WEST WARWICK SCHOOL DEPARTMENT SCHOOL LUNCH ACCOUNTS POLICY
The West Warwick School Department recognizes that all students need
nutritious meals in order to learn. The purpose of this policy is to define how the West
Warwick School Department shall collect and manage unpaid meal charges and to
ensure it complies with its legal obligations under the National School Lunch Act and
associated regulations.
The goals of this policy are:
● To treat all students with dignity regardless of the status of their meal accounts;
● To have a consistent district-wide procedure regarding meal charges and the
collection of such charges;
● To support positive and clear communication among staff, administrators,
teachers, food personnel, students and parents/guardians regarding school lunch
accounts;
● To encourage parents/guardians to assume the responsibility of meal payments.
GUIDELINES
1. The West Warwick School Department encourages parents/guardians to prepay
meals for their children, thereby eliminating the potential for issues that may arise
during lunchtime. Prepayments can be made through the myschoolbucks
website (www.myschoolbucks.com). Cash and check payments will continue to
be accepted at each school, but payments made through
www.myschoolbucks.com or by check are preferred for accountability purposes.
2. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to monitor their students’
breakfast/lunch account activity through the www.myschoolbucks.com online
system. This system can be used to confirm payments have been received,
make payments, and monitor account activity. It also has the ability to
automatically send out the balance on the account.
3. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to submit free/reduced hot lunch
application forms annually, as well as when their head of household or income
changes. Applications can be submitted anytime throughout the year and are
available at the Administration Building, individual schools and on the District’s
website, as well as at this web address: https://fns-
prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/cn/SP28-2017a3.pdf . Free/reduced lunch
application are a part of standard issue paperwork provided to all families of
incoming students to West Warwick Public Schools. The District will accept prior
determinations for children who are transferring to West Warwick during the
school year. While the West Warwick School Department strongly encourages
all families to apply for free/reduced meal benefits, the final application responsibility lies with parents/guardians. Free and reduced lunch status is private and confidential information and shall be treated as such throughout the District by all personnel.
4. Students who have not prepaid for their lunch, will be permitted to charge the
lunch to their school lunch account. Only reimbursable lunches, as defined by
the USDA, and milk are available as a charge. Students are not allowed to
charge a la carte items (snacks) at any time.
5. Alternative meals will not be distributed to students based on food-service
accounts in arrears.
6. A bi-weekly list of negative account balances of $10.00 or more will be forwarded
to each principal. In addition, the Food Service Vendor may: (1) provide written
notice to parents/guardians of negative account balances; (2) make robocalls re:
negative account balances; (3) send written notices/emails about negative
account balances.
7. School administrators will work with school social workers and other staff to
reach out to parents regarding unpaid balances.
At the end of each school year, total uncollected meal charges will be reported to the
School Committee and must be paid to the Food Service fund from other funding
sources. Funds will be designated during the budget process for these anticipated
costs.
References:
National School Lunch Act
Reimbursable Meal Requirements