Nutrition Services

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a non-pricing meal service option for schools. The elementary schools that qualify for CEP are  Ardenwald, Bilquist, Lewelling, Linwood, Milwaukie El Puente, Oak Grove, Riverside & Whitcomb Elementary Schools. The secondary schools that qualify are Milwaukie High, New Urban High, Pace High, and Rowe Middle Schools.

To make an online payment to your student's meal account, follow this link: LINQ Connect

To set up your LINQ Connect account, see Supporting Documents below. 

If you are having trouble logging into your LINQ Connect account, please contact Support@linqconnect.com or 1-844-467-4700.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

LINQ Connect FAQ's

We encourage all eligible families to submit a new application for free and reduced meal benefits prior to the start of each school year. This allows the application to be processed and the correct eligibility established before school starts. Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year. If your household income changes, please call the Free and Reduced Hotline at 503-353-6034 to make changes and verify eligibility. Click here for Income Eligibility Guidelines or scroll down on this page.

Community Eligibility Provision Schools

12 North Clackamas schools have qualified to offer meals at no cost to all of their students through the Federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program:

• Elementary: Ardenwald, Bilquist, Lewelling, Lot Whitcomb, Milwaukie El Puente, Oak Grove, and Riverside. 
• Middle: Rowe MS
• High School: Milwaukie HS, New Urban HS, and the PACE program. 

Since all meals are at no charge at each school listed above, NCSD cannot accept Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications from families with students at these schools. However, if siblings attending a school not listed above (non-CEP schools) are living in the same household,  please fill out a Free and Reduced Price Meal Application for them.

For students not attending a CEP school, please complete one Free and Reduced application for your entire household (including foster children) and include all of your students that attend school in the North Clackamas School District. Click the link below to apply. All applications are confidential.

LINQ CONNECT FREE AND REDUCED HOUSEHOLD APPLICATION

If you are interested in receiving additional benefits granted through Free and Reduced Lunch qualification, such as reduced or waived fees in middle or high school program activities and athletics, please complete a Student Fee Waiver Form to allow us to share eligibility status with our school bookkeepers.  

If you have already received an eligibility letter and would like us to share this information with your school, please fill out the Student Fee Waiver Form. 

Questions regarding the program can be directed to the Free and Reduced Meal hotline at (503) 353-6034 or email at freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us.

If you are having trouble logging into your Titan Family Portal, please contact Support@linqconnect.com or 1-844-467-4700.

Applications are only valid for one school year, so families need to provide a new application every year. For any questions, please call the Free and Reduced hotline at 503-353-6034 or email freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us.

 Online free and reduced application instructions

Student Fee Waiver Form - ENGLISH

Student Fee Waiver Form - SPANISH

Student Fee Waiver Form - RUSSIAN 

Student Fee Waiver Form - VIETNAMESE 

Free and Reduced Application 

MEAL ACCOUNT REFUND: 
To receive a refund from your student's meal account, please submit a completed Student Meal Account Refund Request Form, (available below). Please note that only the listed parent or guardian on the student's meal account will be granted a refund. The refund request form is below.

Refunds may take up to 4 weeks to process.

MEAL ACCOUNT TRANSFER: 
If you would like to transfer a meal account balance from one student to another, please utilize your LINQ Connect. You will need to have your student's ID number. You can get your student's ID number by contacting your school directly.

DONATE MEAL ACCOUNT BALANCE: 
If you would like to donate your remaining balance to help those with a negative balance please email to presleyp@nclack.k12.or.us make the donation. 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Meal Account Refund Request Form

Federal regulations require Child Nutrition Programs Sponsors to offer to all participants’ breakfasts, lunches, suppers, snacks, and milk that meet the meal requirements identified in the individual program regulations. Federal regulations further require Sponsors to make substitutions to the standard meal requirements for participants who are considered disabled and whose disability restricts their diet. A Sponsor may, at its discretion, make substitutions for individual participants who are not "disabled persons" but are unable to consume a food item because of medical or other special dietary needs. Below are forms, resources, and guidance to be used for special dietary needs.

