Procedures: School Meal Account Procedures [Policy #V. A. 8. a.) SCHOOL MEALS Any student who attends a school in the North Smithfield School District may participate in the breakfast and lunch programs at his/her school. Students who do not qualify to receive free or reduced-price meals may purchase meals. If you are not eligible now but your income goes down, you lose your job, your family size becomes larger, or you become eligible for SNAP or RI Works, you may submit a Meal Application at that time. You may apply for benefits at any time during the school year. Every student has an account with the cafeteria computerized point of sale (POS) system. Students in elementary/K-5 schools use bar coded meal cards to access their accounts. Middle School and High School students use their school ID number or PIN. The account contains your child’s meal eligibility information and account balance. PAYMENT OPTIONS The North Smithfield School District and ARAMARK Food Service encourage parents/guardians to pre-pay meals for their children thereby eliminating situations that could develop during breakfast or lunchtime over negative balances. Parents and guardians may pay for school meals in advance online or in person. Meals may also be purchased individually on the day of service. Parents are encouraged to prepay for their child's meals so that money for meals is always available.

A. Online Payments: Pre-payments for lunch and breakfast can be made through the mySchoolBucks website starting November 26, 2012. Payments made through mySchoolBucks website via credit, debit, or eCheck will be assessed a $1.95/processing fee.

B. Cash and check payments will continue to be accepted at each school. a. Personal Check: Checks are the safest way for your child to add money to their meal account. Checks are deposited into your child’s account on the day it is received. i. Checks used to pay for school meals must meet the following criteria: 1. Only use a check that is pre-printed with your name and mailing address. 2. Make the check payable to: North Smithfield School Lunch 3. Write your student’s full name and classroom in the corner or memo area. 4. Write the check amount clearly. b. Cash Payments i. Grades K-5: If you send cash with your child, please place it in a sealed envelope. Be sure to write your child’s name, grade, and classroom number on the envelope. ii. Grades 6-12: Cash is accepted in the cafeteria at the registers. Cash is deposited into your child’s account on the day it is received. CHECKS RETURNED AS UNPAID OR UNPROCESSED When a check is returned to the North Smithfield School Department Business Office as unpaid or unprocessed from the bank, a letter will be sent from the Business Office informing the parent(s) that their child’s school meal account will be debited for the amount of the returned check plus a returned check fee. Should the school meal account become negative because of the returned check fee debit, the student’s meal account will go into immediately closure status. If the district receives two returned checks from a household, the student/students’ accounts are blocked from accepting checks as payment. Please contact the Business Office for the current returned check fee. REFUND OR TRANSFER OF MEAL ACCOUNT FUNDS Please note that a student’s meal account money is automatically carried over to the next school year EXCEPT after completion of the 12th grade. If your child will not be attending a school within the North Smithfield School District, his/her money can be transferred to a sibling in the family or refunded after completion of the Meal Account Refund/Transfer of Funds Request form. This form will be available on our website (www.northsmithfieldschools.com) under the “Parents Tab”, “School Lunch”, on the District Home Page.

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The completed form may be mailed to: Aramark School Nutrition Services 412 Greenville Road North Smithfield, RI 02896 Please allow 30 days for your request to be processed. Refunds will be made by check only. No credit cards will be credited with a refund. Convenience fees charged for making on-line payments are non-refundable. Please contact the Aramark School Nutrition office at (401) 597-6128 if you have any questions or need clarification. THE ABILITY TO MONITOR YOUR ACCOUNT(S) AND STUDENT PURCHASES THROUGH MYSCHOOLBUCKS WEBSITE. A. Parents/guardians will be able [and are strongly encouraged] to monitor their children’s breakfast/lunch account activity through the mySchoolBucks website online system. This system can be used to confirm payments have been received, make payments, and monitor account activity. B. The mySchoolBucks website also has the ability to automatically send out balance alerts to parents/guardians as their children draw down from their accounts. Registration for the mySchoolBucks website will be made available on November 26, 2012. Information will be available on our website (www.northsmithfieldschools.com) under the “Parents Tab”, “School Lunch”, on the District Home Page. NEGATIVE BALANCE PROCEDURES FOR THE SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM Both the North Smithfield School District and ARAMARK are committed to providing meals to students who choose to participate in the program but also feel very strongly that there is an obligation to take care of debts in a timely manner. There is a responsibility on the part of the students and parents/guardians to satisfy all financial obligations to the lunch program. In order to provide students and parents/guardians in the North Smithfield School District with the best possible service, clarity, and accountability surrounding the school lunch program, the following procedures regarding student lunch account balances will be implemented November 10, 2011. Students with No Money for Lunch or a Negative mySchoolBucks Account Balance Going forward, two situations can occur: a) “Cash” Payments: Students who typically pay by “cash” [pay as you go] – and do not have any money on any given day b) mySchoolBucks Payment: Students who “pay” from their mySchoolBucks account/ balance whose account is in deficit. Elementary Level: In both “a & b” above:  A maximum of three (3) “regular/hot” lunches will be allowed to be “charged” at the elementary level. Repayment is expected in two (2) school days.  Once a student has charged a total of three (3) “regular/hot” lunches with no repayment, that student will then receive a “sandwich” lunch consisting of a sandwich, fruit, and milk in place of a regular/hot lunch. This meal maintains the USDA standards surrounding reimbursable meals and will be charged at full price to the student’s account.  See “$10.00 & $20.00 Negative Balance” information below. Secondary Level: In both “a & b” above:  No charging of the “regular/hot” school lunch is permitted.  The student will receive a “sandwich” lunch - sandwich, fruit, and milk in place of a regular/hot lunch. This meal maintains the USDA standards surrounding reimbursable meals and will be charged at full price to the student’s account.  See “$10.00 & $20.00 Negative Balance” information below. $10.00 Negative Balance Threshold 1. The Food Service Office will send letters weekly to parents/guardians of elementary school students whose balances exceed $10.00. A weekly list of negative account balances of more than $10.00 will be forwarded to each Principal by ARAMARK. 2. Once balance notification has been sent out, parents/guardians will have five (5) days to pay or make arrangements to pay outstanding student balances.

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$20.00 Negative Balance Threshold 1. Once balance notification has been sent out, parents will have five (5) days to pay or make arrangements to pay outstanding student balances. 2. Student accounts with balances higher than negative twenty dollars (-$20.00) for which payment arrangements have not been made are subject to “closure” - the accounts will be closed out and they cannot participate in the lunch program until such time as the negative balance is addressed. 3. Under an extreme situation of nonpayment/communication, it may be necessary to withhold report cards should a negative balance remain outstanding with no follow up from the parent/guardian. CHARGING TO A MYSCHOOLBUCKS STUDENT ACCOUNT THAT IS IN “GOOD STANDING” Students may charge their accounts only for a “regular/hot” [reimbursable] breakfast, lunch, or milk. FREE/REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATIONS A. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to submit free/reduced lunch application forms annually as well as when their household information or income changes. Applications can be submitted at any time and are available during registration or through individual schools as well as on the district’s website: www.northsmithfieldschools.com. While North Smithfield School District strongly encourages families to apply for free/reduced meal benefits, the final application responsibility lies with the parents/guardians. B. Free/reduced applications will also become a part of all paperwork provided to families of students transferring into the North Smithfield School District.

October 15, 2013 January 22, 2014 (Revised)

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