2020/2021 School Year
En Español
Meal Charge Policy
We are committed to providing healthy, nutritious meals for students under the National School Lunch Program. SLA Management is our contracted food service provider. Participation in the school breakfast and lunch programs is not a requirement. However, if students choose to make purchases in the cafeteria, parents must ensure that their children have adequate funds in their accounts.
Cafeteria Accounts
Parents are responsible for monitoring their students’ meal account balance and transaction activity at SLALunch.com. Through this online portal, parents can check their child’s cafeteria account balance; monitor account activity; make payments using a credit card, debit card or e- check; confirm that payments have been received; and sign up for low-balance reminders or auto-payments. Parents are encouraged to prepay for school meals. Prepaying for meals helps to eliminate the worry of lost or forgotten lunch money and prevents any potential situations that could develop in the cafeteria over negative balances. To manage their children’s accounts, parents can go directly to SLALunch.com. or follow the link through the school’s website. NOTE: To set up an account, you will need a PIN. Your PIN is your child’s Student Number.
Charged Meals
Any student in grades K-12 who wishes to purchase a student lunch but does not have money in-hand or sufficient funds in his or her prepaid account, will be allowed to charge one (1) hot lunch on a temporary credit basis. This extension of credit only applies to lunch meals and does not include breakfast or a la carte items (including milk, snacks or extra entrees).
Any student who has charged one (1) hot lunch on credit, and whose lunch balance drops below the current cost of a hot meal, will no longer be eligible for a hot meal. In such cases, students will be provided a substitute meal; e.g. a cheese sandwich and beverage. The substitute meal will continue to be charged against the student’s account balance. The student will continue to receive the substitute meal each day that they attempt to purchase lunch while their balance is insufficient. Once a payment has been fully processed and the student’s balance exceeds the cost of a hot meal, they will once again be eligible to purchase the regular meal.
If a student is without meal money on a consistent basis, the school administration will investigate the situation more closely and take further action as needed. If financial hardship exists, parents and families are encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price lunches for their child. This meal charge policy applies to full paid and reduced-price meals. Adult charges are not permitted. Parents are responsible for paying all charges accrued.
A la Carte Charges
Students must have cash-in-hand or funds in their cafeteria accounts to purchase a la carte snacks, unless their parent or guardian requests to opt-out of the school snack program. To complete an Opt-Out Form, email online@slamgmt.com.
Negative and Low Balance Letters
SLA Management will send negative balance notifications to parents daily if accounts remain in the negative. If a student repeatedly comes to school without a lunch, or money for lunch, the cafeteria manager will report this to the principal. If financial hardship exists, parents and families are encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price meals for their child.
At the end of the school year, any unpaid meal charges will be carried over into the next school year. Charging for meals will be discontinued during the last three weeks of school.
Cafeteria Account Balance Options
At the end of the school year, funds remaining in student accounts will automatically rollover to the next school year, unless you elect to:
- Donate the funds to the program.
- Transfer the funds to a sibling’s account.
- Request that a refund check be mailed to the student’s parent or guardian.
- Initiate an online refund to the originating online payment method selected by the parent.
Refund requests will be processed at the end of the school year, or upon withdrawal of the student. Requests may be made by completing the Balance Refund Form available on the school’s website. Unclaimed funds must be requested within one year after graduation or withdrawal.
Returned Check Procedures
If a check is returned as unpaid, the face amount plus an additional fee of $25 will be due immediately to the program. Payment should be made by money order or cashier’s check.
Free or Reduced-Price Meals
Households may qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Parents can apply online at www.MySchoolApps.com by selecting the school district CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATES–FL. Meal benefits must be applied for annually. For additional information regarding free and reduced-price meals, please visit the school’s website. Parents are responsible for paying for all charges accrued until their household application is approved.
