Haines School Board adopts policy to address outstanding school meal payments

Haines School.
Haines School. (Photo by Emily Files/KHNS)

The Haines Borough School District will change its policy on outstanding payments for school meals.

The school board voted at its Tuesday meeting to adopt AR 3555, which outlines procedures for settling balances for school meals.

Some past accounts have racked up as much as $800 worth of unpaid meals over the school year, Haines School principal Rene Martin said.

“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

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

“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,” Martin said. “It’s become a problem.”

Negative account balances greater than $100 will be forwarded to the superintendent at the end of each month.

Those accounts could be closed from the regular meal program if payment arrangements are not made for balances exceeding $100.

The district will provide a lower-cost alternate meal when an account is closed.

“I’m really feeling that we can be preventive here and not have to resort to this level,” Martin said. “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.”

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.

KHNS - Haines

KHNS is our partner station in Haines. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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