Cafeteria

Student Account Payment Options 

When a student is enrolled in school they are given an ID number from the school’s front office that they will keep throughout their time at DVUSD. If you do not know your students ID number, please contact your school.  All students key in their ID number on a pin pad when they go through the breakfast and/or lunch line to make a purchase.

Parents can add money to a student’s account in three different ways:

1. Cash: Students may buy meals with cash or add cash to their account in the cafeteria.

2. Check: Students may bring a check with their student ID number and current phone number on it to the cafeteria to be added to their account.
3. Online: Payments can be made at EZSchoolPay.com using Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card for a fee of $3.00 per transaction. Parents can also use EZSchoolPay to view student spending and set up low balance reminders at no cost.

Policy on unpaid Meal Charges 

The Food & Nutrition Department understands that sometimes a student’s meal account will run low or go into the negative. To ensure that all students are being treated equally, as well as to ensure that we are fiscally responsible with our limited resources, we want to make our meal charge policy known to all parents.

Grades Pre-K Thru 8

It is the policy of the Deer Valley Unified School District to provide a complete meal for all students. In the event a student’s account has insufficient funds to pay for the meal, the account is charged. Parents/guardians shall be contacted for payment through phone calls and written notification.

•  À la carte purchases are not permitted when the account is in a negative balance.
• When a negative account balance exceeds the dollar amount equivalent to ten lunches:
  • The Principal, Counselor and/or designated staff member of the Food & Nutrition Department will contact the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) to determine an appropriate resolution of the circumstance. The student's parent(s)/guardian(s) will be provided application materials for the free and reduced-price meal programs.

Meal debt follows all students from year to year, and school to school, until the balance is paid in full. 

If it is determined the district is unsuccessful in collecting payment, the debt may be sent to a collection agency.

It is the parent’s responsibility to monitor the student’s account balance. At any time, parents can set up low balance reminders and view spending at no cost using EZSchoolPay.com.  EZSchoolPay is a secure, convenient and friendly way to manage and pay for your child’s school meals via the Internet.

• Both positive and negative account balances carry with your student from year to year and school to school.
• Completing payment of a negative account balances is part of the senior check-out procedures. 
• Graduating students with a balance, or withdrawing students with account balances can be transfer the balances to younger siblings, donated to assist students in need, or refunded.
• Refund requests for graduating seniors and those not returning to DVUSD must be submitted via email by June 30 of each school year. Student name and ID# as well as the  parent/guardian name, phone number, and a mailing address should be provided.

Applications for the 2025-26 Meal Assistance Program are now being accepted.

What is the Meal Assistance Program?

DVUSD participates in the federal National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The program allows DVUSD to offer both breakfast and lunch meals at discounted prices for those students who qualify under the program's income guidelines.

How do I know if my child qualifies for the program?

Household size and income criteria are used to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price benefits if the household does not receive assistance or the children are not in the other categories mentioned above. Children can get free or reduced-price meals if the household’s gross income falls at or below the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guideline chart.

To determine whether your child/children are eligible for discounted meal pricing, you must complete a Free and Reduced Price School Meals Household Application. Applications become available online 30 days before the start of the school year (Complete an application at www.EZMealApp.com). Once school has started, the application is also available in the school cafeteria, your school's front office, or here at the Food & Nutrition Department office. 

Applications are processed within 10 days of receipt. A notification letter will be sent to the address listed on the application to inform you of your child/children’s eligibility status once eligibility has been determined.

My child/children qualified for the program last year. Do I need to complete a new application?

Yes. Students who participated in the Meal Assistance program last school must reapply each school year. Students who participated in the meal assistance program in the 2024-2025 school year will be eligible for the same benefits in the first 30 days of the 2025-2026 school year only.

All students must submit a new application by September 11, 2025 to continue receiving benefits, if eligible. If a new application is not received by September 11, 2025 students will pay the full meal price starting September 12, 2025.

