Article 3                            BUSINESS OPERATIONS                      Policy No. 3571

Meal Charge Policy

It is the policy of the District to comply with the National School Lunch Program and School

Breakfast Program and all other federal grant programs that provide free or reduced meals to 

qualifying students.

Student Eligibility

Families of students who may be eligible for free or reduced price school meals should submit an 

application to determine their eligibility.  Applications are available through the Superintendent or 

Superintendent's designee.  As long as an application is submitted on or after July 1, the

application will be considered current for the new school  year.  A student may become eligible for 

free or reduced meals at any time during the school year if the household experiences a 

change in financial circumstances.

Meal Account Balances

The District will ensure that families can check their meal account balances in a manner other

than exclusively online.  The District will ensure that at least one form of meal account payment

is free of charge.

The District encourages families to pre-pay without charge for free or reduced price meals.  

Notwithstanding the option to pre-pay, students and families will have a method ot add funds during

the school day.  Any balance remaining in a pre-paid account shall carry over into the

next month.  Households approved for free or reduced price meals with funds remaining in their

meal account at the end of the school year shall receive a refund.  When a student leaves the 

District or graduates, the District shall attempt to contact the student's household to return any

funds remaining in the student's meal account.  

Unpaid meal charges may be carried over at the end of the school year as a delinquent debt and 

the District shall undertake reasonable collection efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified

as delinquent debt, pursuant to and in compliance with state and federal law.  The District shall

maintain records of its collection efforts and, once delinquent meal charges are converted to bad

debt, its documentation establishing and handling of the bad debt.

Student Confidentiality

The District will disclose individual student eligibility information only to those persons (and

organizations) who require the information in order to carry out an activity specifically

authorized by the National School Lunch Act, subject to applicable legal exceptions.

The District shall not use or implement any colored or coded meal cards, tickets, tokens, or other

methods of payment tha would overtly identify a student as being eligible for free or reduced 

price meals. 

Distribution Annually

This policy shall be provided in writing to all students' households at the start of each school 

year and to households transferring to the District during the school year.

This policy shall also be provided annually to District staff members responsible for the

enforcement of this policy, including food service professionals.  

The Superintendent or the Superintendent's designee shall maintain documentation of the annual

distribution of this policy to students' households and District staff.

Legal Reference:    Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751);

                                U.S.D.A Memorandum SP 57-2016

Date of Adoption:   June 19, 2017