La Conner Schools

Welcome to La Conner Schools Food Service! We'd like to give you a few details about our program and how it serves our students, parents, and community. First, know that our school board and superintendent place a high priority on serving our students the most nutritious meals possible, with really adequate portions for growing brains and bodies. We follow Washington State and USDA regulations for our Child Nutrition Program and, in many instances, go beyond their minimum standards.

The Food Service Department is able to accommodate children with special dietary needs due to food intolerance or allergies. Please complete the Special Dietary Request Form and have it signed by a licensed medical authority and return the completed form to the school nurse to receive accommodation. The nurse will communicate information about the dietary modification to the Food Service Department. Forms and more information are available here: Special Dietary Request Form.

Examples of common accommodations include lactose-free milk for students with lactose intolerance or gluten-free options for students with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Please ensure the Diet Prescription Form includes "Foods to Substitute" as these specifications are required. Any questions or concerns about dietary modifications can be directed to Nurse Monica Cook or Food Service Director Kelly Kjarstad or 360-466-3171 ext 2520.

You can view La Conner Meal Menus Here.  

The continuation of free meals is possible through the implementation of the US Department of Agriculture Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). La Conner qualifies students who directly qualify for free meals through a variety of assistance programs, including Basic Food Benefits, Medicaid, TANF, or McKinney Vento. La Conner School District will no longer distribute and process Free and Reduced-Priced Meal Applications. However, to ensure that the other education services are still available, we will reach out to families to complete a Family Income Survey. This survey allows the district to track income data for families that is used to determine funding levels for a variety of educational programs offered by the district. For example, extra support in the classroom is partially funded by Learning Assistance Program (LAP) dollars which is generated from income reports. This data will also qualify students for free ASB cards and other school activities. Again, we appreciate families taking the time to complete the very short Family Income Survey.  It ensures their students continue to receive the services provided through the programs that are available.

While La Conner school district has been able to meet nutrition guidelines, supply chain issues loom. Some of the challenges we face may be product shortages, just like families at home could see these at grocery stores. The same thing happens to us. So, if there's a shortage of a product or something that hasn't gotten delivered, we have to be creative, flexible, and serve something else. Our food services director, Kelly Kjarstad, and her team are working to try new recipes and bring locally sourced and grown ingredients to our tables as frequently as possible. 

For more information about district policy in regards to nutrition and physical fitness and the Wellness Committee, please refer to policy 6700.

Warmly,
Your Food Services Staff

Mission Statement
The mission of La Conner School District Food Service is to serve a nutritious, delicious breakfast and lunch each day in a warm and friendly atmosphere for all students and staff, while at the same time providing nutritional education for lifelong healthful living.