If you are new to DVUSD, your eligibility from your previous school does not carry over.  Families are responsible for any charges accrued on a students' account until an approved application is on file. 

If you do not qualify for the Meal Assistance Program now, an application can be submitted any time throughout the school year. For example, if there has been a change in your family circumstances (i.e. job loss, change in living arrangements, etc.) your child/children may become eligible if your income drops below the income limits.

Where do I submit my application?

• Applications can be submitted online via http://www.EzMealApp.com. 
• Completed paper applications (English/Spanish) can be mailed or dropped off at the Food & Nutrition Department, located at 21421 N. 21st Ave., Building 2, Phoenix, AZ 85027.
• Paper applications can also be hand delivered to the school’s cafeteria manager.

For fastest processing, please return applications directly to the cafeteria. Returning them to the classroom can result in a delay in processing.

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If you have any questions regarding the Meal Assistance Program, please contact Lisa Romberg in the Food & Nutrition Department at 623-445-5166.

Turn in your meal application today to take advantage of many additional benefits, and ensure your school continues to receive funding!

English meal application form

Formulario de solicitud de comida Española

Special diets can be provided to DVUSD students with diagnosed medical conditions such as Celiac Disease, PKU and Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE) and for students that need to avoid certain food groups and/or foods such as dairy, eggs and soy due to allergies.

A special diet accommodation request form must be completed by a licensed physician in order for a special diet to be provided. The form can be returned to the school in several different ways:

1. Dropped off in your school cafeteria

2. Mailed directly to the Food & Nutrition Department at 21421 N. 21st Avenue, Bldg 2, Phoenix, AZ 85027

3. Faxed to our office at 623-445-5167.

4. Emailed to our nutrition office.

Please allow 2 weeks from the time the Food & Nutrition department has received your request before special meal accommodations will begin for your student. You will be notified by the district and the kitchen manager. New or changes to existing diets after May 1st will take effect for the next school year.

For more information, contact the Food & Nutrition Department at 623-445-5165.

1. Who is eligible to receive a special diet accommodation?

The Deer Valley Food & Nutrition Department is dedicated to meeting the nutritional needs of its students, including students with documented medical disabilities. Under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 a “person with a disability” means any person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a records of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment”. The term “physical or mental impairment” includes many conditions including but not limited to: Cerebral Palsy, Cancer, Diabetes, PKU, Food anaphylaxis, and Emotional illness. It is up to the licensed physician who completes the “Special Diet Accommodations Request Form” to indicate if a child’s medical condition is considered a disability.

2. How long does it take for a special diet to get started?

Once the Food & Nutrition Department has a complete special diet accommodation request form on file, it can take up to 10 days for a diet to become ready at the school site. This gives our office time to write a new menu that meets the child’s needs and to ensure the child’s school has the appropriate food available.
NOTE: New or modified special accommodations requests received after May 1 of each school year will not be put into place until the following school year. This is due to time it takes to process the request and order product.

3. How do I advise the cafeteria when my child plans to bring his/her lunch or is not going to be at school?

It is important for parents to communicate with the café. Parents can call and/or email the café manager directly to let them know when a student is NOT planning to eat at school. Calling in an absence to the front office is not sufficient, as the office does not advise the cafeteria of absences. It is a requirement of the accommodation that you notify the kitchen if your student will not be eating a meal prepared by the cafeteria for any reason.

4. How will I know what is on my child’s menu?

Menus are created in the district office and are shared with the café manager at your school. The café manager then works with each parent to determine how often the menu items will be reviewed (some parents review the menu weekly with the café manager while others might review it one month at a time). It is important that you provide a working email address and phone number to facilitate communication with the café manager and district office.

5. Can I bring special diet food items to school and store them in the school cafeteria?

Unfortunately, we cannot store outside food in the cafeteria. There are several factors that play a role in this including food safety, food storage space and cross contact issues.

