HCPSS proudly serves more than 5.5 million high-quality meals each year

Using LINQ Connect

HCPSS uses LINQ Connect for all things food and nutrition. LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows families to view breakfast and lunch menus, make online payments to their child’s meal account, monitor their child’s accounts, schedule recurring payments and/or low balance alerts, and submit an online application for the Free and Reduced Meals program

LINQ Connect can easily be accessed online or via mobile app.

Parents/guardians can create an account to make online payments to their child’s meal account, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more.

Create a New Account OR Login to Account

When creating a new account, you do not need to use the same email/credentials as MySchoolBucks or other HCPSS applications. To add a student, parents/guardians will need your child’s student ID, which can be found by logging into HCPSS Connect Synergy.

Menus, Nutrition & Allergies

Menus

All school menus can be accessed through the LINQ Connect parent/guardian portal, on the public-facing LINQ Connect website, or in the mobile app.

Please note, the public-facing LINQ website defaults to display Atholton Elementary. Users can select their child’s school by selecting the School box at the top left and choosing their school.

The LINQ Connect online menus additionally display nutritional information, allergens, dietary and religious restrictions, and more. Families with children in more than one school building can easily toggle between buildings via the same screen.

Nutritional and Allergen Concerns

All nutritional information for HCPSS meals is available via the LINQ Connect website.

Students with known food allergies (shellfish, tree nuts, gluten, lactose, etc.) must have a formal notice of their allergies from a doctor and submitted to the school nurse. Students who would like to purchase food from the cafeteria can have accommodations made that are suited to their allergies.

Meal Payments and Refunds

Meal Payment

Meal payments may be made via credit card using the LINQ Connect portal. Meal payments can also be made in the each school cafeteria using cash or check.

Each student is assigned a unique, 6-digit cafeteria PIN, which cashiers can look if a student forgets. This PIN allows HCPSS to receive reimbursements from the National School Lunch Program. Any meals purchased without a PIN will incur an additional charge of $0.30 for breakfast and $0.60 for lunch.

Refunds

To request a refund of meal balances at any time, complete this brief online form. Parents/guardians will need to provide your child’s cafeteria PIN, which can be located by logging in to HCPSS Connect Synergy and selecting the Student Info button.

Unpaid Meal Charges

Parents/guardians are responsible for providing their student(s) with money for meals, or packing a meal from home. If a student forgets or does not have lunch, HCPSS practice is to ensure that no student goes hungry or is traumatized for lack of funds. A meal will be provided and a charge will be applied to the student’s meal account. Meals will never be taken away when there are no funds or a negative balance in a student’s meal account.

More information is provided in Board of Education Policy 4200 Meal Charges.

Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs)

HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.

Parents/guardians must submit a new application every school year to maintain their student’s eligibility.

Learn more and apply for Free and Reduced Meals

Eleven HCPSS schools, listed below, will receiving Free Meals for Breakfast and Lunch for the 2024-2025 school year under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Schools. Students enrolled in these CEP schools may receive breakfast and lunch at no cost regardless of household income.