No sign-up or pre-registration is required, so families no longer have to complete free or reduced-price meal applications. All students regardless of family income can eat free, nutritious meals at school.

Every elementary and Dorris Intermediate School student can eat breakfast and/or lunch provided at school and will not be charged for these meals.

At the middle and high schools, where students are offered meal choices:

• If the student takes a full meal, breakfast or lunch, there is no charge to the student. Anything less than a full meal, just taking a milk or just taking a cheeseburger for example, will result in a charge to the student.
• The National School Lunch Program categorizes a full meal as: a fruit, grain and milk at breakfast; and a fruit, vegetable, grain, meat and milk at lunch.
• In addition, at Collinsville Middle School and Collinsville High School, a la carte items available for purchase in addition to a full meal, (extra milk, extra entree, separate items, etc.) are NOT eligible for CEP, so students WILL be charged for those extra items.
• Cafeteria staff will be able to assist students in navigating food selections.

Adult and visitor meals are not included in CEP, so there continues to be a charge.

Any positive food service balance from last school year can remain on a student’s account and allow them to purchase a la carte food items. Re-loading money on the account can be done through Skyward Family Access. (SEE BELOW FOR FOOD SERVICE PAYMENT OPTIONS.) Meal account balances can be viewed by logging into Skyward.  Use the Food Service tab to see your current balance.

Students will proceed through the line and scan their I.D. or enter their assigned PIN so we can track the meals being served. (Remember: FREE MEAL = FULL MEAL)

Research has proven that children who have healthy meals learn better.  School districts who participate in CEP see an increase in children who eat breakfast at school, which means students are more likely to start the day with a nutritious meal to sustain them until lunch.

CEP benefits families who no longer have the financial burden of paying for school meals.  CEP also removes the social stigma associated with receiving free or reduced breakfast/lunch based on family income.

From the district perspective, cafeteria lines move more efficiently and the administrative burden associated with tracking meal payment and balances is diminished.

Prior to CEP in our district, student fees were waived based on whether a household met the standards to qualify for free or reduced lunch. Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, if your household or family does not qualify for direct certification via Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, you MUST complete the Student Fee Waiver Application and return it to your child(s) respective school office as soon as possible. For detailed information regarding the fee waiver process, please click Please Click Here.

Listed below are the adult and visitor meal prices for the 2023-2024 school year approved by the Board of Education on May 15, 2023:

• Breakfast (adult/visitor):  $2.00
• Lunch (adult/visitor): $4.00

All students have a food service account as part of their individual Skyward account.  Students use their six-digit identification number as a PIN (Personal Identification Number) when they pass through the cafeteria line.  This system records meal transactions and accounts for a la carte purchases.

To prevent fraudulent use of student accounts, student photos are loaded into the system. These digital images appear on the monitor for the cashier to view every time a child accesses his or her account, therefore ensuring that no other student can use another child’s account.

Collinsville Middle School and Collinsville High School: If a student’s food choices fall outside the definition of an eligible FREE meal (full meal as defined in CEP), money is deducted from their food service account to pay for their purchases.  When account balances fall below $5, the cashier will remind the student that additional money should be deposited or brought to school to continue purchasing meals.  Parents using Skyward to deposit meal money can receive a notification when the balance is low.

Families may pay for meals three ways:  pay cash daily for meals OR give cash/check to the cafeteria cashier to load money into meal account to prepay OR  load money electronically through Skyward Family Access under the Food Service section.

The school cafeteria payment system has the ability to act as a cash register; it can accept cash payments on a daily basis or receive advance payments on the student’s meal debit account. Many families choose the convenience of pre-loading money electronically using Skyward Family Access.  Money is deducted from the student’s balance each time they use the account to purchase meals or a la carte (CMS and CHS only) items.

Skyward Food Service: This option provides students with an easy way to pay for meals.  The benefits to students and parents with this system are:

1. Parents may deposit money into the student’s account eliminating the need to send cash on a daily basis.
2. Student lunch lines move faster.
3. Students are not inconvenienced with cash or checks to purchase lunch.
4. Student lunch status is confidential.
5. Parents may restrict snack bar purchases.
6. Parents are able to view every purchase made daily through the Skyward system.
7. Students are notified at the cash register when their account is low.

Cash/Check Payment:  Parents may also write a check or send cash for any amount to deposit into their child’s lunch account. The money will be applied to all purchases in the cafeteria. Cash and checks are given to the cafeteria cashier.

Please note:  Amounts remaining in the accounts of returning students at the end of the previous school year will be rolled into their account for the following school year.  Students exiting the district will be issued a refund of the remaining food service account balance. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Food Service Office through the CHS Main Office number at 346-6320, ext. 1148.