Free and Reduced Meal Application

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  Child Nutrition Department Charge Policy
  

The West Valley Child Nutrition department recognizes that on occasion, parents forget to deposit school meal money into student account. To ensure students do not go hungry, but also to promote responsibility and minimize the financial burden to the Child Nutrition Department, the following steps will be enforced.

• All students (K-12) will be allowed to charge reimbursable breakfast and/or lunch meals to their school lunch account.
• Charges will not be allowed for adult meals, non-student meals, second meals, a la carte purchases, and milk.

Families can find assistance for school meals by completing a Free and Reduced-Price Meal application:

• Paper Application: Return a complete free and reduced-price meal application to the Child Nutrition office. Applications are available at your school office or kitchen.
• Online Application: Online application is available at www.myschoolapps.com.

Low Balance/Negative Balance Notification: Communication will be made to parents for full payment of account from Child Nutrition phone, email, and letter to home.

• Email Reminders: An automated balance alert email will be sent at regular intervals to families with low or negative balances.
• Robot Calls: An automated balance alert phone call will be made at regular intervals to families with low or negative balances.
• Phone Call Reminders: Child Nutrition staff will follow up with a phone call once the negative balance is at $5.00.
• Letter to Home: A negative balance letter and a Free and Reduced-Price Meal application will be sent to the household once the negative balance is at $15.00.

If a student has not paid for five or more previous meals, the school will:

• Have a principal, assistant principal, or school counselor contact the parent or guardian for the purpose of:
• If no application has been submitted for the student to determine his or her eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, make no fewer than two attempts to contact the student’s parent or guardian to have him or her submit an application; and
• Determine whether the student is categorically eligible for free meals;
• Offering assistance with completing an application to determine the student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price meals;
• Determining whether there are any household issues that may prevent the student from having sufficient funds for school meals; and
• Offering any other appropriate assistance.

Any outstanding balances will be added to the student’s fees and fines list at the end of the school year.Refunds:

• Students withdrawing or graduating from the district can request a refund by contacting the Child Nutrition office.
• Unclaimed Funds: All refunds must be requested within one year. Unclaimed funds will then become the property of the West Valley Child Nutrition Department.