Big Lake Schools participates in the National School Lunch Program, which is a federally-assisted meal program established under the National School Lunch Act that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals to students each school day.  It is administered at the federal level by the USDA.

Under this program, all children must select the required components in order for their meal to qualify as complete.  For a lunch to qualify as complete, a student must select a fruit or a vegetable plus two additional components. For breakfast, a student must select at least three items including one fruit.  If a complete meal is not selected, students are charged the a la cart price for each item as required by the program. Visit USDA's National School Lunch Program webpage for more information on meal requirements.

At each school, several options for lunches are available. A lunch consists of a main entree item, plus a hot and cold vegetable, a fruit, and milk choice. Specific menu items can be found on NutriSlice. 

Liberty Elementary Main Entree Choices:
Option 1: Hot Entree
Option 2: M/W is Fun Lunch Option, T/TH/F is Sandwich Option

Independence Elementary Main Entree Choices:
Option 1: Hot Entree
Option 2: Cold Sandwich
Option 3: M/W/F is Fun Lunch Option, T/TH is Cold Salad

Middle School Main Entree Choices:
Main Line: Varied Hot Entree
2Mato: Specialty pizza of the day, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza
On-the-Go: Choice of cold salads, cold sandwiches, fruit & yogurt parfaits (at least 1 vegetarian sandwich/salad option available)
Grill: M/W/F is Specialty sandwich of the day, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Cheeseburger, T/TH is Chicken Tenders w/ Dinner Roll, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Cheeseburger

High School Main Entree Choices:
Main Line: Varied Hot Entree
2Mato: Specialty pizza of the day, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza
On-the-Go: Choice of cold salads, cold sandwiches, fruit & yogurt parfaits (at least 1 vegetarian sandwich/salad option available)
Grill: M/W/F is Specialty sandwich/item of the day, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Hamburger, Cheeseburger, T/TH is Chicken Tenders w/ Dinner Roll, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Hamburger, Cheeseburger

Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, all Big Lake students will be able to receive one free lunch and one free breakfast each day they attend school, thanks to new Minnesota state legislation. 

Students must take a full meal for it to be free. Additional charges also apply for extra à la carte items and extra meals:

1. Extra Breakfast Entree: $1.45
2. Extra Lunch Entree: $1.95
3. Ala Carte Items: Available at the middle school and high school, prices posted in the lunchroom

Learn more about the Free School Meals Bill and find a list of FAQs.

Students are issued a meal account when they enroll at Big Lake Schools. While meals are free, parents are encouraged to add funds to their child(ren)'s meal accounts if they anticipate purchasing extras.

Adding Money

1. Electronically through MySchoolBucks: Login here. More Information below.
2. Cash or Check: Send it with your child or dropping it off at your child’s school. Make sure to include your child's name, PIN# and amount on the envelope or check. Please note, cash/check payments may take 1-2 days to be credited to meal accounts.

MySchoolBucks
Use your MySchoolBucks account to conveniently and securely add money to your student’s meal account online or with the mobile app.

MySchoolBucks also allows you to set up automatic payments, view meal account transactions, check your student’s balance, and sign up for low balance alerts.

New to MySchoolBucks?

Here are the steps to get started:

1. Go to myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app
2. Create your free account and add your students using their school name / student ID
3. Add funds using your credit / debit card or electronic check or set up automatic payments

Each school cafeteria has a peanut-free zone where students with a peanut allergy can safely sit and enjoy their lunch. We encourage other students with peanut-free lunches to join their friends at this table as well. Please contact your child's school for questions on where its peanut-free zone is located.

The application for educational benefits, formerly known as the Free and Reduced Meal Application, is a program for families who qualify based on household income. It still important to fill out now that school meals are free, as the application covers much more than just free meals!

Through the program, your child(ren) may qualify for benefits such as:

• Reduced class fees
• Reduced activity fees
• P-EBT benefits
• And other cost-related items. 

Additionally, your application may help the school qualify for education funds, discounts, and other meal programs.

We encourage all families to apply, even if you don’t think you will qualify.

How to apply:

There are two ways to complete the application:

1. Online through Infinite Campus: Your application will be processed faster and more efficiently using the online application. Log into your Infinite parent portal, click on Applications and Forms, and follow the link to the application.

2. Submit a paper application: Print out and complete the application for educational benefits form and return it to:

Big Lake Schools District Office
Attn: Applications
501 Minnesota Ave
Big Lake, MN 55309

School Meals Policy 534

Delinquent Meal Bad Debt

District Wellness Policy

Civil Rights for USDA Programs

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/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:

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.