Meal Charging Policy 2023-2024 

Nutritious meals are very important to a child’s learning. USD 443 Nutrition program understands this and wants to give all children the opportunity to have a nutritious breakfast and lunch. Listed below are the districts guidelines pertaining to meal charging.

 
Approved Reduced, Full Pay students: 
 

No charging is allowed for 9-12 (Alternate meals will be offered) This meal will consist of a breakfast bar, apple and milk for breakfast.  A Peanut butter sandwich, carrot sticks, apple and milk for lunch.  

 
PK-8 Students: at any point during the school year, a student shall have no more than 10 days outstanding unpaid meal charges at one time.

  
District Emails using Skyward will be sent home daily when students balance is at $20.00 for Full Pay students and at $6.00 for Reduced students. 

When the student falls in the negative amount, the following steps will be taken, starting at: 

4 days of charges - the cashier/manager will send talking point, notify family liaison/counselor and principal of the charges and the school will contact parent/guardian. 

8 days of charges - the cashier /manager will send talking point, notify family liaison/counselor and principal of the charges and the school will contact parent/guardian, and then notify the Nutrition Director / or assistant who will then notify Superintendent or designee of the charges and they will contact parent or guardian. 

10 days of charges - At this point the district has the ability to declare child is in need of care and take appropriate action. Then, consider this account is a bad debt for purpose of USDA Federal regulation and the district shall transfer funds for the bad debt into the Nutrition program account using non-federal funds for the unpaid meal debt. The Nutrition program will provide a list of students with bad debt to the Business office at end of each semester and again at the end of the school year for payment. 

*In an effort to help parents manage their students accounts USD 443 does offer On-line payments by accessing Skyward family accounts.  Please contact your child’s school to set up a skyward account.