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Superintendent: new meal-debt procedure would allow $30 grace, alternate meal beyond that
Summary
Superintendent Jaworski told the board the administration will propose a meal-debt procedure to allow students to continue regular meals while negative balances remain under $30; above that threshold students would be offered an alternate reduced-price meal and overdue balances may be referred to collections after 30 days.
The Tipton superintendent told the board the district is updating meal-debt procedures after a spring food-service audit and an IDOE corrective action.
"The procedure allows students... to continue receiving regular meals, while their account balance is negative up to $30," Superintendent Jaworski said, outlining the policy that would preserve a short grace period before students are offered an alternate reduced-price meal. Jaworski said unpaid balances could be referred to collections after 30 days under the proposed policy, while families facing hardship may apply for meal assistance or appeal to the superintendent.
Jaworski told the board the district has used community donations to reduce unpaid balances in prior years but that donor funds are exhausted. He estimated unpaid meal balances last year totaled about $15,000, with donations and other offsets reducing the net payout to roughly $6,500, noting those figures were an approximate recollection by administration.
Board members discussed counselor outreach to families and removing procedural barriers for assistance. The proposed changes to policies A275, F175 and F176 were presented as a first reading and will return for a vote next month.
