Free Meals for Students for the 2020-2021 School Year

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that schools can continue offering free meals to students for the duration of the 2020-2021 academic year, whether they are learning at home or still in the classroom.

Breakfast and lunch will be served free to all Mauston School District students regardless of income or other eligibility for the entire 2020-2021 academic year. Breakfast is served at the high school and middle school starting at 7:30 am. Breakfast is served in the classroom at the elementary schools.

Any students that bring cold lunch but want milk will be charged for a milk. A la carte or extra items are also charged at full rate as these are not reimbursable through the USDA program.

Lunch Pickup for Virtual Students

How to Set Limits on Lunch Accounts

The School District of Mauston has the policy of allowing students to purchase meals even with a negative balance (to -$15.00) on the lunch account. Extra meal components and ala carte items are allowed on any positive balance lunch account. Parents can restrict their student(s) from purchasing extras or ala carte items if they desire by completing the purchase restriction form.

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 complete a form to continue that restriction/limit.

You can also set limits and/or restrictions through your Skyward Family Access anytime throughout the year. 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 ala carte purchases, you will need to enter $0.01. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call 608-847-5451 ext. 6686.

Cold Lunch/Sack Lunches

Students are welcomed to bring a cold/sack lunch from home if they do not want to eat the meal offered on a given day. However, based on the recommendation from the DPI and USDA, the School District of Mauston will not store food items from our families' homes in our kitchens and we will not reheat the cold/sack lunch items in our kitchens. Some of our schools do provide a community microwave in the commons. Also, if a student wishes to have milk with their cold/sack lunch, it is $0.45. If you have any questions, please call 608-847-5451, ext. 6686.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

The following statement applies to all programs administered by the District that are funded in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):

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, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. Mail:  U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. E-mail:  program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

All verbal or written civil rights complaints regarding the school nutrition programs that are filed with the District must be forwarded to the Civil Rights Division of USDA Food and Nutrition Service within three (3) days.