Children need healthy meals to learn.

The Groton Area School District offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs $2.85 grades K-5; $3.35 grades 6-12; lunch costs $3.85 grades K-5; $4.35 grades 6-12. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals.

Reduced-price is $0.00 for breakfast, and $0.00 for lunch due to changes in South Dakota state law. Click here for an Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals or contact the Elementary School at 605-397-2317 or the Middle/High School at 605-397-8381.

1.    Who can get free OR REDUCED-PRICE meals?

·       All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or TANF are eligible for free meals

·       Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals

·       Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals

·       Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals

·     Children may receive free or reduced-price meals if your household’s income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines; your children may qualify for free or reduced-price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits on this chart 

2.     HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILDREN QUALIFY AS homeless, MIGRANT, OR RUNAWAY?  Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and haven’t been told your children will get free meals, please call or e-mail Joe Schwan, Superintendent at 605-397-2351 or Joe.Schwan@k12.sd.us.

3.     Do I need to fill out an application for each child?  No. Use one Free and Reduced-Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Joe Schwan, Superintendent 502 N 2nd Street PO Box 410 Groton, SD 57445 or Joe.Schwan@k12.sd.us.

4.     SHOULD I FILL OUT AN APPLICATION IF I RECEIVED A LETTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR SAYING MY CHILDREN ARE ALREADY APPROVED FOR FREE MEALS?  No. But please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact Joe Schwan, Superintendent 502 N 2nd Street PO Box 410 Groton, SD 57445 or Joe.Schwan@k12.sd.us right away so those children get benefits, too.

5.     MY CHILD’S APPLICATION WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR. DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW ONE?  YES.  Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. 

6.     I GET WIC OR MEDICAID. CAN MY CHILDREN GET FREE MEALS?  Children in households participating in WIC or Medicaid may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. WIC and Medicaid are not automatic qualifications. Please send in an application.

7.     Will the information I give be checked? Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report.

8.       If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes. You may apply at any time during the school year.  For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced-price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

9.       What if I disagree with the school’s decision about my application? You should talk to school officials by calling Joe Schwan, Superintendent at 605-397-2351 or Joe.Schwan@k12.sd.us. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Grant Rix, 12960 406th Ave Groton, SD 57445, 605-397-8382, Grant.Rix@k12.sd.us.

10.   May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced-price meals. 

11.   What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

12.   WHAT IF MY INCOME CHANGES DURING THE YEAR OR MY SNAP, TANF, OR FDPIR BENEFITS CHANGE? If your application for free or reduced-price benefits was properly approved, you will remain eligible for those benefits for a certain period of time. You may visit with a school/center official to get the exact date the meal benefits will expire.

13.   WHAT IF SOME HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HAVE NO INCOME TO REPORT? Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application or may not receive income at all. When this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

14.  We are in the military. do we REPORT OUR INCOME DIFFERENTLY? Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA) payments and any additional combat pay resulting from deployment are also excluded from income.

Is combat pay counted as income? No, if the combat pay is received in addition to the basic pay because of deployment and it was not received before deployment, combat pay is not counted as income. Contact your school for more information.

15.  WILL YOU TELL ANYONE ELSE ABOUT THE INFORMATION ON MY FORM? We will use the information on your form to decide if your children should get free or reduced-price meals. We may inform officials associated with other child nutrition, health, and education programs of the information on your form to determine benefits for those programs or for funding and/or evaluation purposes.

16.  WHAT IF THERE ISN’T ENOUGH SPACE ON THE APPLICATION FOR MY FAMILY? List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper and attach it to your application.

17.  My family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for? Contact your local Department of Social Services office to find out how to apply for SNAP or other assistance benefits.

18.  WHAT IF MY CHILD NEEDS SPECIAL FOODS? The school/center will make substitutions to the regular school meal for children whose disability restricts their diet when a physician certifies that disability. If the parent requests changes, the staff may choose to make substitutions for individual children who do not have a disability, but who cannot drink regular milk due to medical or other special dietary needs that are supported by a certified medical authority. These requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Please call the school/center food service department for further information to request special meals or milk.

If you have other questions or need help, call 605-397-2351.

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, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

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 Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: How to File a 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

   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or

3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

 This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

 For more information, contact the SD Department of Education, Child and Adult Nutrition Services at 605-773-3413.