National School Lunch Program

Most districts in Utah participate in the National School Lunch Program or NSLP.  NSLP is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.  Over the years, many changes have influenced the NSLP yielding both healthier menus and political outcomes.  What was considered healthy in the ‘60s is dubbed unhealthy today.  All meals are planned to meet or exceed current guidelines in the lunch program.  All efforts are to provide our students with the most nutritious meal available.

The program is operated from Federal, State, and local funds.  Most notable is the “Free and Reduced” program that allows a supplemental pay program for students whose families are below the poverty guidelines that are established and published each year.  In the past, many families not wanting to accept government help simply did not complete the yearly application for Free and Reduced.  Today, our district receives a variety of governmental grant money that is based on our Free and Reduced participation.  An example is the ERATE program that uses our Free and Reduced percentage to give us money to buy technology.  As a result, we encourage you to complete the Free and Reduced applications to help us obtain funding for non-school lunch related programs.  These applications could mean thousands of dollars to the district simply because our participation in Free and Reduced increases.

Tracy Davis, Superintendent