School Meals

Breakfast and lunch are available for purchase at Manatee Elementary at the prices listed below:

Breakfast:  $2.50
Lunch: $3.50
Reduced-price Breakfast: $.30
Reduced-price Lunch: $.40

Meal payments can be made by cash at the time of purchase or through the convenient online payment portal.  To set up your account visit palmbeach.schoolcashonline.com.  

Our School Food Service team is dedicated to providing nutritious meals to help your students stay healthy and focused.

Apply for Meal Benefits:

Families can apply for free and reduced-price meals when the application opens before the school year begins. These benefits are based on family size and income. 

To ensure your application is processed by the first day of school, complete the online application at the following link by August 3: https://www2.myschoolapps.com/Home/PickDistrict  

You will receive notification of eligibility within 10 operating days.  Applications may be also submitted any time during the school year.

If you were notified via a letter from School Food Service that your child is ‘directly certified’ then you DO NOT need to complete an application. You can qualify additional students for free meals, if they are residing at the same address as the ‘directly certified’ student, by completing the second page of the notification letter and emailing it to MealBenefits@palmbeachschools.org. You can also send an email with the ‘directly certified’ student’s name and student number along with the missing students' names, grades, schools, and student numbers if known.

Charge Policy and Negative Balances

School Food Service understands that occasionally a student may forget to bring money to school to pay for their meal. We have set up a charge policy to allow for a temporary charge so our students can receive a meal. 

• Any time a student does not have sufficient funds to purchase a meal, the student will receive a reimbursable meal of his/her choice until such time that the student attempts to make a purchase that would result in an overdrawn account balance that exceeds the equivalent of three paid lunch meals ($10.50). The parent/guardian will be notified verbally or in writing of the negative account balance.
• For any meal purchase that results in an overdrawn account balance that exceeds three paid lunch meal equivalents ($10.50), the student will receive a replacement meal of a turkey and cheese sandwich until the account has been paid. This protocol will begin August 31.
• No student will be allowed to purchase an a la carte food item that would result in a negative account balance.

To allow students and families time to acclimate to the new payment requirements, the District is extending the time for students to be able to charge their account through August 28.  

Opting Out

Please contact your School Food Service Manager at your child’s school if you would like to opt out of allowing charges to your child's account. Please note that opting out will result in your child not receiving meals if funds are not available.  

Additional information regarding the School Food Services Charge Policy, can be found in the District’s School Food Service Management Policy.