Prohibition Against Meal Shaming

The Board of Education recognizes that on occasion students may not have enough funds for a meal. To ensure that students do not go hungry, but also to promote responsible student behavior and minimize the fiscal burden the district, the Board will allow students who do not have enough funds to “charge” the cost of meals to be paid back at a later date subject to the terms of the policy.

To comply with state guidelines and maintain a system for accounting for charged meals, regarding both full and reduced price meals, the board shall:

1. Allow only regular reimbursable meals to be charged, excluding extras, a la carte items and snacks;
2. Limit the number of charges to five (5) per student per year in the secondary level; and
3. Use a computer-generated point of sale system which identifies and records all meals as well as collects repayments.

Charged meals must be counted and claimed for reimbursement on the day that the student received the meal, not the day the charge is paid back. When charges are paid, these monies are not to be considered a la carte transactions, as a section on the daily cash report or deposit summary reads “charges paid.”

Students who have reached the limit of “charged” meals may be offered an “alternate” meal determined by the district. The district shall take into consideration extenuating circumstances. The cost of the alternate meal, though less than the regular meal, shall be added to the student’s account. Alternate meals shall be provided as discretely as possible, before a student obtains a regular meal.

Parents shall be discretely notified of student account balances regularly. When a student’s account balance falls to five dollars ($5) and whenever a meal is charged, the district will discretely notify the student and the parent/guardian of the balance, the process to refill the account and the district’s policy on charging school meals and alternate meals. This notification will continue regularly until the account is replenished. Parents must repay all unpaid charges remaining at the end of the school year or before their child leaves the district, whichever occurs first.

The school district shall notify all parents/guardians in writing on an annual basis at the start of the school year and to families transferring during the year, outlining the requirements of this policy. The policy shall also be published in appropriate school and district publications. All staff involved in implementing and enforcing this policy shall also be notified of these requirements and their responsibilities.

Unpaid meal charges are a financial burden to the district and taxpayers and can negatively effect the school program. Unpaid meal charges shall be considered “delinquent” as per the district’s accounting practices. The district shall attempt to recover unpaid meal charges before the end of the school year, but may continue efforts into the next school year. Students with unpaid meal charges at the start of the year will not be able to charge meals. The district shall notify parents/guardians of unpaid meal charges at regular intervals. The district shall offer repayment plans and may take other actions that do not result in harm or shame to the student until unpaid charges are paid.

back to top