FOOD SERVICES

Responsibilities

Food Service Office

  1. Plan menus to meet nutritional requirements.
  2. Coordinate purchasing of all food services supplies and equipment.
  3. Staff all cafeterias based on the following: size of kitchen, average daily participation, kitchen layout, and type of feeding programs. The Food Service Office will establish criteria on staff for all kitchens.
  4. Organize and conduct appropriate inservice training for food service personnel and institute measures designed to improve the quality and efficiency of the program.
  5. Receive and coordinate such reports from individual units as are necessary or required by state or federal agencies.
  6. Consult with Facilities Planning and Construction in relation to the construction of new food service facilities.
  7. The Director will notify the Chief, Facilities Planning and Operation of any breaches of policy and furnish the principal involved with a copy.

Food Service Managers

  1. Operate under the direction of the Food Service Director or his/her designee.
  2. Be knowledgeable of state Board of Education policy and APS policy for operation of cafeterias and manage the unit consistent with these policies.
  3. Organize and direct unit employees in preparation and service of food and in proper care of the equipment.
  4. Be responsible for preparation of reports and for collection and deposit of receipts from sales.
  5. Refer any problems pertaining to cafeteria operation to the Food Service Director or designee.

Principals

  1. Maintain discipline in the dining rooms with the aide of school personnel.
  2. Refer any problems pertaining to cafeteria operation to the Food Service Director or designee.

General Kitchen Control

  1. No persons other than Food Service Personnel shall be permitted in the kitchens.
  2. Only the principal, Food Service manager, head custodian, and central kitchen warehouse supervisor shall have a key to open any door entering the kitchen. Only the principal, Food Service manager and central kitchen warehouse supervisor will have a key to the storeroom door, freezers, and refrigerators.
  3. No food items of any nature will be drawn from the cafeteria kitchen without prior knowledge of the cafeteria manager who will, in turn, present a billing for such items.

Meal Ticket Sales

The following procedure conforms with the U. S. Department of Agriculture and state regulations governing cafeteria operations:

  1. The sale of full-pay and reduced rate meals may take place any time that is convenient for the principal and cafeteria manager.
  2. Meals will be sold in blocks of five, ten, fifteen, or twenty meals or any other increment desired.
  3. Daily cash sale of full-pay and reduced rate meals is acceptable. Daily cash sale of reduced-rate meals identifies the student and should be discouraged.
  4. Pre-payments are valid for reimbursement. With parent permission, a-la-carte items can be purchased with a meal ticket.
  5. Charging of meals at the secondary level creates problems and should be discouraged. Three charges at the elementary level is considered excessive. On the fourth charge, the student will be provided with a minimum lunch unless the school has an alternate funding source.
  6. Refer to agreement for approved method of collection as conditions change.
  7. APS Board policy states, "In order to assure that APS students have access to a good nutrition essential for learning, all schools will have a plan for making accommodations for students who have forgotten their meal money or are waiting for final approval of their application for federally subsidized meals."

Competitive Food Sales

Principals have the option of permitting the sale of food items during the day. However, foods of minimum nutritional value (carbonated beverages, water ices, chewing gum, and certain candies) cannot be available to elementary children from midnight until after the last lunch period of the day.

No competitive food sale will be allowed within the environs of the cafeteria, which means the sale of such food must be conducted in a building other than the one housing the cafeteria.

Legal Ref.: USDA Policy Statement for Free and/or Reduced Price Meals

NSBA/NEPN Classification: EF, EFD, EFE

Revised: May 1995

Revised: April 1996

Revised: May 1997

Revised: May 22, 2000