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Did you know that school lunch applications DO NOT transfer from school year to school year? If you are currently on free or reduced lunch, please come to the district office in August and fill out a new application for the new school year. Or fill out the application online here. If you have any questions please contact us at 325.643.5644 (ext. 1130).
Brownwood ISD in partnership with Southwest Foodservice Excellence participates in the School Breakfast Program, and the National School Lunch Program. These programs are tools to provide nutritious, delicious, and complete meals to children. They contribute to a better understanding of good nutrition and better eating habits. Research has proven that students who are well nourished perform better in school. Federal reimbursements are received for meals served to students that meet certain requirements outlined within the regulations.
In 2010, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed. New meal pattern regulations were recently released by the USDA stating that all students must be served a food-based menu option. The food-based menu planning reflects the MyPlate Guidelines so that our students can choose a meal at breakfast or lunch that can include healthy choices from each of the five food categories: protein, grains, fruit, vegetables and milk. In addition, the new meal pattern will address 4 specific nutrients: calories, sodium, saturated fat and trans-fat.
Starting with the 2012-2013 school year, students will continue to have a variety of daily choices and an increased variety of available fruits and vegetables. The new Food-based meal pattern regulations require your student to take at least a 1/2 cup of fruit at breakfast and ½ cup of fruit or vegetables daily along with two other food categories. This will encourage your student to consume more healthy and nutrient dense foods!Additionally, starting with the 2014-2015 school year, the new Smart Snacks regulations are in full effect. This guarantees that all food sold in any BISD school during the school day will have to meet new more healthy standards. Essentially all food sold, including all snacks, will be healthy, flavorful, and nutritious.
We serve approximately 602,000 meals during the regular school year and approximately 8,500 meals during the summer. All of our meals meet local, state and federal guidelines for freshness and nutrition. Our school kitchens regularly receive high scores from the local health department.We encourage everyone to complete an application for Free and Reduced-price meals. The applications are available in English and Spanish from each cafeteria, each school office and from the BISD Central Office. Free/Reduced school lunch applications DO NOT transfer from school year to school year. If you are currently on free or reduced lunch, please come to the Central Office in August and fill out a new application for the new school year. If you have any questions please contact us at 325.643.5644 (ext. 1130).
We at SFE and BISD strive to provide the highest quality and nutritious food, and our variety and quality of food and choices is unmatched. We offer a Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Salad Bar at ALL SCHOOLS on the lunch line on a daily basis. We encourage all children going through the line to get all the fresh fruit and veggies that they can eat.All Proceeds and Revenue generated by the BISD Child Nutrition Department go directly back into the District to fund the Child Nutrition Program as well as other BISD programs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider.