Medical statement forms for medical participants with disabilities can be found below or on the Oregon Department of Education CNP Special Dietary Needs Form Page.

Medical Statement Participants with Disabilities (see forms below)

Part I: Write your child's name
Part II: This section can only be completed by your child's physician

Every section must be completed: 

• Diagnosis 

• Does the disability restrict the patient's diet? Yes or No

• If Yes, list how

• Foods to be omitted from diet

• Foods to be substituted

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations - English

Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations - Russian

Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations - Simplified Chinese

Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations - Spanish

Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations - Vietnamese

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a non-pricing meal service option for schools. The elementary schools that qualify for CEP are Ardenwald, Bilquist, Lewelling, Linwood, Milwaukie, Oak Grove, Riverside, & Whitcomb Elementary Schools. The secondary schools that qualify are Milwaukie High, New Urban High, Pace High, and Rowe Middle. All menu items are subject to change depending on product availability. WG = Whole Grain. Questions or comments? Call NCSD Nutrition Services at (503) 353-6068. Free & Reduced Hotline (503) 353-6034

2023-2024 Elementary School Meal Prices

Add funds to your student’s meal accouNT (LINQ CONNECT)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Use of Kitchen Requests

Groups requesting the use of a kitchen must complete the attached Kitchen Use Application.

The Kitchen Use Application is completed and submitted to the building Principal. These requests are reviewed and approved or denied by the building principal.

Please refer any further questions to Greg Collins at the Nutrition Services Department at 503-353-6068.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Kitchen Use Request Application

The North Clackamas School District encourages every family to review the Oregon Department of Education Guidelines when applying for free and reduced meal benefits. Students will receive free or reduced priced meals if your household’s income is within the limits of the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines.

     2022-2023 Oregon Income Guidelines         LINQ Connect Website

Free and Reduced Meal Benefits

Families who currently receive free or reduced meal benefits must submit a new meal application annually. 

Meal applications can be submitted on or after July 1st. 

Free and reduced applications should be submitted before school begins to ensure proper benefits are applied to your account. A letter explaining your benefits will be sent to you by mail. If you do not receive a letter confirming your benefit eligibility status, please contact:         

freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us

• Families qualifying for SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR benefits and receive a NCSD Direct Certification approval letter to complete a meal application. If a confirmation letter is not received or students are missing in the notification, please call the North Clackamas School District Helpline at 503.353.6034 or email freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
• Households with free or reduced eligibility from the previous school year will have a 30 day meal eligibility carryover at the start of the current school year.
• Free or reduced households that do not reapply within the first 30 days of school will lose free or reduced status. This change in status may result in charges on your student’s meal account. Parents or guardians are responsible for any meal charges incurred.
• If an application is submitted within the 30 day carryover period and is denied, carryover ends 10 calendar days after the application is processed. 
• Students approved for free or reduced meals may receive; one complete breakfast and one complete lunch per school day at no cost. *Please note: A la carte milk purchases, (milk only) 50¢. If a student selects only milk, and not a complete meal, the student meal account will be charged 50¢.

Access to Meals

According to Oregon law, any student who requests a meal shall receive a meal. Households may be eligible to receive meals at no cost by applying for benefits through the Free and Reduced Meal Program. Meal applications can be submitted online via the LINQ Connect.

Oregon law specifies that when a student requests a meal during meal service, they shall receive a meal regardless of the ability to pay. For clarification purposes, the cost or balances of meals are the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

• Due to provisions current laws, the school district is unable to establish a charging limit for students requesting complete meals. 
• Opt-out forms are available for families who do not want to participate in the Free/Reduced program. This does not prevent meal purchases as schools must feed all students, but it will alert the school to contact parents or guardians when a purchase is made. You can find the Opt-out form on our Opt-out form
• Nutrition Services does not provide alternative meals to students that have a charging limit imposed by the parent or guardian or have a negative balance on their meal account.

