Free school meals for all BCPS students

Morganton, NC – Friday, Aug. 25, 2023

Burke County Public Schools is fueling the success of students with free meals this school year.

Starting the first day of school, Aug. 28, 2023, all BCPS students will receive breakfast and lunch for free from their school cafeteria. BCPS has adopted the Community Eligibility Provision, a school meal option for schools and districts in high-poverty areas. This eliminates the need for BCPS families to complete the free and reduced meal application and allows all students access to free meals at school.

BCPS Director of Child Nutrition Daniel Wall said, “We’re so excited to feed students breakfast and lunch for free this school year. Each BCPS student can get a filling, nutritious lunch from the cafeteria without worrying about the stigma of the price of their lunch. This helps ease the stress of keeping up with lunch accounts and eliminates filling out free and reduced meal forms.“  

Adult meal prices are also changing this school year. BCPS has switched to an à la carte menu for adults, allowing more flexibility for teachers and parents who visit the cafeteria. Entrees and side items are priced separately; lunch entrees are $2.50 each, and each side is $.75. For just $4, adults can get an entree plus two fresh sides. 

Snacks, specialty drinks and extra entrees can be purchased in the cafeteria with cash, check or through a student's meal account. Visit https://linqconnect.com/ to add funds and manage your child’s meal account. 

Students and teachers will still enjoy Premium Days, an initiative introduced last year. On Premium Days, all BCPS cafeterias offer premium entree options for the same price as a normal lunch. This school year, premium entrees will be free for all students and $2.50 for adults. Premium Days will be planned each month with entrees like grass-fed beef tacos, chicken wings and barbecue from the Pig Rig, the BCPS mobile cooker.

Find more information about BCPS school meals and ChartwellsK12, the BCPS food service provider, on the BCPS website, https://www.burke.k12.nc.us. Breakfast and lunch menus can be found at https://burke.nutrislice.com/menu.