6. What steps do I need to take if a change is needed to my child’s current special diet accommodation request?

A new special diet request form is required to make any changes to a student’s current diet order. Diets can be canceled by parents in writing (email is fine) but modifications to the diet order must come from a licensed physician. Once a special diet order is canceled by a parent a new special diet accommodations request form will be required before the diet can be reinstated.

7. What types of milk substitutions are provided for students?

While we can accommodate medical disabilities that require the avoidance of dairy, we do not automatically provide specific milk substitutes. Acceptable beverage alternatives (lactose free milk and/or fortified soy “milk”) must be specified by the physician on the special diet request form USDA regulations do not allow us to substitute juice, almond “milk” or oat “milk” for milk. Students are not required to take milk as part of their meal. Therefore, those students who need to avoid dairy can simply decline the milk portion of their meal while still choosing three items from the fruit, vegetable, grain, and meat/meat alternate groups. Additionally, students have access to free water every day in the cafeteria to drink with their meals.

8. What if my child wants to purchase items a la carte?

We have pre-approved lists of a la carte items that are gluten and/or dairy free. Students with medical notes on file that state that gluten and dairy must be avoided will only be able to purchase items off of the preapproved list. Approved lists will be created on a case by case basis for students with other medical conditions that require avoidance of other foods. If you have any further questions about the special diet accommodations request form for special diets in general, please contact us via email or call 623.445.5165.

DVUSD Food & Nutrition Guide

Get all the information you need on all things DVUSD Food & Nutrition with this handy guide!

Nutrition and Allergen Guides

Nutrition and allergen information is available on our online digital menus.  

Meal Pattern Requirements

Schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are required to follow the meal pattern guidelines set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). For more information on the requirements please visit the USDA Food & Nutrition Service website.

Nutrition Links

http://www.foodallergy.org

https://www.eatright.org/for-kids

http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Smart Snacks in Schools are science-based nutrition standards published by the USDA that apply to all foods and beverages sold to students during the school day (outside the school meal programs which have their own set of standards).  

The Smart Snacks in Schools Standards put all food and beverages sold and served to students across campus on a level playing field. The standards make healthier foods and beverages available to students while limiting junk food.

• Smart Snack Standards apply to all foods and beverages sold and served to students K-8 and sold to students 9-12* outside of the school meals programs – including vending machines, a la carte, school stores, snack carts and in-school fundraising.
• Smart Snack Standards are in effect the entire school day (midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the school day) across the entire school campus.
• Smart Snack Standards do not apply to classroom celebrations and during evening, weekend or community events. Classroom celebrations are defined as “a celebration that occurs within a given classroom (or respective area) and is limited to only those students enrolled in that one classroom. Examples of classroom parties are holiday parties and birthday parties that occur in the classroom limited to only those enrolled students”.
• Non-food fundraisers or fundraisers that include only foods and beverages that meet the standards are not limited in any way.

‎*The Arizona Nutrition Standards (ANS) amended the National Smart Snacks Standards to include a differentiation between "sold" for grades 9-12 and "sold and served" for grade K-8. Foods that are both sold and served in K-8 must meet the Smart Snacks Standards. This includes field day, principal parties, etc.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Any food items sold or served as a fundraiser would need to meet the same nutrition standards as other competitive foods on the school campus. View the infographic below for more information on Smart Snack standards and other foods on campus including fundraisers.

Safe and Healthy Eating Tips:

• Please encourage your student, child, or children to be seated upright when eating and not to be distracted. 
• Encourage them to eat slowly, take small bites, and fully chew and swallow their food before talking or laughing. 
• If you pack a lunch and send it with your child, please avoid food items that could be difficult to chew or which could possibly cause choking. 
• Encourage them not to eat while walking, running, or engaging in other activities. 
• Encourage them to avoid children’s games that involve catching a food item in the mouth or putting large amounts of food into the mouth.
• Eating in the cafeteria should be fun and social, but eating in the cafeteria is a privilege. 
• For those who misbehave or fail to follow these directions, cafeteria privileges may be revoked.

Learn more about wellness habits with DVUSD's Food & Nutrition resources.