Parent Newsletter - John Hersey High School - High School District ...

CAFETERIA LUNCH PRE-PAY SYSTEMUse the following processThe Food Services Department of District 214 has a computerized debit system in our schools that allows parents to prepay for school foodservices. This system also allows students eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits to obtain their benefits by bringing their student identificationcard to the cafeteria during meal services. This computerization provides many benefits for students and parents in utilizing the cafeteriaservices. Please review the following information to aid you in better understanding this program.How does the prepaid system work?The computerized system uses the student I.D. card to allow parents to establish a prepaid account for their students. The account may be usedfor breakfast, lunch and snack service. Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will also use their I.D. card for school meals. At the endof the cafeteria line, after the student has selected his/her meal choices, he/she will need to present the student identification card to the cashier.What are the advantages of the prepaid system?Payment can be made by check or credit card on a weekly or monthly basis instead of giving your student cash for meals. This system is convenientfor parents and students. The prepayment system will provide faster service to students while helping students develop budget skills.Parents can also monitor what their students are purchasing regardless of payment method.How is the prepaid account established?There are several ways to establish a prepaid account for your students.By check or cash - To establish a prepaid account for your student, a form may be picked up in the school cafeteria or can be printed from thissite. Complete the form and send it with cash or a check payable to your student’s school cafeteria. A completed form must accompany all payments.NEW - By credit card – To set up an online account at myLunchMoney.com, go to https://www.myLunchMoney.com and click on “enroll now”.Follow the instructions given to set up your student’s account. For assistance in setting up or using an account, contact the myLunchMoney.comsupport team at 1-800-479-3531.How long does it take to post funds to a prepaid account?Payments made using checks or cash will be credited to your student’s account by the next business day.Payments made using credit cards at myLunchMoney.com are generally credited to your student’s account within 24 hours.Is there a fee to use the online system?Yes. In addition to the amount of funds deposited in your student’s account, a convenience fee of $1.95 will be added to your credit card for eachdeposit made per site. If you have more than one student in the same school, you will be charged only one fee of $1.95 if funds are depositedinto each of your students’ accounts during the same transaction session.What cards are accepted for online prepayment?Both Visa and Master Card credit cards are accepted as forms of payment.How safe is my credit card information?Information is stored with the myLunchMoney.com website. To ensure the protection of all information stored on the website, all online transactionsfor myLunchMoney are handled with industry standard SSL encryption certified by Verisign. Additional detailed information can be foundon the myLunchMoney.com home page.What happens when a prepaid account reaches a zero balance?The food service cashier will alert a student when the balance is at or below $3.00. No credit will be extended. Students with a zero balance mustpay cash for their meals until their account is reestablished. Students may ask for the status of their account balance from a cashier any time atransaction is made in the cafeteria. If you are using the online system, you will be notified by e-mail when your student’s account is low.Can students charge meals with their student I.D.?No. This is not a credit system designed to develop a bill or be paid at a later date.Can students receive refunds?Regardless of the method of payment, refunds of unused funds will be made by district check to parents only upon written request. Cash refundswill not be made to students. Unused funds will carry over to the next school year for returning students. Parents can also request in writing tohave unused balances transferred to another District 214 sibling.How much does school meal service cost?An average student can expect to spend $2.75 to $4.00 per day for lunch. Breakfast is also available for $1.25.Questions call, Christine Frole, 847-718-763814