Cafeteria Payments

Avonworth School District is committed to:

• Allow all students access to healthy meals to improve their readiness and ability to learn.
• Provide free or reduced priced meals to students that qualify in a manner that prevents overt identification of these benefits.
• Treat all students with dignity at all times. Prevent identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for school meals.
• Maintain the financial integrity of the self-supporting, nonprofit school food service account.

General Information

All enrolled students will automatically have a cafeteria account. This account can be accessed using the student’s last name, student’s ID card or student’s ID number.

Payment Procedures

Payments are accepted in the classroom (APC/AES only), in the cafeteria, in the school office or by mail. Checks are the preferred method of payment and will act as your receipt. Please include student name and/or ID number on the check made payable to the Avonworth Cafeteria Fund.

For your convenience, Avonworth offers you the option to fund your child’s cafeteria account online using the My School Bucks payment system. This service charges a transaction fee for making payments. Parents can sign up for a free account on myschoolbucks.com for several benefits including:

• View account balances (at no cost)
• View account transactions (at no cost
• Schedule automatic payments (a transaction fee is charged)
• Set-up low balance reminders (at no cost)
• Ability to make payment anytime, anywhere using their mobile app (a transaction fee is charged)

Charge Procedures

Student’s with a negative cafeteria account balance:

• Will not be permitted to purchase single components of the complete meal (entrée or sides only), second meals or “extra” items (snacks, beverages).
• Negative balance e-mails will be sent, once a week, by the Food Service Director for a negative cafeteria account balance greater than -$10.00.
• A negative balance letter and/or a personal phone call will be made, once monthly, by the school principal or designee for a negative cafeteria account balance of -$50.00 or more. District staff will assist families in obtaining a free/reduced application, setting up a payment plan or facilitating additional services.
• Any debt of $50.00 or greater that remains unpaid at the end of the school year will be turned over to Creditech, a debt collection agency, for negative student meal accounts. Any debts collected through Creditech will be charged an additional 18% service free; however, if the debt is paid off directly to the school district prior to the last day of school, there will be no additional service charge. Attempted payments to the school district after the last day of school will not be accepted and our online payment system will be shut down.
• Seniors who have any outstanding debt to the school district, including a negative balance in the cafeteria account, will not be issued their cap & gown for graduation until this debt is collected in full.
• Reimbursable meals will never be denied based on account status, eligibility or any other factors. The District will continue to follow federal law and district policies in regard to student meal procedures.

Note: Unpaid meal charges place a large financial burden on the food service program and this money directly impacts our educational programs when general funds must cover delinquent student balances.

Cafeteria Kindness Fund

A fund will be available to accept donations from generous Avonworth community organizations or individuals to support families who cannot pay for the cost of school meals.  Families may apply for use of these funds to assist with short-term need.  If you would like to contribute to this fund, please make checks payable to the Avonworth Cafeteria Fund and include, “Kindness Fund” in the memo.