School Lunches Cost More This Year

Lunch will cost a bit more in the Wauwatosa School District this year.

Elementary students will pay $2.35 per meal and middle and high school students $2.45 per meal, according to the school district’s website.

Elementary menus no longer will be sent home; they are available online through the district’s meal provider, Sodexo. The menus for September are not yet posted.

Also new this year, payments not made online must be sent directly to the child’s school. There no longer is a lock box at the Fisher Building. If you’re really tech savvy, make payments through an iPhone app.

As far as the food, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act signed in 2010 will impact what ends up on your child’s trays. Some notable portions of the law going into effect this year:

• At least half the grains served must be whole-grain rich. In two years, that becomes 100 percent.
• A 50 percent reduction in sodium, phased in over 10 years.
• Every student must take a half-cup of fruits and vegetables to qualify for federal reimbursement of that meal.

for all public school students.