Sibley, Iowa — The Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District Board of Education has approved a policy regarding school lunches. It addresses payment of meals, negative account balances, Free and Reduced Lunch applications, and more.
According to Superintendent Bill Boer, the policy states that all meal purchases are to be prepaid before meal service begins and that when a student’s meal account balance is depleted, a student may charge no more than $15.00 to the account. He says the policy states that when an account reaches this limit, an alternative meal will be offered to the student.
Boer says the policy states that students who qualify for free meals will never be denied a reimbursable meal, even if they have accrued a negative balance from previous purchases. And that students with outstanding meal charge debt will be allowed to purchase a meal if the student pays for the meal when it is received.
He says the policy also states that Free and Reduced Lunch Applications are available in each of school’s offices, the central office, and the district’s website. This form may be completed at registration or at any time during the school year so that a family can apply anytime their circumstances change.
Boer says the policy is in accordance with state and federal law and 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.
