Nutrition Services Department

School Meal Charge Policy

Payment for school meals is expected at the time of purchase.  Parents or guardians are encouraged to monitor their child’s meal account balance online and keep an adequate amount of funds in the child’s account. To set up online access to view your student’s school meal account, go to stcs.familyportal.cloud. You can set up your online account using your students ID number. You can set up one account for all students attending a STCS school, Peace Lutheran School or Nouvel Catholic Elementary School.  It is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility to pay for or pack a child’s lunch when sending them to school. The Nutrition Services Department recognizes there might be occasions when a parent or guardian forgets to do so.  Although we strongly discourage the practice, as a courtesy to families; the following charge policy is in place for the buildings that are not eligible for Michigan School Meals:

• A student may charge up to three breakfasts and three lunches. 

• After 3 charges the school office will be made aware in order to contact parents to collect. In some cases, we may be able to help if you are having difficulty. Please reach out to the Nutrition Services office or your school Principal so we can help!

• An emergency meal will be made available after 3 charges.  The emergency lunch consists of a sandwich on whole grain bread, a serving of fruit, a vegetable and white milk.  The meal will be charged to the student’s account and the parent will be responsible for the outstanding charge. The emergency meals will remain in place until the account is caught up. If you are having difficulty paying for the charged meals please contact us for assistance.

• A la carte items, including milk cannot be charged.

• All meal charges must be paid off by the end of the school year.  Any unpaid charges will be carried forward to the next school year and count toward the student’s ability to charge.

• Money remaining in a student’s account will be carried forward to the next school year.

• Students are not permitted to purchase any a la carte items if they owe any unpaid charges.

• Students may not be permitted to participate in school events if they owe any unpaid charges.

Additional Information:

• The Free and Reduced Meal Program is available for families experiencing financial difficulties.  Visit your school office or contact the Nutrition Services Department at (989) 793-9713 for an application.

Adults:

• Adults are not permitted to charge meals or a la carte items.

Unpaid Charges:

To avoid unpaid charges, parents or guardians are encouraged to monitor and/or pay on their child’s meal account with cash or check.  Schools recognize the importance of eating a healthy meal while at school, and have worked with their cafeteria manager on a plan to remind parents when charges are near their limit.  Once the student nears his/her limit, the cafeteria manager or school lunch cashier could provide any of the following reminders in an effort to help the student continue to receive school meals:

• Student receives a verbal reminder

• Parent or guardian receives a written note or letter via the student or in the mail, along with an application for free or reduced price meals

• Email

• Telephone call

Parents and guardians are responsible to pay off their child’s meal account. Any unpaid charges at the end of the school year remain the responsibility of the parent or guardian and will follow the student to the next school year. 

Unused Account Balances:

If your child has a balance left in his/her account at the time of graduation or withdrawal from school, you can request a refund for an amount over $5.00 by filling out a “Student Account Refund Request” form found on the Nutrition Services web page.  Or, you can “Pay it Forward” by donating your student’s account balance to a needy student’s school meal account. If the graduating senior has a sibling in the district, the funds will automatically transfer to the sibling(s).

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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
   U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:
   (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email:
   Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.