• Food & Nutrition Services – Danville Community School Corporation

    CHARGE PROCEDURE/COLLECTION PROCEDURE/INACTIVE ACCOUNT PROCEDURE

     

    GOALS:

    • To encourage parents to assume appropriate parental responsibilities
    • To treat all students with dignity about their meal account in the serving line
    • To create positive situations with staff, students and parents
    • To provide age-appropriate policies
    • To establish a consistent district procedure regarding charges and collection of charges

     

    Procedure for Student Lunch/Meal Accounts- School Board Approved July 2022

     

    The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) requires school food authorities to establish written administrative guidelines and procedures for meal charges.  Danville Community School Corporation will adhere to the following meal charge procedure.

     

    • Cafeteria purchases may be prepaid before meal service begins or cash may be given at the point of sale.  Parents may make online payments through the parent portal of the student system or send a cash/check with their student to the school.  A check is preferred, as it can be tracked.  A fee will be applied to online payments. 

     

    • Direct certification lookups will be performed as much as possible to ensure that students who automatically qualify for free/reduced meals will not accrue a balance.

     

    • A student may charge up to 5 breakfast and 5 lunches as long as they establish and maintain a good credit history of making payments on their food service accounts.   

     

    • A staff member may charge up to $30 as long as they establish and maintain a good credit history of making payments on their food service accounts.

     

    • A student who has a negative balance may not charge "a la carte" item(s), including extra main entrees.  If the student brings cash, they may purchase extras.

     

    • If a student repeatedly comes to school with no lunch and no money, food service employees must report this to the building principal as this may be a sign of abuse or neglect and the proper authorities should be contacted.

     

    • Schools will make every effort not to deny a student a meal and will work with households on this matter.

     

    • The food service manager or other school personnel will coordinate communications with the parent(s)/guardian(s) to resolve the matter of unpaid charges.

     

    • The food service department will take proactive measures to alert households of low balances.  The automated email system will notify parents every Tuesday and Friday of any low balance outstanding negative balance in the student’s lunch/meal account.

     

    • All accounts must be settled by the end of the school year or when the student leaves the district. Negative balances of more than $30 not paid in full by the end of the school year will force the Corporation to take action to collect unpaid funds by means of collection agencies, small claims court, or any other legal method deemed necessary by the Corporation.  School officials will work together with families to create a plan for payment of outstanding balances.

     

    • Students who graduate or withdraw from the corporation and have a positive balance in their lunch/meal food service account will be given a refund as referenced in SB policy #6620.  If efforts have been made to contact the household and a balance is unclaimed after a period of time then the remaining balances will be transferred to the food service prepaid fund.