Food Service

School District 21, in conjunction with OrganicLife, offers a daily breakfast and lunch in each of its twelve elementary and middle schools and your student is encouraged to participate. The Food Service Price Guide details full and reduced prices for meals, side dishes, and drinks.

School District 21 began its partnership with OrganicLife at the start of the 2015-2016 school year after OrganicLife went through a competitive bidding process and through site visits and client reference checks. OrganicLife is committed to offering healthy, tasty meals for students.

Menus

CCSD21 strives to provide as much variety as possible in its menus while remaining within the constraints of the National School Lunch Program regulations. Menus are available here.

MealViewer

CCSD21 uses MealViewer, a digital menu solution for parents and students.  This mobile app and web-viewer has the capacity to display our menus along with nutritional and allergen information for items served for breakfast and lunch. In an effort to aid communication between students and parents in and out of the cafeteria, MealViewer will not only deliver the menu along with relevant content, it will also provide crucial nutritional and allergen information.

We are thrilled to use this tool as an additional way to speak to our amazing students!  MealViewer is going to help our school administration, and specifically our school nutrition team, connect with students to create a more vibrant and healthy school environment.  MealViewer will help foster more conversation about making healthy choices and balanced diet discussions and that is something we all can be excited about!

Accounts & Payments

All students have a food service account that they can access using a unique PIN (personal identification number), which is the same as the password that students use in CCSD21’s computer systems, such as Google Apps for Education. Students should, and do, memorize their passwords/PINs, but should not share these with others.

The District now accepts deposits for your child’s food service account through Mealtime. Visit MyMealtime to create a profile, make deposits, view account balances, set up low balance notifications, and view your child’s transaction details. Instructions to create a MyMealtime account are available in English and Spanish.

Parents still have the option to make deposits to the student’s food service account by check or cash. If payment is made by check, it should be made payable to “CCSD21” and your child’s food service PIN should be written in the memo section. Place the check or cash in a sealed envelope and write, on the outside of the envelope, your child’s name and his/her teacher’s name. The envelope should be dropped off in your school’s office or be given to your child’s teacher by you or your child, depending on your school. If you have more than one child and they attend the same school, you may combine their deposits. In addition to their names and PINs, please be sure to include instructions inside the envelope describing how the funds should be divided between your children’s accounts. If your children attend different schools, you may combine deposits, while still providing an explanation on how the funds should be divided.

Please note – Lunchroom personnel can neither accept nor disburse money in any form.

Balance inquiries can be made at any time through MyMealtime, or during business hours by contacting the CCSD21 Business Office. All prior-year cash balances for continuing students will be carried over.

Free and Reduced Price Meals
CCSD21 takes part in the National School Lunch Program and your child may qualify for Free or Reduced Price meals. Applications can be completed through MyMealtime. Instructions to create a MyMealtime account are available in English and Spanish and are linked above. Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications submitted through Mealtime will be processed daily and benefits are applied immediately.

A paper copy of the Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications can also be printed or obtained from the office at a student’s school or the District 21 Business Office. A new application must be submitted prior to each school year. Completed paper applications may be mailed to or dropped off at your student’s school or the CCSD21 Business Office. Paper applications will be processed within 10 working days after submission.

In order to qualify as a meal under the National School Lunch Program, a breakfast must contain three (3) side dishes, one of which may or may not be a milk. A lunch must contain one (1) entrée and at least two (2) side dishes, one of which may or may not be a milk. If your child does not take the required servings at each meal, they will not qualify for a Free or Reduced Price meal and will be charged the full a la carte price for each item.

The District does not participate in the federally-funded Special Milk Program. Those students who qualify for Free or Reduced Price meals and do not take a qualified meal will be charged full price for milk.

Information on Reduced Price meals is available on the Food Service Pricing Guide.

Free & Reduced Meal Application Form

The Free & Reduced Meal Application Form may be submitted if your student attends one of the following schools: Cooper, Hawthorne, Longfellow, Poe and Riley.

2023-2024 School Year

Fee Waiver Application Form

The Fee Waiver Application Form may be submitted if your student attends one of the following schools: Field, Frost, Holmes, Kilmer, London, Tarkington, Twain and Whitman.

2023-2024 School Year

 

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

The Community Eligibility Provision is an opportunity under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs where schools can qualify to offer free breakfast and lunch meals to all students within that school. In the 2020-2021 school year, eight CCSD21 schools qualify for CEP: Holmes Middle School, London Middle School, Field Elementary School, Frost Elementary School, Kilmer Elementary School, Tarkington Elementary School, Twain Elementary School, and Whitman Elementary School. All students at these eight schools are eligible to receive a free breakfast and a free lunch.

Questions about CEP should be directed to the CCSD21 Business Office at 847-520-2706.

Breakfast After the Bell

Offering breakfast to students after the school day begins is a federal mandate for schools where the student population meets certain requirements. Four CCSD21 schools are required to offer breakfast to students after the beginning of the instructional day: Holmes Middle School, Field Elementary School, Twain Elementary School, and Whitman Elementary School. Traditional breakfast delivery is maintained at all other CCSD21 schools.

Questions about scheduling for Breakfast After the Bell should be directed to each individual school. Questions about the Breakfast After the Bell program should be directed to the CCSD21 Business Office at 847-520-2706.

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition Information
School District 21 and OrganicLife both place a high priority on the nutrition of CCSD21 students. If your child has specific nutritional needs, please contact the nurse at your child’s school.

Allergies
If your child has specific needs related to allergies, please contact the nurse at your child’s school.

Contact

Questions about the Food Service program can be directed to the Business Services team at 847-520-2706.