Charge and Collection of Payment for School Meals Procedures (EFDA)

A. SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY

The Food Service Department: Responsible for maintaining charge records and notifying the school district of outstanding balances. The Food Service Department is also responsible for notifying student’s parent/guardian of low or outstanding balances.

The School District: Responsible for supporting the Food Service Department in collection activities.

The Parent/Guardian: Responsible for timely lunch payments

B. ADMINISTRATION

1. 1. Students are expected to prepay for food expenditures and keep a positive balance in their lunch accounts.

   2. Students will be allowed to charge below a zero balance up to a charge limit of the equivalent of five (5) meals at their regular meal purchase price.

   3. These meals will include any menu items that are part of the reimbursable items.

   4. Notices of low or deficit balances will be sent to parents/guardians via telephone, mail, email or backpack when applicable during the school year.

   5. When the student reaches their charge limit, they will not be eligible for a la carte items, though they may charge a regular lunch.

   6. Food Service administrators, and the building and central office administrators, will notify parents running negative balances, and work with them to ensure payments are made.

C. FISCAL YEAR END CLOSING

1. 1. 1. At the first of June, the Food Service Program must begin closing the books for the school year. As a result, there will be increased vigilance and notification regarding all negative balances in June. Parents/guardians will be notified of their outstanding balance and payment will be due immediately.

      2. All charges unpaid by the end of the school year, and prior to the start of the next school year, will be submitted to the Business Administrator in a detailed list of outstanding student lunch debt, and the amount of credit balances considered abandoned by students who are no longer enrolled in the district. The accounts shall be reconciled and the Wayland School Lunch Program shall be reimbursed from the General Fund for the net amount of abandoned credit balances and uncollectible accounts pursuant to new USDA federal regulations.

      3. All school cafeterias possess computerized point of sale/cash register systems that maintain a record of all monies deposited and spent for each student and said record will be made available to parents upon request. The Food Service Program shall inform parents that meals should be paid for in advance and the balances maintained in their student’s account to minimize the possibility that the student may be without meal money on any given day. If a student is without meal money on a consistent basis, the Food Service Department and/or school principal will investigate the situation more closely, including requesting the parent/guardian to bring money to the school and/or encouraging the parent/guardian to apply for free and reduced price meals.