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 full name clearly marked. Envelopes should be submitted to the classroom teacher. Teachers will ensure envelopes 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.

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

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, 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 complaint of discrimination, complete the 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.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.