Burbank Unified School District announced its policy for providing Free and Reduced-Price Meals for children served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program on Wednesday, August 26. The BUSD Food Services Department has also made the switch to more environmentally-friendly food containers and announced the ongoing use of the EZSchoolPay online service.
Each school has a copy of the Free and Reduced-Price Meal policy, which may be reviewed by any interested party. Household size and income criteria in the accompanying table is used to determine eligibility for free, reduced-price, or full-price meal benefits.
Children from households whose income is at or below the levels shown here are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Children who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Assistance, benefits are automatically eligible for free meals regardless of the income of the household in which they reside. Eligibility for a foster child is based on a separate application and solely on the amount of the child’s “personal use” income.
The BUSD Food Services Department has selected several new environmentally-friendly products for the 2015-16 school year, BUSD Public Information Office Kimberley Clark stated in a release.
Traditional foam lunch trays are being replaced by 100% biodegradable eco-friendly trays. The biodegradable tray still has the appearance of foam, but is made with 100% recycled products and meets all FDA standard requirements.
“Other foam products have been replaced with paper and most of the District’s plastic containers are a product constructed from recycled bottles,” she stated. “Sandwich, bagel and snack wrap bags are now made from recycled paper and a corn product which are biodegradable.”
BUSD Food Services no longer accepts checks as a form of payment, but students may pay with cash or EZSchoolPay. EZSchoolPay is an easy and secure way to pay for school meals online using a debit or credit card. Families may track their meal account balances, view transactions and receive low balance reminders.
Parents and caregivers may register on the EZSchoolPay website with their student’s nine-digit school identification number. The meal payment service site also is accessible via an app on iPhone and Android devices.