Charging

Account Management and Collection of Delinquent Debt

The school district allows for the prepayment of meals directly at the school or online using the LINQ Connect.

• School office staff are able to receive cash or check payments for student meal accounts. No change can be provided. Meal prices are posted on our menus, our district website, and the Nutrislice Menu mobile application.
•  The online account management service, LINQ Connect  enables management of student accounts online. Features include transaction history, online payments, auto-payments, payment reminders, low balance warnings and more. This tool is a voluntary option for families and a service charge will apply for online payment processing.

Handling of Delinquent Debt 

When a payment is overdue or when funds are not present to cover the cost of a meal that has been served and charged on a student’s meal account, the monetary credit extended is considered delinquent debt. The North Clackamas School District will pursue efforts to collect unpaid meal charges or delinquent debts.

• Negative Balance Notifications – The district initiates an automated phone call to households every Thursday notifying of balances owed on the student meal accounts.
• Email notifications are sent every Friday during the school year.
• Notices are mailed to the primary mailing address on record in October, February, April and June. Mailed notices include information about application for free/reduced meal benefits and requests for repayment of meals. 

End of Year Student Account Balances

All student meal account balances (positive and negative), automatically to the next school year. If a student(s) has funds and no longer attends North Clackamas School District, families can: 

• Request in writing the funds be donated to Nutrition Services to help other families with negative balances. To submit a request, send an email to freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
• Request a refund check on our website at: Meal Account Refund Request Form. NOTE: Refund checks may take up to 4-6 weeks to process.
• Request in writing the funds be transferred to a sibling’s student meal account. To submit a request, send an email to freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
• NOTE: Funds that have not been used for two2) consecutive school years are considered inactive accounts and money is sent to the State of Oregon as unclaimed property. 

HB3454 INFORMATION

On August 8th, 2017 House Bill 3454 into law. The bill outlines practices and communication that are not allowed in Oregon school cafeterias. The law is intended to reduce or remove practices and communications that have been deemed as “shaming” to students regarding the collection of funds in exchange for meals or identification of balances for unpaid meals. Key points of the bill include:

• Must provide written permission to withhold meal from student or establish a charging limit.
• The school district shall contact households to determine Free or Reduced-price eligibility; repeat contact if owing more than five (5) meals. Offer assistance in completing Free or Reduced-price meal applications.
• Not publicly identify who cannot pay for or owes money for
• Not serve an alternative meal to a student who cannot pay.
• Shall communicate about monies owed to parent or guardian and not students.
• May not assess fees related to agencies to parent or guardian.

Current impacts of this bill include an increased balance of unpaid meal charges for students of all income categories. For the specific language of the bill, click here.

For any information or questions, please call the Free and Reduced Helpline at 503-353-6034 or email freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us

THIS INSTITUTION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER.

SCHOOL MEAL OPT-OUT OPTION

The School Meal Opt-Out form is available below for parents or guardians to add specific restrictions, spending limits or opt their student completely out of the school meal program.

Please note: Upon completion of this form, it may take several days for your opt-out to be in effect.

Complete the form below and return to your school's office or email to: freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us

Meal Account Opt Out Form - English

Meal Account Opt Out Form - Spanish

Meal Account Opt Out Form - Russian

Download Printable Flyer 

Please choose from the catering menus below. Remember: There is a two-week minimum notification for all catering orders.

 Catering Menu (280 KB)

 Wellness Catering Menu (228 KB)

Eligibility Report 05/01/2023

Eligibility Report 09/01/2023

Eligibility Report 10/01/2023

Eligibility Report 11/01/2023

Eligibility Report 12/01/2023

Eligibility Report 01/01/2024

Eligibility Report 02/02/2024

Eligibility Report 03/01/2024

Eligibility Report 04/01/2024

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 discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.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.