Payment and Collection for School Breakfast and Lunch
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) district uses an automated system to record payments for meals. Students can either pay for food at the register, or utilize the automated system which works like a checking account, requiring money in the account in order to provide meals. Parents/guardians are expected to maintain a positive balance in their child’s breakfast/lunch account.
At the beginning of the school year, families are to send money to the school to be placed in each child’s account. Larger payments (i.e. one month’s payment) are encouraged. Parents/guardians can also make payments online with debit/credit cards through MySchoolBucks. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to sign up for a MySchoolBucks account and to elect to receive electronic reminders of low balances.
Low and Delinquent Account Balances
If parents/guardians elect to receive automated low balance notifications, the parent/guardian will receive an electronic notification when their child’s account balance reaches a predetermined threshold. Once an account has a negative balance it will be considered delinquent.
Administrators shall work cooperatively to resolve delinquent accounts. Families in financial need are encouraged to apply for free and reduced price breakfasts/lunches, (see application in English or Portuguese). The school administration reserves the right to freeze a delinquent account should evidence of abuse of school lunch/breakfast payment policy or fraud be uncovered.
Uncollected Balances
Administrators will make a reasonable effort to collect all delinquent food service charges. Parents/guardians will be notified periodically during the school year of a delinquent account. At the end of the school year, the school board authorizes administrators to collect delinquent food service charges by withholding privileges to participate in graduation ceremonies, withholding student report cards, or other legal means.
Refunds
At the end of the year, if a family no longer has children attending school, moves out of the district, or becomes eligible for free meals, the family may request reimbursement of any balance in the student’s account. Funds for students continuing the following school year will remain in the student account for the next school year.