Food & Nutrition Services

Participation in the National School Lunch Program requires that all students have access to lunch. Lunches are scheduled at various times during the school day. In high schools with block scheduling, some students' schedules may not show a lunch block. However, access to the National School Lunch Program is provided during a limited time frame between or during blocks.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools offers parents the opportunity to make payments – via SchoolCafé – for their child’s meals (breakfast, lunch and a la carte items) using Visa, Mastercard or a debit card. A small per-transaction convenience fee of 5% will be charged for each payment. (Please note that this is a vendor fee which our program is not allowed to cover.) This online service allows parents of students to prepay money directly into their child’s account; monitor their child’s food purchases; set up low-balance email reminders; and schedule recurring payments.

• How SchoolCafé Works
• Video Overview of SchoolCafé App

* A la carte items will not be sold to students with negative meal account balances.

Parents/guardians should use SchoolCafé to add funds to their children’s meal accounts for meals and a la carte purchases.

All schools use a computerized point of service (POS) system, which allows students to have individual accounts for prepayment of meals, a la carte items, and snacks. To expedite students going through the serving lines, payment on account must be made prior to meal service. Parents can send in cash or checks as follows:

• At the elementary level, parents should place cash or checks in a sealed envelope with the student’s full name clearly marked. Students should check with their teacher if allowed to drop off these payments at the cafeteria after they arrive at school. Envelopes can also be submitted to the classroom teacher to ensure payments are given to the cafeteria manager on a timely basis.
• At the secondary level, students should take envelopes directly to the cafeteria when they arrive to school.

If paying by check, please make check payable to your school's cafeteria and include your student's name and ID in the memo line. For additional information regarding the prepayment of meals/snacks, please either:

• Email the Office of Food Services
• Call the Office of Food Services 757.263.1101, Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Call your school's cafeteria manager

Please note that a student's meal account funds are automatically carried over to the next school year except after completion of the 12th grade. If your child will not be attending a school within Virginia Beach City Public Schools District and has unused funds in their cafeteria account, please click on the link below. This printable form can be used to request your child's cafeteria account balance be transferred to a sibling, donated to the school lunch account, or refunded via check. Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the Office of Food Services at 757.263.1101.

Transfer Refund Donated Form

Non-Discrimination Statement

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, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

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 State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint 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, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.