School Lunch/Food Policies

School Lunch/Food Policies

Elysian Food Programs:

Lunch:  Elysian Charter School participates in the National School Lunch Program.   For families wishing to apply for Free or Reduced lunch for their children, a yearly application is available to all families.  Should a family’s financial circumstances change during the course of the year, they may fill out another application at any time.  All student eligibility is kept strictly confidential.   No identification will be made at the point of service and all meals choices are available to everyone.

Currently, there is no fee for Reduced lunches.   Should a family not be eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch, the full price fee for lunch is $4.00 –All meals contain a protein, vegetable, fruit, whole grain component and milk.

Breakfast:  We are no longer providing breakfast.

Ordering:  Lunch orders are placed on our online server, orgsonline.com.  New menus come out monthly, usually towards the end of the month.   There is a deadline and cutoff time for parents to order.  If you miss the cut off, you will be unable to access the ordering system.  If this happens, call or email Susan Gilbertson or one of the food service staff and they can place the order for you.

Signing up for Orgsonline.com:  Many school payments can be made on this site.  Lunch, Aftercare and some Class Trips can be paid for on this service.   To sign up – go to orgsonline.com and follow the prompts.  The Registration Code for Elysian is:  297ecsnj.

Meal Charges:   Lunches are ordered monthly by using orgsonline.com. Students may select school lunch or bring lunch from home or have a combination of the two.  Payment must be rendered before lunch orders are circulated in the system.  Any unpaid order will not be processed and your child may miss his or her selected lunch until payment is made.

Unpaid Meal Charges:   USDA and the State of New Jersey adhere to policy guidelines for families with unpaid lunch balances.  Any remaining balances on orgsonline parent accounts will be rolled over into the next school year.  Upon a student leaving the 8th grade, all accounts must be brought up to date in order to receive the student’s final report card.

Any families with ongoing, outstanding balances to the lunch program may cause student services to be discontinued.   Upon final notification, a grace period of ten (10) days will be given for full restitution before services are discontinued.  An alternate reimbursable meal can be offered, at the preference of the food service staff.

Emergency Lunches:  Due to our participation with orgsonline.com, no lunch orders are circulated in the lunch order system without payment.   However, additional charges can accrue, if students are served an emergency lunch or milk without having ordered. This happens when a home lunch is forgotten, a lunch has been dropped or a lunch payment was not made in a timely fashion and a lunch was not provided from home.

Field Trips: For students going   all day field trips, box lunches can be provided. If the student has signed up for a regular school lunch, that lunch will be converted into a box lunch which will travel better and consist of a sandwich, a vegetable, a fruit and milk or juice.   Parents do no need to activate this lunch.  The food service staff will ensure enough box lunches for the trip.  Box lunches are the same price as a normal meal.

Special Dietary Needs:  

Allergies – Students who have specific allergies, for example, milk, eggs, etc.,  can inquire about specific items on our menu.  We will contact our food service provider to ask about the nutritional components of any given menu item.  Students will be allowed to make substitutions on that day with the items that are available.

Milk Substitutions:  The USDA now allows parents/guardians to request a fluid milk substitute for a child with medical or special dietary needs other than a disability.  Our food service provider is able to provide milk substitutes such as soy, almond, Lactaid, etc. upon request.  Some prices for milk substitutes may increase.   Juice and water are not considered acceptable substitutes for milk.

Handicaps / Life threatening Illnesses – If a substitution is necessary, a doctor’s certification is required to implement changes in food service.   At Elysian, the doctor’s note would have to be given to our school nurse, Diane deSombre.  She  would work in collaboration with the school Food Service Director, Susan Gilbertson, to formulate a plan for food service during the school day.

Elysian Non-Discrimination Statement:
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parentalstatus, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Procedure for Discrimination Complaints:
All complaints must be addressed to the Director of Elysian, Susan Grierson. Please send to Elysian Charter School 1460 Garden Street Hoboken, NJ .   You can request a USDA Discrimination Complaint Form – 148 from the office.  All complaints will be maintained on file for the current prior school year.