I.    PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for the operation of a strong, self-supporting Nutrition Services program that provides a positive school experience for students and contributes to the efforts of staff to reach our vision and attain our mission.

II.    GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

The Nutrition Services program is an integral part of the learning community providing customers with quality food and service in a pleasing environment. The program exists to enhance education by providing attractive, nutritious and affordable meals for all our customers in a financially sound manner. School meal service is a vital link to the physical and intellectual fitness of students. It is the Board’s philosophy relative to the Nutrition Program to:

1. Provide a highly beneficial contribution to our children’s education.
    
2. To teach healthy choices for life.
    
3. To offer a wide variety of healthy choices that teach kids how to develop healthy, lifetime eating habits.
   
   It is the policy of Minnetonka Public Schools to provide school sites with the facilities and equipment necessary to implement a nutritional and cost effective Nutrition Services Program for its students.
    
   1. The meals served encourage students to practice good dietary habits as taught in the District curriculum.
       
   2. The funding received based on meals served offsets the costs incurred by the District for the purchase, preparation and serving of the meals.

III.    REQUIREMENT

1. AUTHORITY: The Nutrition Services Program is responsible for all foods served from the kitchens at the school sites.
    
2. COST CONTROLS: The price of meals, both breakfast and lunch is free for all students with a maximum of one free breakfast and one free lunch per student regardless of their meal account balances. This is accomplished through funding provided by the State of Minnesota and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and through the school district’s diligence in controlling all costs associated with food preparation and service.
    
3. MENU PLANNING: When administering the program, Nutrition Services must comply with federal guidelines for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs and reflect the good dietary habits identified in the District’s health curriculum.
    
4. FREE & REDUCED-PRICE MEALS: The District must comply with state and federal guidelines regarding free and reduced price meals.
    
5. OPERATIONAL TIMELINES: All food and beverage items dispensed before classes begin in the morning and during the school day shall be through the School Nutrition Services Program as required by federal regulations.
    
6. ACCESS TO SCHOOL MEALS: School breakfast and lunch meals will be made available to all students and employees at each school site at the established rates.
    
7. USE OF KITCHEN AND LUNCHROOM SPACE: Kitchens and lunch rooms exist primarily for the benefit of the students enrolled in school. No other activity during the time lunch is served shall be permitted to interfere with this function.
    
8. LICENSING: All kitchens are licensed facilities and are subject to all the rules and regulations as specified in the Department of Health, Minnesota Food Code.

IV.    LOW OR NEGATIVE ACCOUNT BALANCES – NOTIFICATION

1. The District will make reasonable efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low or fall below zero.
    
2. Families can view meal account balances, in real time, through their Skyward Family Access account. Families will receive periodic communications to keep them informed of their student’s account balance.
    
3. Reminders for payment of outstanding student meal balances will not demean or stigmatize any student participating in the school lunch program, including, but not limited to, dumping meals, withdrawing a meal that has been served, announcing or listing students’ names publicly, providing alternative meals not specifically related to dietary needs; providing non-reimbursable meals; or affixing stickers, stamps, or pins.

V.    UNPAID MEAL CHARGES

1. Once a student’s meal is placed on a tray or otherwise served to a student, the meal may not be subsequently withdrawn from the student by the cashier or other school official, whether or not the student has an outstanding meals balance.
    
2. The District will make reasonable efforts to communicate with families to resolve the matter of unpaid charges.
    
3. The District will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. Unpaid meal charges are designated as delinquent debt when payment is overdue, the debt is considered collectable, and efforts are being made to collect it.
    
4. In some instances of negative balances, the District may use a collection agency to collect unpaid school meal debts after reasonable efforts have been made by the District to collect the debt. Collection options may include, but are not limited to, use of collection agencies, claims in the conciliation court, or any other legal methods permitted by law.
    
5. The District will not limit a student’s participation in any school activities, graduation ceremonies, field trips, athletics, activity clubs, or other extracurricular activities or access to materials, technology, or other items provided to students due to an unpaid student meal balance.

VI.    IMPLEMENTATION

1. The program is administered by the Director of Nutrition Services through the Executive Director of Finance and Operations.
    
2. School lunchroom personnel share the responsibility for supervising lunch lines and lunchrooms.

VII.    COMMUNICATION OF POLICY

1. This policy will be posted on the District’s website.