Food Service Charging Policy

 

The Bangor Area School District Cafeteria is serviced with a student account system. This system is a pre-paid program that allows students to deposit their meal money into their meal accounts to be used to purchase meals, snacks, and beverages. Please read the following policy on making deposits, charging your students’ accounts, and payments returned due to insufficient funds.

 

o Students are asked to pre-deposit money into their accounts to make purchases in the cafeteria. Cash can be accepted at any service station during meal periods, but any change will be applied to the student’s meal account to be used for future purchases.

o Deposits can be made with personal checks, money orders, and cash, which should be placed in a cafeteria-supplied envelope or similar envelope with the child’s name and grade listed on the front. Personal checks and money orders are suggested and made payable to: Bangor Area School District Cafeteria.

o You may also make deposits and check balances on-line by going to www.schoolcafe.com and setting up an account. For more information, please check out the school district website.

o Students in grades K-6 who bring their deposits to school will give their envelopes to their teacher in charge. All other grades will drop their deposits off in a designated area of the cafeteria or hand them to the cashier in line.  It is recommended that students use the designated area, since the lunch line is busy and the area provides staff with the time to efficiently handle deposits.

o Personal checks are cashed and processed with the bank on the same day of business. Post-dated checks will not be accepted. Please be sure to have sufficient funds.

o Returned checks will be assessed the same fee charged by the district’s bank and applied to your student’s account. If checks are returned due to insufficient funds, a letter from the school district office will be sent to your home requesting re-payment of check value plus the bank fee, if applicable.

o Students in grades 9-12 will be notified by the cashier if their balance is getting low. Letters will be sent home to parents/guardians of students whose accounts are below the “negative” threshold.  Parents/Guardians may also sign up for email alerts through the SchoolCafe System.

O Should a student forget their deposit and does not have enough money on their account, the child may still get a meal of their choice, however, this meal will be charged to the account. To make a meal, students must select food from at least three (3) different food groups. At least one item must be a 1/2 cup of fruit, 1/2 cup of vegetable, or a 4oz fruit juice. Students will be told at the register if they do not have the proper items to constitute a meal what they need to put on their tray to make a complete meal.

o If a student’s account is at a negative balance, non-meal food items, such as snacks or alternate beverages, will not be allowed and will be removed from their purchase choices.

o The negative balance will be satisfied first with any deposits made and the leftover money will be made available on account.

o Full Meal Price will be free for a breakfast meal and $2.55 for a lunch meal for grades K-6 and free for a breakfast meal and $2.65 for a lunch meal for grades 7-12. Snacks and alternate beverages are priced separately.

o Free and reduced-priced meal students will need money on their accounts if they wish to buy snacks and alternative beverages only.

o To see if you qualify for free or reduced-priced meals, apply online at www.schoolcafe.com or contact the food service office to get a paper application mailed to you.  It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to ensure that the application is submitted within the allocated grace period each school year.  Please see the school website for more information regarding the grace period.  Any negative balances accrued are the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility if an application is not received within this allocated time.

o The school district reserves the right to take legal action against parents/guardians, responsible adults, and/or emancipated students to

recover monies for debts resulting from excessive charges to student accounts.

o If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the cafeteria office at 610-599-7021

 

 

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

 

 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

 

 

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.