Long Hill Township to join National School Lunch Program; district details vendor, pricing and enrollment steps

Superintendent George Alexis opened the session and introduced Business Administrator Robin Bomer, who told parents the district is entering the National School Lunch Program for 2024—25 and will send enrollment forms to all families via Genesys. "If you get the form home, please fill it out if you think you might qualify," Bomer said, urging eligible families to apply.

Why it matters: The change obligates the district to use the federal program's meal rules and affects how families sign up, how meals are ordered and what vendors may provide food during the school day.

Bomer said the district issued a request for proposals and contracted with a commercial vendor referenced in the session as "Misters" to supply prepackaged lunches for pre-K through grade 8 and participating staff. She listed the standard prices: elementary lunches $4.75, middle school lunches $5.00 and staff meals $5.50. "The portion size gets a little larger" at higher price points, she said.

Ordering and access: Families will order through the My Food Days (FoodDays) platform; returning users should find previous accounts and add students, while new users must create an account. Menus will be posted monthly, 10 days before each month, and parents can order for the whole month or selected days. Bomer said orders require at least 48 hours' notice and FoodDays customer service can handle last-minute exceptions.

Language, direct certification and financial help: Bomer said the enrollment form will be available in Spanish and that translations into Russian and Chinese are posted on the district website. She described the district's direct-certification process for families already enrolled in benefits programs: "We do a direct certification every couple weeks in the beginning to pick up any children that are in SNAP, TANF ... and Medicaid," she said, and families receiving direct certification will get a letter and should not need to file the form.

Allergies and nutrition: All meals will meet child nutrition guidelines (fruit, vegetable, milk, protein, grain), will be nut-free and will not include fried foods, Bomer said. She asked parents with children who have allergies to contact the school nurse so staff can arrange safe menu options and noted an allergen list will be posted on the website in the next few days.

Volunteer support and logistics: The district is recruiting volunteers to help run the program; a Google form on the website captures volunteer availability and the business office will schedule helpers. Bomer said the volunteer form briefly had an access issue but is now working and the district had roughly 26—30 volunteers signed up by early evening.

Limitations and special cases: Because the district is participating in the federal program, it cannot allow separate in-day food ordering from PTO or local vendors during school hours, Bomer said. She also noted the program currently allows only one lunch order per child and that she is asking the state mentor whether extra pizza slices can be permitted on pizza day; she said she would follow up after a scheduled mentor meeting.

Meals and refunds: Meals will arrive prepackaged from the vendor 30—45 minutes before lunch and be kept in warming drawers or commercial refrigerators in each school. If a child is absent or refuses a meal, Bomer said the district will credit the parent's FoodDays account rather than require pickup: "You will get a refund if they're absent. It will go back onto your account," she said.

Contract length and next steps: Bomer said the contract is for one year and the district will go back out to bid next year. She reminded families to check Genesys for bus and meal information before school starts and invited parents to email the business office with questions. The district recorded the session and will post it on the website the next evening.

The session provided practical steps for families to enroll, order and volunteer; Bomer encouraged parents to contact the business office or their school nurse with questions about menus, translations or accommodations.