Grayson County Public Schools

Unpaid Meal Charges

All schools are Community Eligibility Program (CEP) schools which means that students may have one breakfast and lunch at no cost each school day.

Students may charge no more than $10.00 for 2nd meals or a la carte items.

Adults are allowed to purchase meals and a la carte items. Adults are not allowed to charge items.

Communication of the Policy

1. The meal charge policy will be posted on the school system website and will be included in the student information packet distributed at the beginning of each school year.
2. School Nutrition Program (SNP) staff will receive training on meal charge policy and a record of the training will be maintained as part of the professional development portfolio.
3. Documentation of the communication and training plan will be maintained for the Federal Program Administrative Review.

Notification of Negative Balances

School nutrition staff will notify households of negative balances by either telephone, mail, or a letter sent home with students. Any communication related to school meal debt will be directed to the parent.

The student’s household may be notified by email by My School Bucks software if the low balance notification is set up by parents through the website, www.myschoolbucks.com.

Collection of Delinquent Charge Debt

The superintendent or superintendent’s designee ensures that federal child nutrition funds are not used to offset the cost of unpaid meals and that the child nutrition program is reimbursed for bad debt. In order to accomplish those goals, the following procedures are followed:

Delinquent debt is allowable in the school nutrition program and may be carried over to one successive school year. Bad debt is defined as delinquent debt that is deemed uncollectible at the end of the school year. Bad debt is unallowable in the SNP and cannot be carried over to the next school year.

Parents will be notified directly if students have outstanding debt by either phone call, mail, or letter sent home with the student.

Schools are prohibited from requiring a student who cannot pay for meal debt or who owe school meal debt to do chores, or other work to pay for such meals or wear a wrist band or hand stamp.

Schools are prohibited from filing lawsuits against a student or the student’s parent because the student cannot pay the debt or owes a school meal debt.

Schools are prohibited from denying a student the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular school activity because the student cannot pay for a meal at school or owes a school meal debt.

At the end of the school year, the School Nutrition Program Director and the Finance Director will evaluate all delinquent debt for conversion to bad debt. Bad debt will be restored to the School Nutrition Program from general funds prior to the end of the fiscal year.

Assistance to Households

Households with questions or needing assistance may contact the Office of the Food Service Supervisor at 276.296.7027 or the school their child attends.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

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.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

---