All students will be eligible for one free school meal per school day under Universal Free School Meals. The District shall maintain a system for accounting for the payment of other food items as follows:
When a student’s account reaches the District designated minimum balance, the online mealpay system or District, as appropriate, will notify the parent.
If a negative balance reaches $25, the student would not be permitted to charge and those food items must be returned.
The District will use a computer-generated point of sale system which identifies and records all meals and a la carte purchases as well as payments.
Parents and students may pay for food items with cash, or in advance via https://www.myschoolbucks.com, or with a check payable to Yorktown Central School District. Information is available on the District’s webpage at https://sites.google.com/yorktown.org/healthandwellness/food-service. Parents should ensure that funds are maintained in accounts.
Low/Negative Balances
Parents shall be discreetly notified of student account balances via phone communication, written correspondence and/or email, by their child’s school administrator or designee. When a student’s account balance falls to $10.00 and whenever a meal is charged, the District will discreetly notify the parent of the balance and the process to replenish the account.
This notification will continue regularly until the account is replenished. Parents must repay all unpaid charges remaining prior to the end of the year or before their child leaves the District, whichever occurs first.
For accounts with a negative balance in excess of $25, in accordance with law, the District will provide one free meal per school day, but students will not be permitted to charge any other items, e.g. , à la carte items, side dishes, additional meals, and snacks.
The District’s enrollment process shall include the application process for free and reduced-price meals. If the District becomes aware that a student is so eligible, it shall file an application for the student. Staff responsible for assisting foster, homeless and migrant students shall coordinate with the food services staff to ensure eligible students receive free school meals.
Remaining funds may be carried over to the next school year. When students leave the District or graduate, the District will attempt to contact the parent to return remaining funds. Parents may request that funds be transferred to other students (e.g., siblings, unpaid accounts). All transfer requests must be in writing. Unclaimed funds remaining six months after graduation or leaving the District will no longer be returned and will be absorbed by the school meal account.
Staff
Staff members are allowed to purchase food from the District’s food services. However, all purchases must be paid for at the point of sale, including cash and payments on account. Staff members are not allowed to charge meals to be repaid later.
Cross-ref: 8520, Free and Reduced Price Food Services
Ref: 42 USC §1779 (Child Nutrition Act of 1966)
42 USC §§1758(f)(1); 1766(a) (National School Lunch Act)
2 CFR §200.426 (accounting for debt in federal programs)
7 CFR §§210.9 210.12; 210.19; 220.13; 245.5 (accounting in federal school meal programs)
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (Public Law 111-296), §143
USDA Report to Congress, Review of Local Policies on Meal Charges and Provision of Alternate Meals, June 2016, www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/unpaidmealcharges-report.pdf
Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies, USDA FNS Memo SP 46-2016 (07/08/16), www.fns.usda.gov/unpaid-meal-charges-local-meal-charge-policies
Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A, USDA FNS Memo SP 57-2016 (09/16/16), https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/cn/SP57-2016os.pdf
Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A, USDA FNS Memo SP 23-2017 (03/23/17), https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/cn/SP23-2017os.pdf
Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments, USDA FNS Memo SP 47-2016 (07/08/16), www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/SP47-2016os.pdf
Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge - Proven Strategies from Our Nation’s Schools, USDA FNS Guidance Document (May 2017), https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/cn/SP29-2017a1.pdf
Student Meal Charge Policy, NYSED Guidance Memo, (5/30/17), http://www.cn.nysed.gov/content/student-meal-charge-policy
Adoption date: August 28, 2017
Amended date: June 18, 2018
Amended date: July 9, 2018
Amended date: August 30, 2021
Amended date: August 25, 2025