School Meal Charging

• Meal charges are for emergency use.  They  are designed to cover situations when parents or students forget to bring, or provide funds for meals or when a student forgets his/her meal at home.
• No student requesting a meal (breakfast or lunch) will be denied a full reimbursable meal unless the student’s parent or guardian has provided written permission to withhold a school meal.
• Parents or guardians are required to cover negative balances incurred by their child.
• Students with negative account balances or unable to pay for a meal will not be publicly identified or stigmatized.
• Students with negative account balances or unable to pay for a meal will not be required to discard a reimbursable meal after it has been served.

Student Cafeteria Account Collections

• Communication of account balances will be made to the parent or guardian and not to the student directly. Food Service employees are not permitted to tell students when they have a low or negative account balance. However, students may ask cashiers for their account balance.
• Emails will be sent out weekly to any parent or guardian with a child who has a negative account balance. Letters will be mailed to parents or guardians who do not have an email address in the system.
• Food Service Staff will contact the parent or guardian by telephone once their child’s negative balance exceeds $50.00.
• The Business Office will contact the parent or guardian once a student’s negative balance exceeds $100.00.
• The Superintendent’s Office will contact the parent or guardian once a student’s negative balance exceeds $150.00.
• The Superintendent or designee is authorized to negotiate a mutually agreed upon payment plan until an account is paid in full.

PLEASE NOTE:

Parents are encouraged to set up accounts online at www.schoolcafe.com to monitor account balances and receive low balance alerts.

Students with a negative account balance will not be permitted to buy snacks, individual food items, or beverages other than milk.