Mayfield Central School District (here after known as MCSD) will provide a non-identifying reimbursable meal to any child who has a negative balance. Negative balances will not be discussed with student in front of other students. Just a simple reminder of needing money will be verbalized to students.
Parent/guardians can request any MCSD student to not be allowed to charge meals using the Point of Sale notes part of the program. Manager can access this portion of the program.
All food service staff will be trained to not discuss negative balances in front of other students. Manager and cashier(s) will be trained to say such things as “you are going to need money,” “have your parent/guardian check your account,” “have parent/guardian call Manager.”
FRLP applications will be sent home at the beginning of each school year. MCSD will provide a 30-operating day carryover from previous school year or until new determination is made, whichever comes first. Reminder calls are to be made when the 30 day carryover deadline is getting close. Also to be advertised on the Food Service portion of the website. FRLP applications will be offered to households with large negative balances.
Notification procedures – POS email sent out every Thursday afternoon of an operating school week. Phone calls home from Manager when no money is handed in. Give list of negative balances to administrators to follow up with. For emails that do not go thru, letters will be mailed home. Parent/ guardians will be encouraged to keep an updated working email on file to receive any electronic communication from the district.
FRLP applications will be sent home and/or Direct Certification look up will take place to the household when child/children owe more then 5 (five) meals.
- Make every attempt to determine if a student is directly certified and eligible for free meals;
- In addition to sending home application at the beginning of the year, make two additional attempts to encourage the parent/guardian to complete an income application on behalf of the child;
- Contact the parent/guardian to offer assistance to complete the application and to determining if there are other factors of why the child does not have sufficient food or funds to purchase a meal and offer other assistance as appropriate.
Decreasing Student Distress – MCSD employees will not publicly discuss negative balances with student. May ask student to speak privately and the student will just be reminded that they need money for their meal account. Notices will be mailed home or given to homeroom teachers, folded in half with student name and teacher to be sent home that day. No alternate meals will be given. No debt collector service will be used.
Establish with school liaisons to ensure all migrant, foster, homeless and runaway children are immediately certified for free meals. Students transferring from a CEP or Provision 2 participating school to a non-participating school MUST be provided 30 days free eligibility or until a new eligibility determination is made, whichever comes first. MCSD should accept the free/reduced price eligibility from transfer students with proof of application from the previous district.
At the discretion of MCSD, the non-profit school food service account funds may be used to lower or eliminate the reduced price meal cost to the student. The prohibition against Meal Shaming legislation does not intend to allow for the unlimited accrual of debt. Mayfield CSD has included a clear explanation of their plan describing the collection procedures that will be implemented to recoup unpaid meal charges. Mayfield CSD procedures shall be directed to the parent or guardian and if possible should provide repayment options. Mayfield CSD cannot/will not use a debt collection services.
Mayfield CSD must also ensure that the non-profit food service account is reimbursed for all outstanding meal charges no later than June 30 of each school year. Funds used to reimburse the foodservice account must be taken from a non federal source such as the schools general fund. All funds recouped after the nonprofit foodservice account is made whole should be deposited into the general fund or other account used to replenish the school foodservice account. Mayfield CSD must maintain adequate documentation to substantiate the transfer of funds for the equivalent of all unpaid meal debt to the school foodservice account each year.