In accordance with state and federal law, the Chariton Community School District adopts the following policy to ensure school district employees, families, and student 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 student with insufficient funds to pay for school meals, and maintain the financial integrity of the nonprofit school nutrition program.
Payment of Meals:
Every student has a family meal account. Families may add money to their account the following ways:
- Pay Online: Make an on line payment to your family account using your credit or debit card at https://parent.payschools.com
- Pay in Person: Stop by any school office Monday through Friday to pay by cash or check. You may also send cash or check to school with your child. Checks should be made payable to Chariton Community School District. Please be sure to have your student name on the payment to ensure it is deposited into the correct account
- Pay in the Mail: Send a check to Chariton Community School District, Po Box 738, Chariton, IA 50049
Meal Charging:
- Students that fail to have account balances may charge meals under the following parameters:
- Students will be served a full reimbursable meal (breakfast or lunch).
- A reimbursable breakfast meal includes: one grain, choice of fruit or juice and one milk.
- A reimbursable lunch meal includes: one protein, one grain, one vegetable, one fruit and one milk.
- Once a student’s account has reached the equivalent of zero, no a la carte items may be purchased. This includes individual cartons of milk for students bringing their lunch from home.
- Students will be served a full reimbursable meal (breakfast or lunch).
Visiting Adults:
Adults wanting to eat a meal with a child at school, may purchase a meal the following ways:
- Use their child’s lunch account, providing there is a positive account balance and enough money in their child’s account to cover the cost of the adult meal.
- The visiting adult has cash to pay for the meal. *Note: Any change due from the purchase of a meal with cash will be deposited into the students lunch account. No change will be given.
Staff:
- Once a staff person’s account has reached a negative $11.25 (3 lunches), they will not be allowed to make any other charges until they put money into their account.
Meal Balance Notifications:
- Cashiers will make reasonable efforts to verbally notify students (Grades 6-12) and staff at the register once the account balance has dropped below $5.00.
- Chariton Community School District will be using an automated notification system to send notifications to parents regarding their family account balance.
- The parent will receive a phone call, text and/or email to the primary phone number and/or email that is listed in Infinite Campus.
- A low balance notification will be sent out weekly when the account reaches $5.00 or below
- A negative balance notification will be sent out three times per week when the account reaches a negative balance.
- Written communication will be mailed home when an account reaches a negative balance of $-20.00, this letter will refer the parent/guardian to the district meal charge policy and include an application to apply for free/reduced meals.
- Unpaid lunch balances will carry over from year to year. As a student prepares to graduate the balance will be reflected in the total bill owed to the District and it will be expected to be paid in full.
- The parent will receive a phone call, text and/or email to the primary phone number and/or email that is listed in Infinite Campus.
Meal Donations and Distribution of the Donated Funds:
- Donations:
- The board will gladly accept community support from groups or individuals who choose to make a tax-deductible donation specifically toward negative lunch balances to the District Business Office.
- All donations will go into the Angel account.
- The donor can specify if they want their donation to go to a specific family in need, or, if they want the donation to be distributed according to the district’s standard operating procedures, a form will be supplied to the donor.
- Families who have seniors graduating and no other student in school may transfer any unused funds into the angel account to be distributed according to the districts standard operation procedures.
- Distributing Donations from the Angel Account:
- The food service director and principal will make 3 attempts to collect meal debt.
- Once the district has taken all appropriate steps to collect debt, funds will be distributed according to the district’s standard operating procedures.
- Access to donated funds will be private, no information will be shared with the donor.
- Recipients for the donations will receive a letter showing the amount received into their account.
Communication of the Policy:
The policy and supporting information regarding meal charges shall be provided in writing to:
- All households at or before the start of each school year;
- Students and families who transfer into the district, at time of transfer; and
- All staff responsible for enforcing any aspect of the policy.
Records of how and when the policy and supporting information was communicated to households and staff will be retained by the District Office.
The Superintendent may develop an administrative process to implement this policy.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
ANGEL DONATIONS
DISTRIBUTED TO MEAL ACCOUNTS
When money is received as a donation to put in Meal Accounts, the following procedure will be utilized:
Lists for each of the groups below will be printed and kept on file for the date the deposit is being made.
Begin with the most negative balance.
Money will be put in accounts in this order:
Inactive Free students with a balance below $0.00
Active Free students with a balance below $0.00.
Inactive Reduced Students with a balance below $0.00
Active Reduced Students with a balance below $0.00
Inactive Paid students with a balance below $0.00
Active Paid students with a balance below $0.00
Legal Reference: 42 U.S.C. §§ 1751 et seq.
7 C.F.R. §§ 210 et seq.
U.S. DEP’T OF AGRIC., SP 46-2016, UNPAID MEAL CHARGES: LOCAL MEAL CHARGE POLICIES (2016).
U.S. DEP’T OF AGRIC., SP 47-2016, UNPAID MEAL CHARGES: CLARIFICATION ON COLLECTION OF DELINQUENT MEAL PAYMENTS (2016).
U.S. DEP’T OF AGRIC., SP 57-2016, UNPAID MEAL CHARGES: GUIDANCE AND Q&A (2016).
Iowa Code 283A.
281 I.A.C. 58.
Cross Reference: 710.1 School Food Program
710.2 Free or Reduced Cost Meals Eligibility
710.3 Vending Machine