According to USDA Federal Regulations, a reimbursable school lunch for any level will consist of 3 of the 5 following components: Grain, Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA), Fruit, Vegetable, Milk.

For Elementary and Middle Schools: The daily minimum portion size that must be offered to students is as follows: 1oz Grain, 1oz M/MA, ½ cup Fruit, ¾ cup Vegetable, 1 cup Milk. Example: Chicken Nuggets (1G + 1M/MA) with Dinner Roll (1G), ½ cup Mixed Vegetables (V), Apple Slices (F), Milk.

For High School: The daily minimum portion size that must be offered to students is as follows: 1oz Grain, 2oz M/MA, 1 cup Fruit, 1 cup Vegetables, 1 cup Milk. Example: Pasta w/ Sauce (1G), Chicken Meatballs (2M/MA), Garlic Breadstick (1G), ½ cup Roasted Broccoli (V), ½ cup Peaches (F), 1 cup Milk

In addition to school lunches, ala carte items are offered at each different school level. Elementary ala carte consists of extra milks, fruits, vegetables, or entrées at an additional cost. The cost ranges from $0.50 to $2.30.

At the secondary levels, there are numerous ala carte options students can buy such as second entrees, snacks, chips, cookies/ice cream, fruit, beverages, etc. The cost for these items ranges from $0.50 up to $2.80.

Each family should educate their child on their allowance for ala carte items. Students with negative balances will not be permitted to purchase ala carte items.

For the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offered waivers to Child Nutrition (CN) Programs across the United States. The waivers, which allowed schools to offer all students breakfast and lunch at no charge throughout the pandemic, expired on June 30, 2022. Beginning this school year (2022-2023), our district returned to normal, pre-pandemic operations and meal fees are once again being charged to student accounts. 

There are two options for adding money to meal accounts:

1. Send cash or check to your student’s building. Cash should be secured in an envelope or ziploc bag that is labeled “Cafeteria Fund” and has your student’s name on it. If paying by check, please make the check payable to Dublin City Schools and put your student’s name & ID # in the memo line.
2. Use the PaySchools Central online payment processing system at www.payschoolscentral.com. Note: PaySchools Central

There are no formalized payment plans. All payments, partial or in full, are applied to a student’s account balance.

Students with negative meal account balances will receive a standard meal, but will not be allowed to charge ala carte items (“extras”). Food Services will work collaboratively with the principal to provide timely reports of those students who have negative balances.

Additionally, broadcast messages will be sent via phone call once a student has charged $25 or more to their account. These notifications will provide families with an opportunity to pay the student's charge balance before it increases.

If you think your child may qualify for free or reduced-price meals, please fill out either the online or paper meal application. 

1. Online: Set up a PaySchools Central account at https://www.payschoolscentral.com/. Open the Menu and select, “Free/Reduced Meal Application.”

   1. For additional instructions, visit tinyurl.com/dcsfoodservices
      
      

2. For Printable and/or Translated Applications: Visit tinyurl.com/dcsfoodservices or contact your student’s school.

Meal applications take approximately 2 weeks to process; once processed, food services staff will mail a letter to the student’s home address with a determination status.

Students eligible for free or reduced lunch get ONE standard meal at the free or reduced lunch rate. If they get a second entree/second meal, they will be charged full price for the meal. Moving forward, free or reduced students will have to have money on hand or in their account to purchase additional meals, milks, sides, or ala carte items.

PaySchools Central (also available as a mobile application) has a notifications feature with several customization options. Families can receive a low balance notification if any of their students’ meal balances reach or go below a set balance level. They can also receive monthly meal account balance reminders and purchasing statements. For instructions on using PaySchool Central, visit tinyurl.com/dcsfoodservices.

PaySchools Central (also available as a mobile application) has a reporting feature where families can see what students are purchasing each day. For instructions on using PaySchool Central, visit tinyurl.com/dcsfoodservices.

To find out your student’s identification number, log in to ProgressBook or Schoology and view your student’s profile. If you do not have access to ProgressBook or Schoology, call the building your student attends. To find building contact information, visit our website, www.dublinschools.net, and click Contact.

If you are having a problem connecting payment methods or setting up notifications in the PaySchools Central application, please contact their parent support team directly at psc_help@payschools.com or call 877-393-6628.

Our district works with Sodexo At School for meal services.

Sodexo Website

USDA School Meals Website

For questions specific to your student’s meal account charges or Free or Reduced Meals, please contact the Food Services Department Unit Controller at 614-718-8315.