1. ACCOUNT PROCEDURES
1.1 Parents will be notified via SchoolMessenger when their student’s lunch account balance is below $12.00.
1.2 School lunch account balances are available via the parent page, or parents may call the district office or school secretary to receive account balance information.
1.3 This policy will be enforced in the Elementary, Middle and High Schools as follows when a cashier receives the low balance message.
Day 1 - 4 A friendly phone call, text, or email reminder that the student’s balance is low will also be sent out the same day to parents via school messenger.
Day 5 At this point a final school messenger notification will be sent to parents notifying them of the low balance. Students will not be allowed to purchase a meal or ala carte items on their account if the balance is too low or in a negative balance status. Students with an account balance that is too low to make a purchase will be offered an “alternative meal” (see below).
It is the responsibility of parents to check their voicemail and text messages as well as email accounts for notification of their student’s account.
2. ALTERNATIVE MEAL PROCEDURE
2.1 When the student has charged five (5) meals, a complimentary alternative meal of a peanut butter sandwich and milk will be offered. Students with a negative $12.00 balance or below cannot eat a regular meal until their parents’ put money into their meal account. Prior to the 5th charged lunch being provided an effort will be made by the school lunch area manager and/or the school secretary to contact the parent by phone to inform them that they have reached the meal charge limit and an alternative meal will have to be provided until the charged balance is paid and new lunch funds have been added to the student’s account.
2.2 After two insufficient fund checks have been written from the same checking account, only cash, a cashier’s check, or money order will be accepted for future meal account deposits.
2.3 After thirty(30) days of a negative balance, collection procedures may be initiated on all negative balance accounts, starting with a letter to the responsible party. After it is judged that the usual methods to collect the money owed the district have failed, then the account will be closed until an adequate deposit is made.
Approved: 01/11/17
Revised:01/17/18
Revised: 10/08/25