Account Balance Procedures

Act 55 prevents Food Service employees from discussing low or negative account balances with students in grades K-8 unless the student asks the cashier for the status of their balance. Food Service employees are permitted to discuss low or negative account balance information with students in grades 9-12. 

Our school district currently provides free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of income. Please remember that students must have funds in their meal account to purchase A La Carte items. A La Carte items cannot be charged.

Parents/Guardians are responsible for all charges on their student’s account and are encouraged to frequently check the account balance to ensure that adequate funds are available for their student to purchase Á La Carte items. 

Families can create a free School Café account to view meal and snack purchases.  https://www.homercenter.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1112011&type=d&pREC_ID=1390041

The School Café system will only charge a fee when placing money on the student account via credit or debit card. For those families without computer access, you may call the Food Service Office for account balance information.

When a student owes money on their account, letters, phone calls, or emails will come from the Food Services Office alerting the parent of the negative account. Finally, a school counselor or building principal may also contact the family about negative account balances. Unpaid charges are due to the district no later than the final day of the school year.

Requesting an Account Refund or Balance Transfer 

Positive balances for underclassmen will automatically carry over to the subsequent school year. Refunds from student meal accounts are granted when a student graduates, leaves the district, or a special circumstance necessitates the refund. In these cases, the parent/guardian must complete a Lunch Refund Form. All students, regardless of paying full price or receiving free and reduced-price meals, are handled under these same guidelines.  

The form can be provided to the Food Services Office using the following methods:

• Mail the form.
• Email the form to the Food Services Office utilizing the email address provided on the form.
• Using a smartphone or tablet, take a photo of the form, and email it to the Food Services Office, utilizing the provided email address.
• Bring the form to the Food Services Office.

Refunds, transfers, or donations cannot be processed without a completed Lunch Refund Form. 

Lunch Refund Forms can be found at https://www.homercenter.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1112011&type=d&pREC_ID=1390044