PACT Charter School

Original Creation Date: November 2, 2023
Last Approved By: PACT Charter School Board of Directors
Last Approved Date: July 11, 2024
Year Reviewed: 2024-2025

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that students receive healthy and nutritious meals through PACT’s nutrition program and that charter school employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges.  The policy of the charter school is to provide meals to students in a respectful manner and to maintain the dignity of students by prohibiting lunch shaming or otherwise ostracizing the student. The policy seeks to allow students to receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day and minimize identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for a la carte items or second meals as well as to maintain the financial integrity of the school nutrition program.

PAYMENT OF MEALS 

Upon enrollment students are assigned a meal account in Infinite Campus. Families can add funds to their student’s account through Infinite Campus.  When a student's meal account balance reaches a predetermined amount, Infinite Campus sends an automated email notice to the student’s guardian.

1. A school that participates in the United States Department of Agriculture National School Lunch Program and has an Identified Student Percentage at or above the federal percentage determined for all meals to be reimbursed at the free rate must participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision in order to participate in the free school meals program.

2. Each school that participates in the free school meals program must:

(1) participate in the United States Department of Agriculture School Breakfast Program and the United States Department of Agriculture National School Lunch Program; and

(2) provide to all students at no cost up to two federally reimbursable meals per school day, with a maximum of one free breakfast and one free lunch.

C.  Once a meal has been placed on a student’s tray or otherwise served to a student, the meal may not be subsequently withdrawn from the student by the cashier or other school official, whether or not the student has an outstanding meal balance.

D. An entry to a student’s meal account is only made upon that student entering their pre-assigned PIN.  This will generate a journal entry of a meal or ala carte item served and the corresponding cost subtracted from the account balance.  Currently, with one meal served at no charge to each student each day, only extra milk, or a single milk purchased without a school meal, will be charged to the account.F. Funds be transferred between sibling accounts by school personnel when it is necessary to offset another sibling’s negative balance. This may be done with or without prior parent or guardian permission.

LOW OR NEGATIVE ACCOUNT BALANCES – NOTIFICATION 

1. Infinite Campus will send an automated email to families when their student’s meal account balances are low or fall below zero.
2. Families will be notified of an outstanding negative balance by the school’s business office or Food Service Director at the end of each school year. Full payment is expected no later than June 30th of that year.
3. Reminders for payment of outstanding student meal balances will not demean or stigmatize any student participating in the school lunch program, including, but not limited to, dumping meals, withdrawing a meal that has been served, announcing or listing students’ names publicly, providing alternative meals not specifically related to dietary needs; providing nonreimbursable meals; or affixing stickers, stamps, or pins.

UNPAID MEAL CHARGES

1. PACT will make reasonable efforts to communicate with families to resolve the matter of unpaid charges. Where appropriate, families may be encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price meals for their children.
2. PACT will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt.  Unpaid meal charges are designated as delinquent debt when payment is overdue, the debt is considered collectible, and efforts are being made to collect it.
3. Negative balances of more than $25.00, not paid prior to June 30 of that school year, will be turned over to the Superintendent of Schools. In some instances, PACT does use a collection agency to collect unpaid school meal debts after reasonable efforts first have been made by the charter school to collect the debt. Collection options may include, but are not limited to, use of collection agencies, claims in the conciliation court, or any other legal method permitted by law. 
4. PACT may not enlist the assistance of non-charter school employees, such as volunteers, to engage in debt collection efforts.
5. PACT will not impose any other restriction prohibited under Minnesota Statutes, section 123B.37 due to unpaid student meal balances. PACT will not limit a student’s participation in any school activities, graduation ceremonies, field trips, athletics, activity clubs, or other extracurricular activities or access to materials, technology, or other items provided to students due to an unpaid student meal balance. 

 COMMUNICATION OF POLICY 

1. This policy and any pertinent supporting information shall be provided in writing (i.e., mail, email, back-to-school packet, student handbook, etc.) to: 

• all households at or before the start of each school year;
• students and families who transfer into the charter school, at the time of enrollment; and
• all PACT personnel who are responsible for enforcing this policy.

 B.  PACT will post this policy on its website, or the website of the organization where the meal is served, in addition to providing the required written notification described above.

 C.  If PACT contracts with a third party for its meal services, it will provide the vendor with its school meals policy. PACT will ensure that any third-party provider with whom the charter school enters into either an original or modified contract after July 1, 2021, adheres to the charter school’s school meals policy.

Legal References: Minn. Stat. § 123B.37 (Prohibited Fees)

Minn. Stat. § 124D.111 (School Meals Policies; Lunch Aid; Food Service Accounting)

42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq. (Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act)

7 C.F.R. § 210 et seq. (School Lunch Program Regulations)

7 C.F.R. § 220.8 (School Breakfast Program Regulations)

USDA Policy Memorandum SP 46-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies (2016) 

USDA Policy Memorandum SP 47-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments (2016) 

USDA Policy Memorandum SP 23-2017, Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A

Cross References:     None