funds for second servings of meals or to purchase additional a-la-carte items. It’s available at myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app from Google Play or the App Store.

Harvest of the Month Program
Harvest of the Month is a Georgia School Nutrition program that Bulloch County’s School Nutrition Services will implement this year to promote healthier eating habits and educate students about the produce they eat at school. This goal is to spark a deeper appreciation for local and seasonal agriculture. Check out your school’s August meal menus which feature meals and nutritional information about watermelon.

Community Eligibility Provision
The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 includes a Community Eligibility Provision. Through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, it provides free breakfast and free lunch to all students, regardless of family income, at eligible schools. To qualify, a school must have 40 percent or more of its enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. Previously, only Langston Chapel Elementary and Langston Chapel Middle qualified, but this year the state approved four additional Bulloch County schools. The school district and the state review data annually to determine eligible schools.

Bulloch Co Schools