Springfield Public Schools
File: EF-AP1
Meal Charge Procedure:
Unless meals are provided at no charge, the district expects students and employees to pay for meals prior to or at the time of receipt. The ability to charge meals is subject to the limitations established in this procedure.
Purpose: The purpose of this procedure is to establish consistent meal charge account procedures throughout the district. Unpaid charges place a financial strain on the Nutrition Services Department. The goals of this procedure are: • To establish a consistent district policy/procedure regarding charges and collection of charges. • To treat all students with dignity in the serving line regarding meal accounts.
• To support positive situations with district staff, district business policies, students and
parents/guardians/adult students to the maximum extent possible.
• To encourage parents/guardians/adult students to assume the responsibility of meal payments and topromote self responsibility of the student.
The Nutrition Service Department: Responsible for maintaining charge records and notifying the school district of outstanding balances. Springfield Public Schools will notify parent/guardian/adult student of negative balance of account by email, phone or letter.
The School District: Responsible for supporting the Nutrition Service Department in collection activities. The Parent/Guardian/Adult Student: To keep student accounts at a zero balance. If a delinquent account balance is present, the parent/guardian/adult student is required to immediately pay off the balance due. If a hardship exists the parent/guardian/adult student is required to work with the school district to set up a repayment of the delinquent account balance.
Notice:
At the beginning of each school year, a copy of this procedure will be provided to every parent/guardian in the district as required by law. In addition, a copy of this procedure, along with information about free and reduced-price school meals, will be provided to the parents/guardians of all students who enroll after the beginning of the school year.
A copy of this procedure will also be provided to all building administrators, staff responsible for collecting payment for meals at the point of service, staff involved with notifying parents/guardians about account balances, school social workers, nurses, counselors, the district liaison for homeless children and youths, and any other staff who regularly assist students in need.
A copy of this procedure will also be posted on the district’s website, and information about charging meals will be included in the student handbook.
Employees:
Employees may not charge meals or a' la carte items. Employees are expected to pay for meals prior to or at the time of receipt.
Meal Charge Procedure:
❖ When a student has $5 in charges, the district will encourage the parents/guardians to submit an application for free and reduced-price meals if an application has not been recently submitted.
• The District may meet with the student to assess to the extent possible whether the student or the student’s family is experiencing hardships, barriers or other circumstances with which the counselor could assist. • Encourage the parents/guardians to submit the free and reduced-priced meals application and inquire about any assistance that might be needed to complete the application.
• Provide other resources as applicable.
❖ Notice of deficit balances that are greater than one (1) dollar will be sent to parents/guardians/adult students at set times during the week. The district will notify parents/guardians/adult students by an automated phone message (daily), email (weekly) or letter (weekly) of deficit balances greater than one (1) dollar.
❖ The district will work with parents/guardians to create a payment plan that allows for the payment of accumulated balances over time.
❖ No student regardless of eligibility will be allowed to purchase ala –carte items if the student has a deficit balance. Students will not be able to purchase any ala carte items even if they have cash. They must pay their lunch account balance before purchasing ala carte items.
❖ If a student re-enrolls into Springfield Public School District and there is a delinquent debt on the meal account the debt will be reapplied to the student’s lunch account and efforts to collect the debt will continue.
❖ District employees are mandated by the state of Missouri to report any instances of suspected abuse or neglect to the Children's Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services. District personnel will report to the CD any instance where a student's arrival at school with no provision for food leads to a reasonable cause to suspect neglect. Point of Sale System:
❖ All school cafeterias possess computerized point of sale systems that maintain a record of all monies deposited and spent for each student. If a parent/guardian/adult student would like a copy of said record they will need to contact the Nutrition Service Department. Parents can also obtain a copy of their student account transactions via their students “My Payments Plus” account.
Student Meal Account:
❖ Parents/guardians/adult students have the ability to place funds on two different meal options (general and meal) of their student’s lunch account. The “General” account will allow your student to purchase both a reimbursable meal as well as purchase ala carte snacks. The “Meal” account will allow your student to purchase only a reimbursable meal.
❖ At any time, parents/guardians/adult students are able to move your student’s monies on account to either option by contacting the Nutrition Service Department.
Prepayments on Student Account:
❖ Meals can be prepaid at any time. Prepayments can be made by check or cash presented to your child’s cafeteria. Prepayments can also be made through “My Payments Plus” by going to https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome . This gives parents/guardians/adult students the capability of using their credit/debit card for purchases. There are numerous advantages to using the online system including updated account balances, email notification of low balance accounts and history of purchases made by the student.
Returned Checks:
❖ Checks returned for non-sufficient funds are processed through “Check Readi”, a third-party collection site. Refunds of Student Accounts:
❖ Parents/guardians/adult students can request a refund of a student account by contacting the Nutrition Service Department. Parents/guardians/adult students are also able to transfer any funds from a graduating student to a siblings account.
❖ Parents/guardians/adult students may also donate any remaining funds on a student’s account to a student in need. Please contact the Nutrition Service Department for assistance.
❖ All refunds must be requested within 90 days. Any unclaimed funds after 90 days will then become the property of the Springfield Public Schools R-12 Food Service Program. These funds will be allocated to other students in need. Delinquent Debt:
Unpaid meal charges will be considered a delinquent debt 90 days after notice that charges are due when no payment or payment plan agreement has been made. Unpaid charges will be considered delinquent as long as the district determines the debt is collectible and efforts to collect the debt are ongoing. The district will make reasonable efforts to collect delinquent debit, including turning over unpaid meal charge balances to a collection agency when the superintendent or designee determines such action is in the best interest of the district. The district’s Nonprofit School Food Services Account (NSFSA) funds may be used to cover the costs of reasonable efforts to collect delinquent debt, including costs associated with using a collection agency. Bad Debt:
When the district determines that collection of delinquent debt is impossible or too costly, the debt will be reclassified as bad debt. Bad debt is debt that will be written off as an operating cost. These costs must be restored using nonfederal funds. NSFSA resources may not be used to cover any costs related to bad debt. Instead, local funds will be used to cover the costs. Records:
The district will maintain detailed records pertaining to delinquent and bad debt, including;
1. Evidence of efforts to collect unpaid meal charges.
2. Evidence that collection efforts fell within the time frame and methods established by this procedure. 3. Financial records showing when delinquent debt became bad debt.
4. Evidence that funds written off as bad debt were restored to the NSFSA from nonfederal sources. Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: Program.Intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Updated:06/03/2024