Is it possible to get junior-sized water bottles as an option, instead of milk or juice, as part of the elementary lunch without paying extra?
No. The National School Lunch Act requires that fluid milk be offered to students at breakfast and lunch. Students must be offered a minimum of three menu items, one of which must be an entrée and one must be fluid milk. Therefore, according to the federal government, milk is the required beverage for reimbursable meals. Fruit juice, because it has some nutritional value, is considered a side dish, and may be chosen as such, but not in place of fluid milk, which must be a component of every reimbursable meal. Since it is considered to have no nutritional value, bottled water is not considered a component of a meal, and cannot be substituted for a side item, as juice can. Bottled water is an a la carte item, and may be purchased in addition to, but not part of, a reimbursable meal. Cups with ice are available free of charge to students who wish to have non-bottled water in the cafeteria. Each cafeteria has a water fountain.
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