Orange County Public Schools

School Meals
School meals such as breakfast and lunch are available at all schools. Supper is available at no charge in schools where 50% or more of the children are eligible for meals at free or reduced charges. Information on meal prices, menus and special diets are found under “Quick Links” on the Food and Nutrition Services website at: https://www.ocps.net/departments/food_and_nutrition_services

Meal Applications for Free or Reduced-Priced Meals
Applications for free or reduced priced meals are available at: https://www.myschoolapps.com/

Students in families receiving federal benefits such as SNAP do not need to fill out an application. They already qualify for meals at no charge. Schools in high poverty areas in Orange County offer a USDA program called the Community Eligibility Program or CEP. In these schools, all students eat at no charge. A list of these schools can be found at: https://www.ocps.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_54619/File/Departments/Food%20and%20Nutrition%20Services/Parent/CEP%20&%20P2%2018-19.pdf .

Prepay for School Meals
Parents may open an account for their student and prepay for their meals on the School Pay application. The application can be set to remind you of low balances and/or set the restrictions for student purchases. Information on prepayment of meals online or other information regarding meals can be found at: https://www.schoolpay.com/ .

Negative Debt
NO student will be denied a meal in the serving line. A meal charge will apply to student meal accounts when there are no funds available. Per USDA regulations, cashiers may not discuss meal balances with students. Connect Orange will be used to contact parents when student account debt balances reach $10 or more. You may check your child’s account at www.SchoolPay.com. There is no charge for checking the account. When the account debt reaches greater than $20, you will receive an email regarding the overdrawn account. The district will mail letters seeking payment when there is no email on file. Meals will never be denied to students unless the parent sends a written statement that his/her student may not eat school meals.

Do not send medications to school with your child. This practice puts your child, as well as his/her peers, at risk. Should your child require medication while he/ she is at school, please contact your school’s nurse or health assistant to obtain the appropriate forms. OCPS staff members are not permitted to administer expired medications. In the case that a child’s medication expires, the parent or guardian will be contacted to pick up the expired medications. NOTES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AS AUTHORIZATION FOR MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION.

Do not send your child to school if he/ she has a rash; fever; eye drainage; severe vomiting or diarrhea; a productive cough; or any symptoms that may indicate a communicable disease. Students with any of these symptoms will be sent home. Any call to a parent or guardian for a child to be picked up due to an illness is to ensure the health and safety of the child. It is expected that the child be picked up in a timely manner. If your child has any of the above-stated symptoms, please notify the school that your child is ill and request a doctor’s note so that your child’s absence can be excused.

All student immunizations and documentation of immunizations must be correct and up to date to attend school in Orange County. The immunizations are recorded on a Florida Certification of Immunization (DH 680) form, which can be obtained through the Orange County Health Department or your medical provider’s office. All students entering Orange County public schools for the first time should have a physical exam completed and documented by a licensed physician within the last calendar year.