Did you know that unpaid meal balances follow students until their graduation?

Unpaid meal balances are the responsibility of the parent/guardian. 

Meal Charge Policy

To In order to allow students to receive nutritious meals, to prevent over-identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for school means, and to maintain the financial integrity of the nonprofit school nutrition program, the district will establish a written meal charge process for students eligible for reduced price meals and students that are not eligible for meals. The meal charge policy will be communicated to households each year so that school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges.

No school or school district personnel or school volunteer may do any of the following:

• Take any action that would publicly identify a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student, including but not limited to requiring the student to wear a wristband, hand stamp, or other identifying markers, or by serving the student an alternative meal;
• Require a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student to perform chores or other actions in exchange for a meal or for the reduction or elimination of a school meal debt, unless all students perform similar chores or work;
• Require a student to dispose of an already-served meal because of the student’s inability to pay for the meal or because of money owed for meals previously served to the student;
• Allow any disciplinary action that is taken against a student to result in the denial or delay of a nutritionally adequate meal to the student; or 
• Require a parent or guardian to pay fees or costs in excess of the actual amounts owed for meals previously served to the student.

Communications for a school or school district about amounts owed for meals previously served to a student under the age of fifteen may only be directed to the student’s parent or guardian. Neither this policy nor chapter 28A.235 RCW prohibits the district from sending a student home with a notification that is addressed to the student’s parent or guardian.

The district’s Meal Charge Policy will also address unpaid meal charges. Students who qualify for free meals will not be denied a reimbursable meal, even if they have accrued a negative balance from previous purchases. Students with outstanding meal charge debt will be allowed to purchase a meal if the student pays for the meal when it is received. 

The district will make reasonable, discrete efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low through use of weekly automated emails and/or letters sent home.