Haines School Board adopts policy to address outstanding school meal payments

The Haines Borough School District is changing its policy on outstanding payments for school meals. That was one topic of discussion at the School Board meeting on Tuesday. KHNS’ Henry Leasia has more.

The board voted to adopt AR 3555, which outlines procedures for settling balances for school meals. According to Haines School Principal Rene Martin, some past accounts have racked up as much as $800 worth of unpaid meals over the school year.

“It’s become a problem with the money owed to the school district,” Martin said. “So we’re going to try to be out ahead of this and making sure that we’re staying with it with our families and keeping them… Just helping them realize the level of their balance so that we’re not getting up into the $500, $800 account balances that people are trying to make payment plans or other things. It’s become a problem.”

The procedure calls for notifications to be sent to parents as account balances pass certain thresholds.

Negative account balances greater than $100 will be forwarded to the superintendent at the end of each month. If payment arrangements are not made for balances exceeding $100, those accounts could be closed from the regular meal program. If an account is closed the district will provide a lower-cost alternate meal. 

“I don’t plan on micromanaging the lunchroom to the extent that it’s like, ‘Oh no this kid is at 105.’ It’s a place for us to start. It’s a place for us to get parents, and if we get to that point then we’ll to go there. I’m really feeling that we can be preventive here and not have to resort to this level, but we have to have something in place so we can say, ‘Look, parent, I’m really sorry but this is what we’re going to have to do,” Martin said.

Although the policy aims to avoid large outstanding balances, it also makes clear that no student will be denied a school meal because of inability to pay. Applications for Free & Reduced Meals can be submitted at any time and are available on the District’s website and from food service staff.