In accordance with state and federal law, the Tipton Community School District adopts the following policy to ensure school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges. The policy seeks to allow students to receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day, prevent the overt identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for school meals, and maintain the financial integrity of the nonprofit school nutrition program.
Payment of Meals For all students when a balance reaches $0.00 students may charge 1 breakfast and 1 lunch per day. Additional servings and Ala Carte charges are not allowed. This includes the purchase of milk or juice individually.
Meal purchases are to be prepaid before meal service begins. Deposits can be made online at a designated website, https://www.schoolcafe.com/TIPTONCS or money can be brought to any building office, for deposit. Students who do not have sufficient funds shall not be allowed to charge non-reimbursable meals, additional servings or Ala Carte items until a payment is made to bring the meal account into a positive balance with additional funds included for future meal purchases.
Students who qualify for free meals shall never be denied a reimbursable meal, even if they have accrued a negative account balance from previous purchases. Schools are encouraged to provide a reimbursable meal to students with outstanding meal charge debt. A predefined alternate meal from the cafeteria cold case that all students are able to select from and access to the hot /cold food bar will be provided for any student with a negative meal balance that exceeds $150.00.
Employees must maintain a positive balance in their meal account to be allowed to receive a school meal. Should their account fall negative, no meals are allowed to be charged. Once the account is brought to a positive standing with additional funds to cover future purchases, they will be allowed to access the meal program again.
Negative Account Balances
The school district will make reasonable efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low. Access to automated reminders is provided to families to set up a low balance dollar amount alert of their choice. Additionally, the school district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. The school district will coordinate communications with the student’s parent or guardian to resolve the matter of unpaid charges. Parents or guardians will be notified of outstanding negative account balances once each week during the school year via email, phone, or letter mailed home. Negative balances of more than $200.00 will be turned over to the superintendent or superintendent’s designee for collection. Options may include: collection agencies, small claims court, or any other legal method permitted by law.
Unpaid Student Meal Account:
The district will establish unpaid student meals account in a school nutrition fund. Funds from private sources and funds from the district flexibility account may be deposited into the unpaid school meals account in accordance with law. Funds deposited into this account shall be used only to pay individual student meal debt.
Communication of the Policy
The policy and supporting information regarding meal charges shall be provided in writing to:
All households at or before the start of each school year;
Students and families who transfer into the district, at time of transfer; and
All staff responsible for enforcing any aspect of the policy.
Records of how and when the policy and supporting information was communicated to households and staff will be retained.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent to develop the administrative regulations for implementing this policy.
This is a mandatory policy.
NOTE: The IASB sample policy is drafted to be consistent for all grade levels. However, local boards may vary the meal charge policy for elementary, middle, and high schools. Districts should update the policy accordingly if they wish to delineate meal charge practices based on the grade level of students.
NOTE: If the district elects to provide alternate meals for students, the alternate meal must contain components available to all students and be provided in the same manner as meals are provided to other students. Additionally, the district is expected to accommodate special dietary needs when a child’s disability restricts their diet.
NOTE: The Iowa Department of Education has tools and resources available to help districts with the school nutrition program and meal charge policy implementation and review. Please visit the “School Meals” section of the Iowa Department of Education’s website.
NOTE: School districts must follow appropriate debt collection practices when trying to recover unpaid meal charges.
Legal Reference:
42 U.S.C. §§ 1751 et seq.
7 C.F.R. §§ 210 et seq.
U.S. Dep’t of Agric., Sp 46-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies (2016).
U.S. Dep’t of Agric., Sp 47-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments (2016).
U.S. Dep’t of Agric., Sp 57-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A (2016).
Cross Reference:
710.01 School Food Program
710.01R1 School Food Program - School Nutrition Program Civil Rights Complaints Procedure
710.01E1 School Food Program - School Nutrition Program Notices of Nondiscrimination
710.01E2 School Food Program - Child Nutrition Programs Civil Rights Complaint Form
710.02 Free or Reduced Cost Meals Eligibility
710.03 Vending Machine
Approved: 5/14/2018 Reviewed: 04/10/2025 Revised: 04/10/2025