Is lunch free? Where’s the bus? Your guide to the new school year in Miami and Broward

Students are heading back to class for the new school year at Miami-Dade and Broward public schools.

School starts Thursday, Aug. 17, for students in Miami-Dade. In Broward, students return to the classroom on Monday, Aug. 21. The first day of school for public school students in Monroe and Palm Beach counties was Aug. 10.

Want to make sure your child has everything they need for back to school?

Here’s what parents should know:

Find your child’s assigned school

If you recently moved or want to make sure that your child’s assigned school hasn’t changed, both Miami-Dade and Broward’s public school districts have an online locator you can use. Make sure you use the child’s primary residential address when using the below:

For Miami-Dade’s school locator, search results can be filtered by grade level (example: Do you just want an elementary? A K-8? A high school?) and by drive time. You can also filter schools by attendance options, including if the school is assigned, a magnet school or a choice school.

For Broward’s school locator, select what grade your child is in and type in their primary home address. Your child’s assigned school will appear. When you click the school’s name, you’ll get a variety of details including demographic enrollment data and the name of the school’s principal.

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Check the menu for your child’s free meal

Breakfast and lunch are free for all public school students in Miami-Dade and Broward this year.

Miami-Dade

To see the menu for Miami-Dade Schools, visit dadeschools.nutrislice.com/menu. If your child has special dietary needs, contact the school for information on how to submit the necessary form for their special needs.

Parents don’t have to fill out any forms; the free breakfasts and lunches are available to all students at every district school.

Broward

Free breakfast and lunch will be provided to all students.

Free lunches are possible this year through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision program and a new Universal Free Lunch pilot program, also funded by the federal agency. To see the menu or to make a special diet request, visit browardschools.com/menus.

The Broward school district says meals at 180 schools will be covered by the Community Eligibility Provision program, which provides meals in schools where 40% or more of students qualify for programs such as SNAP and Medicaid. Students at these schools will not have to apply for free lunch.

The district said it will provide lunches at 47 other schools through the pilot program and is encouraging parents to complete the online applications — Meal Benefits and Income Survey Form — at www.myschoolapps.com.

Parents don’t need to fill out the forms but by doing so, schools may be able to get federal and state benefits.

To find out which program your child’s school falls under, or to learn more about the free meals, visit browardschools.com/free-lunch.

Make sure your child’s immunization records are up-to-date

All public and private school children from kindergarten through 12th grade in Florida are required to get certain vaccines to attend school. And yes, this includes students who plan to take courses online. Students are not required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

See what vaccines are required for your child to attend a public, charter or private school in Florida, as per the Florida Department of Health website.

Know your child’s bus route

Miami-Dade’s public school district said it sent a weekly automated call in July to over 23,000 eligible students that weren’t assigned to a bus, and has so far received over 5,000 responses.

Parents can also request transportation or check their child’s bus assignment by logging in to the Parent Portal at www.dadeschools.net and clicking “Bus Info.” Parents should check this periodically to have the most up-to-date information. Parents who can’t access the Parent Portal or have additional questions should call their child’s school.

In Broward, parents can register their child for the bus at browardschools.com/Register2Ride.

Any child who was registered for a Broward bus by July 7 will have an assigned bus seat for the first day of school. Students who registered for the bus between July 8-July 21 will have a seat assigned no later then the second week of school. Kids registered for the bus after July 21 will be given an assigned seat “expeditiously in the order in which they were received,” according to the Broward school district.

If you want to double-check your child’s bus assignment in Broward, you can do so using the Virtual Counselor online portal at bcps.browardschools.com/VirtualCounselor/.

If you have any questions, contact your child’s school. And remember, buses may run late during the first few weeks of schools.

Register for online school if you don’t want your child in-person

All Florida public school districts are required to offer a fully online learning alternative. This rule existed before the pandemic.

Miami-Dade’s public school district said it is still accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year for its online magnet K-12 option, Miami-Dade Online. Deadline is Aug. 11. Enrollment has already ended for the district’s other K-12 online option, Miami-Dade Virtual School.

For Broward students, the online K-12 option is called Broward Virtual School. Enrollment for grades K-5 ended July 21. Enrollment for grades 6-12 ends Sept. 8.

Both Miami-Dade Virtual School and Broward Virtual School are free and are part of Florida Virtual School, the state’s online K-12 school that offers full-time and part-time learning.

Calendars, grades, apps

▪ Miami-Dade and Broward have online 2023-2024 school year calendars that include holidays, teacher work days and grading periods.

▪ Miami-Dade and Broward Schools have online parent portals. They let you see your child’s grade, bus assignment and other important information.

▪ Miami-Dade Schools has a smartphone app, Dadeschools Mobile, which provides information about your child’s school such as grades, bus routes, school news and the lunch menu. Broward Schools has a similar app. Find it by typing BCPS Mobile App or Broward County Public Schools. Emergencies should be reported to 911 first.