Public Notice
Administrative Review of School Nutrition Programs

The School District of Mauston is currently undergoing an Administrative Review of its Food Service program, as required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). This review is conducted periodically to ensure that all school nutrition programs meet state and federal regulations and continue to provide high-quality, nutritious meals to students.

The district is committed to maintaining compliance and transparency throughout this process. If you have any questions regarding the Administrative Review or the district’s Food Service program, please contact the School District of Mauston Food Service Department.

The School District of Mauston will offer free breakfast for all students for the duration of the 2025-2026 school year!  While this does not include a la carte items, individual milks, additional entrees, and second meals, this will ensure that all students have access to breakfast for the entire school year.  Milk breaks will only be free to students who qualify for free/reduced meals. 

A new free/reduced meal application will be needed in order to receive free or reduced-priced meals during the 2025-2026 school year. This can be filled out during registration or any time throughout the year.

Cold Lunch/Lunch From Home

Students are welcome to bring a lunch from home if they do not want to eat the meal offered on a given day.

Based on the recommendation from the DPI and USDA, the School District of Mauston will not store food items or reheat food items from our families' homes in our kitchens. However, some of our schools do provide a community microwave in the commons for student use. 

If a student wishes to have milk with their lunch from home, that student's account will be charged $0.50. Milk with cold/sack lunches are considered an extra item. 

Dietary Needs

If your student has dietary needs, we must have a Medical Statement for Special Dietary Needs form signed by a state-licensed practitioner on file. The form can be found on the right. 

For students who have a free or reduced status, milk breaks are free. Otherwise, the price of milk for milk breaks are $0.50. If your student takes a cold lunch and takes a milk, the cost is $0.50. 

Extra meal components and a la carte items are allowed only on a positive balance lunch accounts. Parents can restrict their student(s) from purchasing extras or a la carte items by completing the Meal Purchase Restrictions Form.

Forms can be mailed to: School District of Mauston, Attn: Food Service Coordinator, 510 Grayside Avenue, Mauston WI, 53948. You can also email the Food Service Coordinator at foodservice@maustonschools.org to set a limit and/or restriction on your child’s account. Lastly, you can set limits and/or restrictions through your Skyward Family Access. Please keep in mind that you must put in a dollar amount if you want to limit or restrict purchases. The $0.00 default setting does not mean there is a block or restriction. If you want to limit all a la carte purchases, you will need to enter $0.01. 

All lunch account restrictions and limits are reset at the beginning of the school year. If you had a limit or restriction on your child’s account last year, you will need to send this form in to continue that restriction/limit.

Families that have multiple students in the district have a joint family account. This means that all students listed under the family account share a balance. We accept cash, check and credit/debit card payments.

Payments can be sent to school with one of your children in a labeled envelope or mailed directly to the School District of Mauston. At the high school and middle school, payments are collected in the front offices and at the elementary schools, teachers collect the payments. To mail a payment, please send a check to: School District of Mauston, Attn: Food Service Coordinator, 510 Grayside Avenue, Mauston WI 53948. Payments can also be paid online through your Skyward Family Access using a system called “eFunds” or paid over the phone at (608) 847-5451 ext. 6686.

Parents are encouraged to deposit a minimum of $15.00 per child into their accounts. Both positive and negative balances remaining in your family account are carried over from the previous school year.  Please keep this in mind when making your first deposit.

Negative Account Balances (Board Policy 8500)

Students will be permitted to purchase meals from the District's food service using either cash on hand or a food service account. A student may be allowed to incur a negative food service account balance subject to the following conditions.

Students may be permitted to accumulate a negative food service account balance as determined by the Superintendent. The Superintendent shall determine the manner of determining permissible account balances by grade level. A student shall not be permitted to purchase a la carte items without sufficient account balance or cash on hand.

A student who has exceeded the permissible negative balance amount in their account and does not have cash on hand sufficient to purchase a meal will be treated respectfully. The District will provide meals to students with unpaid meal balances without stigmatizing them, will provide parents of students who charge meals with a notification when a student charges a meal, and will make efforts to collect the charges incurred by the students.

If a student has a significant negative lunch account balance, they shall be provided an alternate meal at a reduced price recommended by the Superintendent, the cost of which shall continue to accrue to a negative lunch account balance, and their parent(s) shall be contacted to collect the outstanding charges. The alternate meal will be a low-cost alternative to the regular reimbursable meal and shall meet USDA nutritional standards or the Smart Snacks in Schools Regulations so that it qualifies for reimbursement under the National School Lunch/Breakfast Program.

All households shall be notified about this policy and any implementing guidelines at the start of each school year and to households transferring to the school or School District during the school year, as well as informed about access to this policy and any implementing guidelines. All District staff with responsibility for enforcing the policies shall be notified about the provisions of this policy and any implementing guidelines, as well as provided access to this policy and any implementing guidelines. The policy and guidelines will be posted on the District website.

The food service program may participate in the "Farm to School Program" using locally grown food in school meals and snacks.

A new Free & Reduced Application should be filled out each school year. Only one application needs to be turned in per family. Students who qualify for free or reduced meals are entitled to one breakfast and one lunch per day.

Elementary students who qualify for free and reduced meals, will also receive their milk break milk for free.  A reminder for students who qualify for free meals:  Milk is provided free with a hot lunch, but if a cold lunch is brought or if only a la carte items are purchased, milk will be charged to the account.

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
 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.