Student Nutrition Services is committed to providing your student with the best care possible while at school.  We take food allergies, food safety and student health very seriously. If your child requires a menu change or special diet, you must submit the appropriate form to your school nutrition manager and school nurse.

My student needs a menu change due to a food allergy or medical condition:

SNS Special Diet Packet Letter & Form 2024-2025.pdf
SNS Dieta Especial Paquete & Formulario 2024-2025.pdf

My student needs a menu change due to food intolerance or for cultural or religious reasons:

Meal Preference Form 2024-2025.pdf
Formulario de Preferencia de Comidas 2024-2025.pdf

My student needs to stop or change an existing special diet or menu restriction:

Discontinuation of Diet Prescription Form 2024-2025.pdf
Descontinuacion de la Prescripcion de la dieta para Comidas Especiales 2024-2025.pdf

General Information Regarding Special Diets

Children with special dietary condition(s) may request food substitutions and/or menu modifications by using SNS’s Diet Prescription for Special Meals Form. With most diets, we are able to prepare and serve flavorful menu items to your child that meets his or her special need(s), while still following required federal guidelines for school meals. 

Completing the Diet Prescription Form

It is important that the Diet Prescription for Special Meals Form is completed correctly and given to the Student Nutrition Manager and School Nurse at your site so we can safely serve your child. Food substitutions and/or menu modifications cannot be made without a completed form. A new form must be completed each school year so our records are kept up to date and the information on file is correct.

Partnering with Parents to Feed Your Child

We want to work with parents to meet the needs of your child while attending school. Once the Diet Prescription for Special Meals Form is completed and returned, the Student Nutrition Manager will contact the parent/guardian to discuss the special diet. In some cases, a meeting between the parent, Student Nutrition Manager, and District Dietitian may be needed to discuss available substitutions/modifications needed to meet your child’s needs. Once appropriate menu/food choices have been determined, the Student Nutrition Manager will place an ‘alert’ on your child’s meal account and the appropriate menu will be followed. 

Student nutrition menus are available online at Nutrislice and via the Nutrislice smart phone app.  This online menu platform provides nutrition information, including carbohydrate counts and the top nine allergens on all menu items.  Our online menus show the top nine food allergens to help you and your child identify their menu choices ahead of time.

Student nutrition also maintains a database of all products and recipes with information on the top nine allergens, gluten and pork. 

Allergy Database Breakfast Revised August 2023.pdf

Allergy Database Lunch Revised August 2023.pdf

Allergy Database Sides Revised August 2023.pdf

Allergy Database A La Carte Revised August 2023.pdf

For additional assistance on ingredients and allergen information, please email the District’s team of Registered Dietitians at SNSspecialdiets@hcps.net.

The following is additional information regarding special diets

Food Allergens
Food allergies can include, but are not limited to the top nine allergens: wheat, eggs, soy, fish, shellfish, milk, sesame, peanuts and other tree nuts. To meet the needs of students with allergies or that may have special dietary needs, , the Student Nutrition Manager can make substitutions in meal choices. SNS does not have specialty foods available but can accommodate all allergies with other items currently available. Allergen information on the nine major allergens is posted on the SNS website. If your child has an allergen to a food item not provided, we welcome you to come into the kitchen to look at ingredient labels. The parent/guardian is responsible for approving all menu substitutions.

Peanut Allergens
To accommodate severe peanut allergies, the school site can make a peanut free table available in the cafeteria. The peanut free table will be cleaned and sanitized prior to and after each child eats with a separate cleaning wipe. SNS does offer peanut butter products on their breakfast and lunch menu, but both items are sealed, individually packaged products. Both items are marked with “peanut butter.” SNS is not responsible for ensuring lunch boxes brought from home are peanut free.

Milk Allergens/Intolerances
For students with an allergy to milk, SNS will follow diet prescription forms signed by the physician. Lactose-free milk is available daily. Drinking water is also provided at each site, free of charge.

Diabetic/Carbohydrate Controlled Diets
To accommodate students that may be following a restricted carbohydrate diet, nutrition information, including carbohydrate counts on all our menu items can be found on our Nutrislice website and app. A monthly menu will be provided to the parent/guardian to select the daily food choices. The completed menu must be returned to the Student Nutrition Manager at your child’s school site to ensure that your child receives the correct menu options. The Student Nutrition Manager is not responsible for determining acceptable carbohydrate limits.

Special Texture Diets
Special training is provided to Student Nutrition Managers and their employees on handling special textured diets. Please ensure that the Diet Prescription for Special Meals is specific on the thickness of the foods, i.e. nectar-like, honey-like, spoon-thick for any pureed diets. Please list any foods to avoid due to preference and/or intolerance.