Food Service PolicyFood Service Policy #8500

Negative Account Balance Policy

No student will be permitted to purchase any meals for which the student does not have sufficient balance in his/her food service account or sufficient cash on his/her person to purchase the food items.

Students receiving paid or reduced-price lunch who do not have sufficient account balance or cash on hand to purchase a meal will be provided an alternative meal that meets the USDA guidelines applicable to alternative meal options. The District Administrator shall, in coordination with the District's food service, assure that any alternative meals that are provided meet the requisite USDA guidelines for alternative meals. The cost of the alternative meal will be added to the delinquent account.

A student who has exceeded the permissible negative balance amount in his/her account and does not have cash on hand sufficient to purchase a meal will be provided an alternative meal, subject to USDA guidelines applicable to alternative meals. The District will provide meals to students with unpaid meal balances without stigmatizing them, will provide parents of students who charge meals with notification when a student charges a meal, and will make efforts to collect the charges incurred by the students so that the unpaid charges are not classified as bad debt at the end of the school year.