In accordance with state and federal law, the Glenwood Community School District adopts the following policy to ensure school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges. The policy seeks to allow students to receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day, prevent the overt identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for school meals, and maintain the financial integrity of the nonprofit school nutrition program.
Payment of Meals
Students have use of a meal account with a 4 digit pin number and barcode for ease of use during the lunch service times. All meal purchases are to be prepaid before meal service begins. Due to time constraints cash is not accepted during the meal service time as this will slow down service and not allow students sufficient time to eat. Negative accounts are for emergencies only. When the balance reaches $0.00 a student may charge no more than $20.00 per student to this account. The Glenwood Community School District appreciates you always keeping a positive balance. keeping a positive balance at all times. When an account reaches this limit, a student shall not be allowed to charge further meals until the negative account balance is paid. Please send lunch from home to school with your student until the negative balance is paid. Students who do not have sufficient funds shall not be allowed to purchase any ala carte items until additional money is deposited in the student account. All ala carte purchases must come from a positive balance in account.
We offer 2 payment methods:
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Online payments at ezschoolpay.com so parents can monitor their child’s meal account balance and transactions online and set up a payment reminder email for FREE. Also, parents may make pre-payments into their child’s account anytime using Visa or MasterCard (credit or debit). The convenience fee of $3.00 is charged by the school district. The fee is designed to cover or offset the normal costs of processing credit card transactions and other costs associated with maintaining a credit card merchant account. If you wish to use this service, you may sign up at www.ezschoolpay.com.
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Cash or check deposits are accepted by the food service clerk or the school office at each school. You may send this deposit with your student or bring in yourself. We ask that you send funds to school please put it in a sealed envelope with the student's name and teacher’s name on the envelope at the elementary levels.
Students who qualify for free meals shall never be denied a reimbursable meal, even if they have accrued a negative balance from previous purchases. Students with outstanding meal charge debt shall be allowed to purchase a meal if the student pays for the meal the day it is received. Please bring these funds into the clerk to deposit before serving time.
The Glenwood School District Superintendent or Director of Food Service may provide an exception to the negative balance limits due to hardship. Please contact the Food Service Office at 712-527-5029 to discuss options if the balance exceeds the negative $20.00 limit per student.
Employees may not charge for meals; negative accounts are not allowed except for an emergency that is pre approved by the Food Service Director. When an account reaches a $0.00 balance, an employee shall not be allowed to charge for meals or ala carte items until the negative account balance is positive.
Negative Account Balances
The school district will make reasonable efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low. Additionally, the school district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. The school district will coordinate communications with families to resolve the matter of unpaid charges. Families will be notified of an outstanding negative balance once the negative balance reaches $0.00. Notification will happen through text notification, phone calls, emails and payment reminders brought home by students at all grade levels.
Elementary families will be notified by email, phone calls, text and computer-generated payment reminders.
Middle School and High School students upon request may be notified in the service line lunch line of lunch balances and families will be notified by email, phone calls, text and computer-generated payment reminders.
Families using the ezschoolpay.com program can set up automatic reminders via email at whatever dollar value the customer chooses for FREE.
Family negative balances of more than $50.00, not paid prior to 30 days will be turned over to the Superintendent or Superintendent’s designee for collection. Options may include any legal method permitted by law. Options may include: collection agencies, small claims court, or any other legal method permitted by law.
Unpaid Student Meals Account
The district will establish an unpaid student meals account in a school nutrition fund. Funds from private sources and funds from the district flexibility account may be deposited into the unpaid school meals account in accordance with law. Funds deposited into this account shall be used only to pay individual student meal debt.
Communication of the Policy
The policy and supporting information regarding meal charges shall be provided in writing to:
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All households at or before the start of each school year;
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Students and families who transfer into the district, at time of transfer; and
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All staff responsible for enforcing any aspect of the policy.
Records of how and when the policy and supporting information was communicated to households and staff will be retained.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent to develop an administrative regulation for implementing this policy.
All negative balances must be paid in order for students to walk in commencement.
If you have any questions, please call the Food Services Office at 712-527-5029 or Central Office at 712-527-9034.