Free School Meals | Menus | Linq Connect Account Information | Severe Allergies | Food Assistance Resources
Free School Meals
Parent / Guardian Letter 2024-2025
This school year all Saratoga Springs CSD students are eligible to receive FREE school meals (1 breakfast and 1 lunch per day), regardless of family income, through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Additional meals, snacks and a la carte items will still need to be paid for. Students will be able to purchase those items with cash or funds available on their LINQ Connect accounts.
No application is required; however families should complete this Household Income Eligibility Form(HHIE). The data gathered from this form can qualify students for additional benefits and allows the district to receive additional state and federal funding. The online form only requires an income range and is confidential.
For questions about the HHIE form, please contact: Erin Wright, Shared Food Service Specialist, 518-464-3945, erin.wright@neric.org.
Cafeteria Menus
View school meal menus through LINQ Connect
View the daily options menu This menu was created to support our non-readers or students who benefit from visual supports to increase their independence.
Breakfast
Breakfast is available to all students in every building.
In order to meet USDA requirements, school breakfasts must contain no more than 30% of calories from fat, and less then 10% from saturated fat. In addition, breakfast must provide one fourth of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calories.
Research shows that children who eat breakfast:
- are less likely to be overweight
- show improvement on math, reading and standardized test scores
- establish healthier habits for later in life
- have fewer absences and incidences of tardiness
- are more likely to behave better in school
- consume more calcium, fiber, foliate and protein
LINQ Connect Meal Account
All second meals, snacks, and a la carte items must be paid for.
Saratoga Springs City School District uses LINQ Connect for school food payments. There are four easy steps to creating your free account.
- Go to LINQ Connect from any computer, tablet or mobile device: https://linqconnect.com/
- Register for a free account
- Search for Saratoga Springs City School District.
- Add funds securely to student accounts (or use the LINQ Connect app)
For more information, view the LINQ Connect resource center.
LINQ Connect allows you to set up one-time or recurring payments for your student’s meal. You can also view previous transactions, set spending limits, transfer funds between students, set low-balance notifications and more. It’s an easy way to manage payments without the hassle of sending cash.
Severe Allergies
Students who have been diagnosed by a physician with severe food or life-threatening allergies need special considerations to help ensure their health and safety in school. We have a wide range of supports for students in kindergarten through grade 12 including:
- Registered nurses in each building who are knowledgeable in preventing and managing allergic reactions
- Comprehensive procedures for administering prescribed medications in school and on field trips
- Training, books and teaching materials for school personnel on prevention and intervention activities
- Staff training in EpiPen administration
If your child is diagnosed with a severe allergy:
- Contact your building principal or school nurse upon enrollment.
- For clarification on district policies and practices on this important issue please contact the Pupil Services Department at (518) 583-4715.
If you have any questions or comments please contact Eric Bush, the Director of Food Service at (518) 583-4704.
Policies
Meal Modification Statement for Students with Special Dietary Needs
Food Assistance Resources
Local Food Pantries
A database of local food pantries and meal assistance programs can be found here.
SNAP
SNAP provides monthly benefits to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other locations. SNAP helps families stretch their food budget so kids can get the nutrition they need to learn and grow. See if you are eligible here and apply for SNAP online at MyBenefits.ny.gov
The Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) offers one-on-one help applying for SNAP. NOEP can tell you if you may be eligible for SNAP, answer questions, and help with your application. It’s free and confidential. Find a NOEP Coordinator near you at FoodHelpNY.org.
Summer Food
Nutritious free meals are available for children and teens 18 and younger at many locations throughout the nation throughout the summer while school is out of session. Please visit the USDA website to find a location near you, or text “Summer Meals” to 97779 or call 1-866-348-6479 to find a site nearby.
2024 Summer EBT Information from OTDA
- Summer EBT food benefits are now being issued to eligible children and will continue through October 2024.* This webpage will be updated as new information is available.
- Benefits are currently being issued to eligible children in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend public school and received a letter in the mail that benefits will be issued to an existing Pandemic-EBT card that was used to access their P-EBT benefits. If you no longer have this P-EBT card, follow these instructions to request a replacement card.
- During the first two weeks of August, benefits will be issued to eligible children in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend public school and received a letter in the mail saying that a new Summer EBT card will be mailed to them. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for Summer EBT benefit cards to arrive in the mail. Information about how to activate/PIN a Summer EBT card is available here.
- Eligible students who attend non-public school (private, religious, or independent schools) are expected to begin receiving benefits in late August into September.
- Children determined eligible through an application will receive benefits beginning in late August through October 2024, depending on when the application was submitted. All children determined eligible through an application will be mailed a new Summer EBT food benefit card.
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Children who became newly eligible for summer EBT because they were enrolled in Medicaid or SNAP, or certified for free meals by their school at the end of the school year, are expected to receive benefits in October 2024.
Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
- fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
- email: program.intake@usda.gov