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10/9/2008 12:00 AMCorey Butler Jr., Fairbault Daily News FARIBAULT — Faribault School District school board is considering a plan that would cut off kids from receiving lunches if they don’t have money in their meal account. The plan will be discussed at the Oct. 20 school board meeting, and some board members are saying it is too strict. The current policy, which was last revised in 2002, says parents are responsible to send money on a regular basis for their children’s lunch account and are responsible to make sure it’s replenished. Colleen Mertesdorf, district director of finance and operations, said schools do offer a peanut butter sandwich, fruit and milk as an alternative meal for those students who run out of money on their accounts. Under the new policy, elementary students will be given up to five days on the alternative lunch before they will no longer be served if they do not have money. Middle school and high school students will be given three days. There is no federal or state law that says districts are obligated to feed the children in the schools. Mertesdorf said the three- and five-day grace period is adequate. She said delinquent accounts aren’t a big problem in the district and that the new plan would be more in line with those in many nearby districts, such as Northfield and Owatonna. “Even some of them were tougher,” she said. “We’re just trying to catch up with everyone else.” Even if it’s not illegal, board member Richard Olson said he was put off by the proposal and said students need to be fed in the schools. “It’s important to feed our children,” he said. “We have to feed our kids. It’s not conducive for learning (to not feed them). I don’t think we need to take this hard approach.” Board chairperson Sue Nelson agrees it’s important to feed students in the schools but said she will discuss the policy at the board meeting next week and view Minnesota School Boards Association laws to see its take before she makes a decision on her vote. Notifications Another potential change is the communication between the district and parents. The district currently sends notifications of lunch account balances, but that would change if the new policy is implemented. While the current policy calls for regular notices from the food service office, the new policy wouldn’t. Elementary students would receive weekly statements about their balances and also when their balances are below $5. Middle and high school students, however, will receive notices only in November, February and June. “For the middle school and high school students, we felt that was a waste of paper,” Mertesdorf said. Another reason to shy away from paper use is because of the district’s use of online payment and tracking of food balances. In addition to the traditional way of sending a check or cash with children to take to school, parents have the ability to pay for their children’s lunches via the Internet with a check card or credit card and monitor how much money is in the balance. There is a transaction fee, however. A solution? Some board members said they feel delinquent accounts are driven by economics, not negligence. Olson emphasized that parents in economic trouble should take advantage of the free and reduced lunch program offered through the district. He said if more parents took advantage of the program, the cost of food would be less of a stress and students wouldn’t run the risk of not being fed if the new policy is implemented. The district sends out applications for the free and reduced lunches in August, but Mertesdorf said parents are able to apply for the program any time. Lunch at the elementary level costs $1.75. It is $1.95 at the middle and high school levels. If a household is eligible for a reduced lunch price, students pay 40 cents for their lunch and receive their breakfast free. http://www.faribault.com/news.php?viewStory=37970 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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