Unpaid Meal Charges
USDA Policy Memorandum SP 46-2016 requires all School Food Authorities operating federal school meal programs to have a written and clearly communicated policy to address unpaid meal charges by July 1, 2017.
Please click on the links for access to the policy and Administrative Regulations:
Unpaid Meal Charges Policy #762
Unpaid Meal Charges Administrative Regulations
What are the administrative procedures for insufficient lunch accounts?
- Unless they have opted out, parents will be notified by district email daily for each student once their account balance reaches the amount equivalent to 5 days of lunch.
- Students will not be allowed any a la carte, extra portion, or extra milk charges if they do not have sufficient funds in their account.
- Parents will receive a call from an automated caller when the family balance reaches $-.01. They may receive a call each day until payment is made. Calls are not made on Saturday or Sunday.
- Parents will get a personal phone call and a personal email once their balance reaches $-10.00. Parents are expected to pay in full or contact the school to set up a payment plan.
- If a student account reaches $-20.00 with no payment arrangements in place, the student will be served an alternate lunch of a Turkey/Cheese Sandwich, Fruit, and Milk for $1.50 charged to the student account.
- If a parent does not pay or make payment arrangements within 10 school days of receiving the alternate lunch, the District may file a claim with the small claims court or utilize the services of a collection agency, credit bureau and/or legal counsel to secure collection on unpaid debts not paid within 30 days of notification. The charges for filing claims with small claims courts or for securing the services of a collection agency shall be added to the unpaid debt due the District.
- In accordance with USDA regulations, students receiving free meal benefits cannot be denied a meal for any reason, including failure to maintain funds in their lunch account. Also, paid and reduced eligible students must also be provided a meal if they have the cash to pay for a current day’s meal, even if their lunch account includes a delinquent amount.
If you need help paying for your school lunches, please fill out a free and reduced price meals application. If you do not qualify but need assistance, please contact Michelle Denk to help you with other payment options and assistance. If you have questions regarding lunch accounts, please contact Diane Beckmann, 608-437-7114.
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