This school year, both Central & Centennial High Schools will transition back to traditional pay methods. This means that students will pay for both breakfast and lunch, unless they are eligible for free or reduced priced lunches. Paid breakfast will be $2.00 and paid lunch will be $3.50. *All K-8 students plus students at the Columbia building and Young Adult Program will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch.

To see if you qualify for free or reduced price lunches, please fill out the free & reduced household income application. Once the application is processed, you will receive a letter via email with your student's eligibility status. You may also check your student's status at anytime using Nutri-status.

Information on setting up a school lunch account can be found in the "pre-payment" section on this page.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, the application or lunch accounts, please contact us at 217-351-3852 or at foodservice@u4sd.org

ONLY students enrolled at Centennial & Central High Schools as well as Champaign Early Childhood Center should fill out the free & reduced meal application forms.

Free & Reduced Meal Application Online Form

Printable Paper Form - Spanish Version

All students in grades K-8 and enrolled at Novak do not need to fill out this application.

Online Payments

Online payments are a simple, safe and secure way to make payments to your students account 24 hours a day at your convenience. To create a my school bucks account to pay for school meals, visit www.MySchoolBucks.com. Parents can also see the account transactions, balance information and get low balance e-mails.

Send Cash

Students may always bring money to load on to their account if they wish. Please put it in an envelope clearly marked with the student's first and last name, their ID #, their teacher's name, and the amount enclosed.

FOOD SERVICE PAYMENT POLICY

Students and parents will be notified by phone call and email when the cafeteria account has a negative balance of more than $20.00. Student balances will roll over each year. 

All students enrolled in K-8, in the Columbia building and at the Young Adult Program receive a free breakfast and lunch daily.

HS meals, adult meals and extras are priced as follows:

MEAL SUBSTITUTIONS FOR MEDICAL OR SPECIAL DIETARY REASONS

USDA Regulation 7 CFR Part 15b requires substitutions or modifications in school meals for children whose disabilities restrict their diets. A child with a disability must be provided substitutions in foods when that need is supported by a signed statement from a licensed physician.

In Cases of Food Allergy

Generally, children with food allergies or intolerances do not have a disability as defined under either Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or Part B of IDEA, and the school food service may, but is not required to, make food substitutions for them.  However, when in the licensed physician’s assessment, food allergies may result in severe, life-threatening (anaphylactic) reactions, the child’s condition would meet the definition of “disability”, and the substitutions prescribed by the licensed physician must be made.

School food service may make food substitutions, at their discretion, for individual children who do not have a disability, but who are medically certified as having a special medical or dietary need.  Such determinations are only made on a case-by-case basis.  This provision covers those children who have food intolerances or allergies, but do not have life-threatening reactions (anaphylactic reactions) when exposed to the food(s) to which they have problems.

Medical Statement for Children with Special Dietary Needs

Each special dietary request must be supported by a statement explaining the requested food substitution and must be signed by a recognized medical authority. The Medical Statement must include:

• An identification of the medical or other special dietary condition which restricts the child’s diet;

• The food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet; and

• The food or choice of foods to be substituted.

If we do not receive a medical statement from a recognized medical authority, your child will receive a regular lunch tray.  Medical statements completed by parents or guardians will not be accepted.

If your child has an intolerance or special meal modification request that you would like food service to be aware of, you may fill out a meal modification request form. Meal accommodations requested through these forms are not required to be honored, however, food service may be able to work with you and your student to navigate the menus and choose appropriate substitutions.

To determine if your child will need a form on file for meal modifications, please complete the following short survey: Google Form - Allergy Assessment for Students. This will provide you with the proper form to download and complete and submit to food service.

Local School Wellness Policies aim to promote sound nutrition, student health, reduce childhood obesity, and provide transparency to the public on the school wellness environment. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) requires all sponsors participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) to establish a written Local School Wellness Policy for all schools under its jurisdiction. Sponsor​s have the flexibility to develop Local School Wellness Policies that meet the needs of their students and school community, but must meet the minimum requirements set by USDA.

Areas of our wellness policy include:

1. Goals for nutrition promotion/education, physical activity and other school-based activities that promote student wellness

2. Standards and nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages both sold and provided during the school day

3. Policies for food and beverage marketing on school campus

4. Wellness committee guidelines, updates, policy leadership and evaluation plan of policy

Assessments & Updates

The Wellness Policy Committee must update the Local Wellness Policy as appropriate to fit the needs and goals of the district, at least once every 3 years. All assessments, reviews and updates to the policy will be available to the public for viewing.

Wellness Policy Leadership:

Emily Dupuis, MS, RDN, LDN - Director of Food Service

Joshua Cox - Assistant Director of Food Service

Join the Unit 4 Wellness Committee!

The wellness committee is open to anyone who would like to join. This includes individuals within the district as well as community members. If you'd like to be a part of the wellness committee, please email the Food Service Department at foodservice@u4sd.org for more information.

Upcoming meeting dates for SY 26-27

TBD

Past meeting dates:

3.6.25

4.9.2025

5.14.2025

9.17.2025

Smart Snacks in School

We are focused on the health of our school environment. Our school district has established nutrition standards for all snacks sold in school by any entity, including parent/student organizations, teachers, boosters, fundraisers, or the Food Service department. These standards for snack sales are in effect from any time before school through 1/2 hour after school, in accordance with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, the USDA and our district Wellness Policy. Non-compliant foods may be sold from 1/2 hour after school through the end of the day. These standards carefully balance science-based nutrition guidelines with practical and flexible solutions to promote healthier eating on campus. 

Healthy Snack Calculators

Is Your Snack a Smart Snack? Use the Smart Snacks Product Calculator, developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, to take the guesswork out of nutrition guidelines! Simply enter the product information, answer a few questions, and determine whether your snack, side or entree item meets the new USDA Smart Snacks in School Guidelines.

Kids often need snacks to help them get enough calories (ENERGY) throughout the day. Choosing healthy snacks that add nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, to their diets is essential. Smart snacking is a great way to meet daily nutrient requirements that may be missed at meal times.

Students in our district are offered healthier school meals with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. The Smart Snacks in School standards published by the USDA will build on those healthy advancements by ensuring that all other snack foods and beverages available for sale to students in school are tasty and nutritious.

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/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.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:

1. mail:
   U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
   

2. fax:
   (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
   

3. email:
   program.intake@usda.gov

• Spanish Translations of the new Nondiscrimination Statement for SNAP, SNAP-Ed, FDPIR, and all other FNS nutrition assistance programs (e.g., CACFP, CSFP, FDD, NSLP, SFSP, WIC) are being updated. Please check the U.S. Department of Agriculture website for updates: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cr/fns-nondiscrimination-statement. Questions can be sent to sm.fn.crd-web@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.