Nutrition Services

LINQ Connect is your online portal to see information and pay your student's meals. Parents are able to register for a LINQ Connect account and view information for free. Parents are also able to view account balances or recent purchases in the school cafeteria, add money to their student's account, and setup low balance alerts through this parent-friendly system.

Adding funds to your students account is easy: 

First, go to www.linqconnect.com and make a new account in order to continue making payments towards your students’ meals. If you have multiple children, you can add all of them to your account with their student ID numbers. 

Next, make a payment. The deposit amount can be placed against a credit card, debit card or your checking account. All payments are securely processed using our highly secure website and encryption. All payments are quickly credited to your student account. Titan makes school meal payments easy for busy parents on-the-go!  

The Linq Connect app is available in the Apple Store and the Android Play Store.

Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, students must have sufficient funds in their meal account or qualify for free or reduced-price meals to receive a full school breakfast or lunch. Students with a negative balance will be provided a snack rather than a full meal.

Households must reapply annually in order to be eligible for free or reduced priced meals.

Please review the Alaska Income Eligibility Guidelines.

Interested parents and guardians can apply online by creating an account and submitting an online application through our LINQ Connect portal.

VCS Nutrition Services can add a dietary alert to a student's meal account and provide meal accommodations if it is due to a life threatening food allergy or other medical condition/disability that affects a student's participation in the school meals program.  The department must receive a completed medical statement (dietary) form from a physician that is licensed by the state to write prescriptions. 

If this applies to your student, please complete and submit the Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations to Roslyn Espiritu (Food Services Manager) at rdespiritu@valdezcityschools.org.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, students must either:

• Have sufficient funds in a prepaid meal account, or
• Qualify for free or reduced-price meals

to receive a full school breakfast or lunch. Students with a negative meal account balance will be provided a snack instead of a full reimbursable meal.
 

Valdez City Schools has updated its meal account procedures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the school nutrition program. 

Federal regulations prohibit unpaid meal debt from being absorbed by the nonprofit school food service account. When meal charges go unpaid, the district must use other non-federal funds to cover those costs. The updated procedures are intended to reduce unpaid balances and help ensure the long-term sustainability of the school nutrition program.

The School Board has adopted administrative regulations that govern student meal accounts, free and reduced-price meal eligibility, account notifications, and unpaid meal charges.
The regulations can be viewed below:

• AR 3550: Student Meal Service and Account Management
• AR 3550.1: Food Service Debt

These documents establish the district's requirements for prepaid meal accounts, student access to meals, parent notifications, payment plans, and the handling of unpaid meal balances.

Valdez City Schools is providing multiple forms of communication before the start of the school year, including mailed letters, emails, website resources, social media updates, enrollment materials, and account notifications. Families are encouraged to review all communications and visit the Nutrition Services webpage for the most current information.

Families can:

• Log in to LINQ Connect online at linqconnect.com or via smartphone applicatoni.
• View balances in PowerSchool
• Contact the district office for assistance

• Online through LINQ Connect
• Cash or check at the district office
• Cash or check at school offices during the school year
• Credit card in person or by phone through the district office

Families are encouraged to complete a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application.

Applications are available:

• Online
• At all school offices
• At the district office

Families may apply at any time during the school year, and all applications are kept confidential.

There are several ways to qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. The most common method of qualification is by household income, in accordance with the 2026-2027 Alaska Income Eligibility Guidelines.
 

The district understands that some families may have existing balances.

If you have an outstanding balance and need assistance, please contact Susan Love at (907) 834-4700 or slove@valdezcityschools.org. Payment plans may be available for families experiencing financial hardship.

Yes.

The district will send low-balance reminders electronically and may contact parents or guardians regarding negative balances through email, written communication, or phone calls.

Families are encouraged to regularly monitor their student's balance through LINQ Connect or PowerSchool.

Additionally, automatic notifications in the LINQ portal can be set at self-selected balance thresholds. 

View a how-to guide here: 
 

Families are encouraged to maintain a positive meal account balance throughout the school year. If a student's account does not have sufficient funds available and the student does not qualify for free or reduced-price meals, the student will be provided a snack rather than a full reimbursable meal. Families can avoid interruptions by monitoring balances regularly and adding funds before the account reaches zero.

No.

Students who do not have sufficient funds in their account will be provided a snack. However, they will not be able to purchase a full meal without existing meal account funds. The district will continue to work directly with parents and guardians regarding account balances and payment options.

No.

District employees are prohibited from identifying, stigmatizing, or embarrassing students because of unpaid meal charges. Students will not be publicly identified, required to perform work in exchange for meals, or restricted from participating in school activities due to meal debt.

Yes.
Students may purchase additional meal portions, milk, or other available food items as long as they have sufficient funds available in their meal account. Second portions and à la carte items are not covered by free or reduced-price meal benefits and must be purchased separately. Students must have a positive account balance to make these purchases.

Yes.

Parents and guardians may set daily spending limits and purchase restrictions on a student's meal account through LINQ Connect. These settings can help families manage meal account balances and prevent unexpected charges from additional meals, milk, or à la carte items.

Because students are responsible for making purchasing decisions at school, VCS encourages families to discuss any spending limits or account restrictions with their student in advance.

View step-by-step instructions here:

The following monthly estimates are based on an average month with 19 school days. The table below is meant as a planning tool only. Actual monthly costs could vary due to the actual number of school days attended, the combination of meals charged, etc. 

Average Cost of School Meals Per Student Per Month

(Based on an average 19 school days per month).