How to Apply
A parent’s guide
Request halal meals at your child’s DOE school
A step-by-step guide for parents and guardians on requesting expanded certified halal meal service through the Department of Education’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS).
What’s new
A new protocol for families
After many meetings with OFNS and the Mayor’s Office, a new protocol is now in place to help parents secure halal food for their children in New York City public schools. This guide shows exactly who to contact and what to include, so your request reaches the right people the first time.
An expanded selection of certified halal meals is available through the Halal Food Program upon request. Reach out to your school administration, your parent association, and OFNS directly at food@schools.nyc.gov.
Before you write, have ready
- Your school’s name
- Names of your principal, PA/PTA president and SLT chair
- Your child’s name and grade
- Your phone or email for follow-up
Who to contact
Three people to email, together
Send one email to all three so your request is seen as a school-community request from the start.
-
1
Your principal
Start with your child’s principal. As the school’s administrative lead, they play a key role in bringing a halal meal request forward.
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2
PA or PTA
Loop in your Parent Association or Parent Teacher Association. Their support shows this is a community-wide request, not just an individual one.
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3
School Leadership Team
Include your School Leadership Team (SLT). SLTs help guide school-level decisions and are an important part of this process.
Always CC food@schools.nyc.gov and halal@shuranewyork.org on any email to your principal, PA/PTA or SLT. This makes sure OFNS knows about the request from the start and can respond directly.
Sample email
Copy it, fill in the gold blanks, send
Replace the highlighted parts with your own details. “Open in my email app” fills in the subject, CC and message for you. Just add your school’s addresses in “To”.
- To
- Principal, PA/PTA President, SLT Chair
- CC
- food@schools.nyc.gov, halal@shuranewyork.org
- Subject
- Request for Expanded Certified Halal Meal Service
Dear [Principal's Name], [PA/PTA], and School Leadership Team,
I am writing to request expanded certified Halal meal service for [School Name] through the DOE's Halal Food Program. An expanded selection of certified Halal meals is available through this program upon request, and I would like to formally begin that process on behalf of my family and, hopefully, other families in our school community who share this need.
I have copied the Office of Food and Nutrition Services (food@schools.nyc.gov) and Majlis Ash-Shura (halal@shuranewyork.org) on this email so they are aware of our request and can advise on next steps.
Thank you for your time and support. I am happy to discuss this further at your convenience.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Child's Name and Grade]
[Contact Information]
To: Principal, PA/PTA President, SLT Chair CC: food@schools.nyc.gov, halal@shuranewyork.org Subject: Request for Expanded Certified Halal Meal Service Dear [Principal's Name], [PA/PTA], and School Leadership Team, I am writing to request expanded certified Halal meal service for [School Name] through the DOE's Halal Food Program. An expanded selection of certified Halal meals is available through this program upon request, and I would like to formally begin that process on behalf of my family and, hopefully, other families in our school community who share this need. I have copied the Office of Food and Nutrition Services (food@schools.nyc.gov) and Majlis Ash-Shura (halal@shuranewyork.org) on this email so they are aware of our request and can advise on next steps. Thank you for your time and support. I am happy to discuss this further at your convenience. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Child's Name and Grade] [Contact Information]
Need help with your request?
We’re here for your family
Majlis Ash-Shura supports families through every step. Reach out if you have questions or need help drafting your request.