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Critical Food Service Deadline Coming Oct. 15

Posted Date: 10/05/26 (05:00 PM)
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Chehalis School District families,
This is a reminder that starting Oct. 15, all food service accounts in our district will switch from 2025-2026 status to 2026-2027 status. This means:

  • At James Lintott Elementary (grades K-2) and Orin Smith Elementary (grades 3-5) all students are automatically eligible for free meals with no action required from families.
  • New this year, Chehalis Middle School (grades 6-8) students are no longer automatically eligible for free meals. Families must apply and be approved based on qualifying incomes for free or reduced meal prices or your family will be charged full price. Breakfast is $2.20 for and lunch is $3.95.
  • At W.F. West High School (grades 9-12) students are not automatically eligible for free meals. Families must apply and be approved based on qualifying incomes for free or reduced meal prices or your family will be charged full price. Breakfast is $2.20 for and lunch is $3.95.

Students Will Not Be Denied Meals:

We want to be very clear, no Chehalis student will ever be denied a meal, regardless of their food service status or account balance. However, after Oct. 15 all families at W.F. West High School (grades 9-12) and Chehalis Middle School (grades 6-8) will be charged full price for meals unless their family has applied for and been approved for free or reduced meal prices. If your student’s meal account falls below $0, you will receive an automatic alert through ParentSquare to remind you to make a payment.


Critical Deadline of Oct. 15:

You can view or make a payment on your students' school meal account or start a meal service application by logging on to Skyward Family Access and choosing "Food Service." Need help logging in to Skyward? Contact Janis Dobyns at skyward@chehalisschools.org or (360) 807-7200.


Skyward will show your student's 2025-2026 meal status until Oct. 15: All CMS and 9th grade families will see "Free" listed as their student's meal status until Oct. 15. This is because their students attended a school with automatically free meals last year. 


To avoid unexpected charges, review the attached income guidelines and apply before Oct. 15 if you qualify. It is also important that you apply before the Oct. 15 deadline because acceptance can take several days. You will be charged full price for any meals purchased between Oct. 15 and your acceptance date.

Families with qualifying incomes at James Lintott and Orin Smith elementaries are also encouraged to fill out a food service application. Your student will receive free meals regardless but filling out an application may qualify your family for other programs such as the summer SUN Bucks program.