Food Services

The goal of the food services program at the Lenox Public Schools is to provide nutritious and delicious foods to support growing minds and bodies. See our gallery below for photos of fresh meals created using local and school grown foods. Morris students use a fork farms hydroponic tower to grow some of the produce used in the school meals. The cafeterias at both LMMHS and Morris offer a variety of daily options that students can select as a meal or a snack. Breakfast and Lunch meals are provided to all students free of charge as part of the universal free meals. Questions about the Food Services program can be directed to Ms. Shannon Gagliardo, Director of Food Services, at 637-5560.

Meal Modifications

Lenox Public Schools can make a meal modification for students with special dietary needs. These modifications must adhere to USDA and National School Lunch Program guidelines. To Request a meal modification please reach out to the Morris school nurse at kshove@lenoxps.org, LMMHS School Nurse at jdrees@lenosps.org or our Food Service Director at sgagliardo@lenoxps.org

Lenox Public School offers MySchoolBucks as a convenience to families to make school lunch payments easier.

MySchoolBucks provides:

  • Convenience - Available 24/7 on the web or with the Mobile App for your iPhone, Android or Windows phone!

  • Efficiency - Make payments for all your students, even if they attend different schools within the district. Eliminate the need for your students to take money to school.

  • Control - Set low balance alerts, view account activity, recurring/automatic payments & more!

  • Flexibility - Make payments using credit/debit cards and electronic checks.

  • Security - MySchoolBucks adheres to the highest security standards, including PCI and CISP.

Enrollment is easy!

  • Go to MySchoolBucks and register for a free account.

  • You will receive a confirmation email with a link to activate your account.

  • Add your student using his/her school name and student ID.

  • Make a payment to your students' accounts with your credit/debit card or electronic check.

MySchoolBucks.com allows you to check balances, review transaction history, and receive low balance alerts from the comfort of your home for no charge. A small convenience fee ($2.00) will apply if you make payments to your child's account, but you will have the opportunity to review any fees (and cancel, if you choose) before you are charged.

If you have any questions, you can Email Support.

USDA Non Discrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Fork Farms Tower
Full grown Plants
Chicken Patty Lunch Tray
Local Kale and Strawberry Salad
Local Apple Salad
Local Butternut and Strawberry Salad
Fresh Local Veggies for Lo Mein
Lo Mein using Fresh Local Veggies
Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits
House made whole grain Banana crunch muffins
Veggie Burger Tray
Pasta Primavera Tray
Quesadilla Tray
Breakfast sandwiches
Salad Bar with lunch tray
Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Salad Bar
Salad Bar
cucumbers
Hydroponics
Pizza

Lenox Public Schools Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment- 2023


The triennial assessment was completed using 2 assessment tools. These are the WellSAT 3.0 and the WellSAT-I. The wellSAT 3.0 compares our policy to the model wellness policy and outlines mandatory and suggested policy inclusions. The scores range from 0-2 on each item. 0 is when a topic is missing from the policy. 1 is when the item is mentioned but is vague or only provides general reference. 2 is when the item is explained in detail, many times with examples or action steps. 

With a total possible score of 100, our district scored a comprehensiveness score of 60% and a strength score of 45.58%

The WellSAT-I interviews school employees including district level, principals, physical education and nutrition services to compare what we are actually doing to what our wellness policy states. The scores give us a better understanding of what is happening in the schools. Many times, things are happening related to wellness that are not reflected in the policy and may need to be updated. 



Based on these results, the wellness committee suggested some policy changes. Suggested updates were sent to the superintendent to be passed along to the school committee. 

 

Suggested changes to the current wellness policy 

  1. Updated to include School Breakfast Program at morris. This is new since the last review of policy 

  2. Add information about how often we meet, who is included and where to find policy and assessment

  3. Update Whole grain criteria to include 80% of whole grains served will be whole grain rich. 

  4. Add in information about free and reduced students not being identified at the register and well as info about free and reduced applications

  5. Add information about cafeteria staff training requirements, ensuring we meet the minimum required amount. 

  6. Add information about drinking water being available for free via water bottle fill stations

  7. Remove the old guidelines and instead link to current guidelines for smart snacks 

  8. Update the beverages allowed to be served to meet the 2014 smart snack standards

  9. Include that all foods are trans fat free

  10. Change the wording about sugar being 35% of calories to 35% of total weight, as this is how the standards word it

  11. Include information about fundraising, noting that smart snacks fundraisers will only be after school hours and limited. 

  12. Add a section on rewards and punishments stating that it is strongly discouraged to use food and beverage as a reward and instead we encourage non food rewards. A List will be made available to the school of non food rewards. Include that schools will not withhold food or beverages as a punishment 

  13. Add Physical Education Curriculum notes


Areas that need improvement based on our WellSAT-I score. The WellSAT-I compares what we are actually doing to our wellness policy. The scores are 0-2 with 0 being not in compliance, 1 meeting the standard and 2 being above the standard or in compliance

  1. Section 1: Nutrition Education

    1. Our nutrition education holds steady in the middle with the average score being 1. Our nutrition is meeting the standard but has an unclear path/ focus. Nutrition is not a focus at every grade level. We could improve the nutrition education for our students with a more clear approach and more guidelines for education. 

  2. Section 2: Standards for USDA Child Nutrition Programs

    1. We scored mostly 2 on this section. Our meal times at the middle and high school levels allow students 20 minutes to eat but our elementary school does not provide 20 minutes once in a seat to eat. 

    2. We could use more consistent promotion of school meals. 

  3. Section 3: Nutrition Standards for Competitive and other food and beverage

    1. We scored well with all our items meeting smart snack requirements. We do allow a limited number of food related fundraisers(afterhours) that scored us a 1)

    2. We also allow monthly birthday celebrations at the elementary school level. 

    3. There is food at after school events like plays, sports and theater that does not meet smart snack requirements, but none is sold during the school day

  4. Section 4: Physical Education

    1. We scored good in the physical education section but we did not meet the required minutes per week for middle and high school grades. 

  5. Section 5: Wellness Promotion and marketing

    1. We scored all 2’s in this section except for fundraisers as there are some food related fundraisers. 

  6. Section 6: Implementation, evaluation and communication 

    1. This section scored a few 0’s, but have since been corrected. These items included triennial assessments not being completed in the past as well as communication about the policy.

    2. After the covid pandemic we have reformed our wellness committee and have put work into our policy. We have suggested changes, are completing the triennial assessment to post and will distribute the wellness policy yearly as well as inviting members