As students make their way into the school store before their first class of the day, one might see sweatshirts, T-shirts, mugs, and other spirit wear, but something is missing this year: breakfast food.

The school store was not following United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines since they were competing with the breakfast program that the school cafeteria was providing and, therefore, cannot sell breakfast food during the same hours the cafeteria’s breakfast program operates.

Jamie Braxton, assistant principal, said that the reason the school store cannot sell breakfast food is a mix of health violations and competition. “By providing nutritious breakfast foods, the government wants [the school] to ensure that the food their providing will be bought by the student body. This means that there cannot be competition with the breakfast program.”

The breakfast program in the cafeteria is still fairly new to Dominion. Even though it began last year, the county and school have recognized full details of USDA guidelines concerning school breakfast programs and decided to uphold the policies put in place for this school year. This means not allowing the school store to sell breakfast foods.

In past years, the school store has sold Otis Spunkmeyer muffins and Pop-Tarts for $1 each. The school store had vendors that they would place orders with in order to get food for the store.

Collectively breakfast food was a “big income generator” Wes Anderson, who is the DECA sponsor, a Marketing teacher, and manages the school store, said. “We lost a lot of our sales [since we stopped selling breakfast food].”

Money that came from the breakfast food helped to pay for merchandise and more food in the school store.

In order to compensate for their loss of sales, the school store has had to come up with alternative ideas to generate income. Anderson said the school store hopes to provide Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and muffins, Pop-Tarts, chocolate bars, and doughnuts during Clubhouse and at the end of the day.

“We want to eventually deliver food to Clubhouses or sell food at a table as kids are leaving for the bus,” Anderson said.

With the possibility of the USDA implementing new guidelines, Anderson is hopeful that the school store will be able to sell breakfast food again next year.

As for this year, Anderson and the school store “[are] going to work to offer food without competing with the breakfast program.”

The breakfast program continues to provide breakfast to “about eighty students every morning” Ms. Francis, manager of the cafeteria, said. Regular breakfast costs $2, reduced fat breakfast costs $1.50, and some need-based students can receive free breakfasts. Food options include waffles, pancakes, Poptarts, cereal, bagels, sausage egg and cheese sandwiches, and chicken sandwiches.