Meal Charges
In accordance with state and federal law, the Clear Lake Community School District adopts the following policy to ensure school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges. The policy seeks to
allow students to receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day, prevent the overt identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for school meals, and maintain the financial integrity of the nonprofit school nutrition program.
Payment of Meals
Students have use of a meal account. Families are able to deposit money electronically, and with cash or check in each building office.
Students who qualify for free meals shall never be denied a reimbursable meal, even if they have accrued a negative balance from previous purchases. Schools are encouraged to provide a reimbursable meal to students with outstanding meal charge debt. If an
alternate meal is provided, the meal must be the same meal presented in the same manner to any student requesting an alternate meal. Employees may use a charge account for meals; however, employees must have funds in their account. If employees do not have funds in their account, they will be expected to pay cash.
Negative Account Balances
The school district will make reasonable efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low. Additionally, the school district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. The school district will coordinate
communications with the student’s parent or guardian to resolve the matter of unpaid charges. Parents or guardians will be notified of an outstanding negative balance once the student owes five meals or more. Parents or guardians will be notified by an automated
email. Negative balances of more than $25.00 not paid prior to the end of the month, will be turned over to the building secretary for collection via letter or phone call. If the negative balance has not been collected by the end of the semester, the balance will be
turned over to the superintendent or superintendent’s designees for collection. Options may include: collection agencies, small claims court, or any other legal method permitted by law.
Unpaid Student Meals Account
The district will establish an unpaid student meals account in a school nutrition fund. Funds from private sources and funds from the district flexibility account may be deposited into the unpaid school meals account in accordance with law. Funds deposited into this account shall be used only to pay individual student meal debt.