3310-Meal Charge Policy

Policy Number: 3310

Dated:  August 3rd, 2017

Meal Charge Policy

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Purpose

The goal of American Leadership Academy is to provide student access to nutritious no or low-cost  meals each school day. 

However, unpaid charges place a large financial burden on our school. The purpose of this policy is to  ensure compliance with federal requirements for the USDA Child Nutrition Program, and to provide  oversight and accountability for the collection of outstanding student meal balances. 

The intent of this policy is to establish procedures to address unpaid meal charges throughout American  Leadership Academy. The provisions of this policy pertain to regular priced school lunch meals only.  American Leadership Academy provides this policy as a courtesy to those students in the event that they  forget or lose their lunch money.  


Guidelines

∙ Free Meal Benefit: Free eligible students will be allowed to receive a free lunch each day. Lunch applications take up to 10 days to process and do not cover any previous lunch charges. All lunches received before the application approval will be charged at the “Full Price Rate” and must be paid in full. A la carte purchases must be paid/prepaid. 

∙ If the student’s family receives benefits from the Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),  the Family Employment Program (FEP), or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations  (FDPIR), the household qualifies for meals at no charge.

∙ Reduced Meal Benefit: Reduced eligible students will be allowed to receive a lunch for $.40 each day.  

∙ Families can apply for free and reduced price meals at any time during the school year. 

∙ Full Pay Students: Students will pay for meals at the school’s published paid meal rate each day.  ∙ All students shall be allowed if needed, up to a $10.00 dollar negative balance. This $10.00 leeway is to give sufficient time for payment processing.

∙ Parents/Guardians are responsible for meal payment to the food service program. Students/Parents/Guardians may pay for meals in advance online: Online payments can be paid at https://secureinstantpayments.com. It takes up to 2 business days for online payments to  appear on the students lunch account.  

∙ Payments in person or by phone can be made at the JH front office. The JH front office accepts  cash, check and credit cards.  

∙ Funds should be maintained in accounts to minimize the possibility that a child may be without  meal money on any given day. Any remaining funds for a particular student may/will be carried  over to the next school year. 

∙ Parents/Guardians will be notified by email when the account balance is low and receive a  phone call before reaching a $10.00 negative balance. 

∙ The Food Service Director will send written notice to the parent/guardian of a  student whose meal account balance reaches a debt of $30.00. The notice shall notify the  parent that the school may begin collection efforts, including employing a collection agency, if  the debt is not paid by a specified date. 

∙ A written or e-mailed request for a refund of any money remaining in their account must be  submitted by withdrawing or graduating students. Students who are graduating at the end of  the year will be given the option to transfer to a sibling’s account with a written request. 

∙ Unclaimed Funds must be requested within one month of the end of the school year.  Unclaimed funds will then become the property of American Leadership Academy Food Service  Program. 

∙ The food service staff will exercise sensitivity and confidentiality in serving students with  insufficient or negative meal accounts. No employee will subject a student to embarrassment or  ridicule based on the balance in his or her meal account. 

∙ There will be no physical segregation of, nor any discrimination against, any student because of  his or her inability to pay the full price of the meal or due to his or her eligibility for free and  reduced price meals. The names of the students eligible to receive free and reduced price meals  shall not be published, posted, or announced in any manner, and there shall be no overt  identification of any such students by any means. 

∙ If a student is without meal money on a consistent basis, the administration will investigate the  situation more closely and take further action as needed. If financial hardship exists, parents  and families are encouraged to apply for free or reduced price lunches for their child if  applicable. 

∙ Certain privileges may be denied to students whose meal account balances are delinquent. A  student with delinquent meal charges may be denied the opportunity to participate in  graduation ceremonies, attend reward activities, participate in extra-curricular activities or  receive a yearbook early.