Food Service Department POS (Point of Sale System)

Q:        What is this?

A:        It is a new computerized debiting system that allows parents to pay for student lunches in advance and the ability to monitor what their child is eating.

Q:        How does it work?

A:        Simply choose a dollar amount to deposit.  These funds will be deposited into a debit account for your child to use at lunchtime.

Q:        How does my child use his/her account?

A:        In the cafeteria by each cashier station there will be a barcode scanner to read their student lunch card which has a student ID number.  That will prompt a picture ID to come up as well as the account balance.  The food service cashier will enter on a touch screen computer terminal what has been purchased and the program automatically subtracts and computes the current balance.

Q:        Will this speed up the lunch lines?

A:        Yes - after the initial period the system should expedite the lunch line and students will no longer need to fumble with cash or wait for change back.

Q:        Will cash still be accepted?

A:        Yes, but it is discouraged and the final goal is to eliminate the need for students to carry cash for lunch.  Bringing cash to pay for lunch will delay the lunch lines.  Our goal is to be "cashless" by February 1, 2008.

Q:        What happens when my account runs low?

A:        The cashier will hand the student/teacher a preprinted payment envelope, indicating that the account is getting low.  In addition a phone message will be sent to the household via the school's Education Connection system.
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Q:        How do I put money in my child's account? 

A:        There will be 4 primary ways to deposit money into your child's account. 

1. You can send a check or money order to the school office.  Please use the pre-printed envelopes available in the school office. Please make the check payable to Hudson City Schools Food Service.  Include your student's ID number on your check or money order.  An envelope will be given to the students as their balances fall to or below $4.00.  Payments will not show on accounts until the following business day so please plan accordingly.
2. You can mail a check or money order to the food school office located at 120 N. Hayden Parkway.  Please make the check payable to Hudson City Schools Food Service.  An envelope will be given to the students as their balances fall to or below $4.00.  Payments will not show on accounts until the following business day so please plan accordingly.
3. Coming in January of 2008, you can make credit card payments on -line through the Food Service Solution's website (www.myschoolaccount.com). You will need to create a parent account the first time you visit the site.  You will also need your child's student ID number to list them under your account.  There will be a 6% transaction fee applied for this method of payment.
4. Coming in January of 2008, you can make payment with a transfer of money from your checking account to the student's lunch account via ACH draft through the Food Service Solution's website (www.myschoolaccount.com). You will need to create a parent account the first time you visit the site.  You will also need your child's student ID number to list them under your account.  There will be a $1.50 bank fee applied for this method of payment.

Cash payments can be accepted at the offices at each school in the lunch deposit boxes.  As this is the least secure method (no means to track cash verse tracking a check or online accounting process) we encourage you to use one of the above preferred methods.  If you provide your student cash for lunch purchasing they must completely fill out a blue lunch envelope with their name, identification number, grade, and the amount enclosed at the time of deposit.   

Q:        What happens if the child's account has no balance?

A:        Because a child will not be denied a lunch, we will allow each account a 'charge' of $5.00 for menu lunches.  After the $5.00 amount is exceeded, the student will be supplied cheese sandwich lunch.  Student grades may also be held until a negative balance of $5.00 or more is paid.  A E-connect message will be forwarded to each family indicating the negative balance status.

Q:        How can I be sure my child is only buying lunch with the money I deposit?  A:            Unless you let us know otherwise, your child may use the money on his or her account to buy any item we sell.  You can make requests to place a purchasing restriction on your child's account by contacting the Food Service Department at 330-653-1203.

Q:        How do I know what my child is eating? 
A:        You will be able to view up to a month's worth of transactions by viewing the transaction history page on (www.myschoolaccount.com).  This will allow you to view all of the transactions, including payments that have been made within the last 30 days of your child's account.  You will need to create a parent account the first time you visit this site and you will need your child's student ID number (can be found on child's report card).

You can also request information from the Food Service Department at 330-653-1203.

Q:        What happens if the student cannot remember their student ID or forgets to bring their student identification card.

A:        The cashier can look up the student account by the last name and the picture ID will come up for verification. 

Q:        My child receives a lunch at a 'reduced' or 'free' rate.  How will this work?

A:        All information regarding students receiving a free or reduced lunch is downloaded into the system and the account will be set up as the others.  All students will access their accounts in the same way, so students qualified for free or reduced lunch cannot be identified by anyone other than the food service cashier.  A parent may choose to put money into the student's account for a la carte use.  If  a parent only wants the money deposited used for reduced lunches please indicate this to the Food Service Department at 330-653-1203.

Q:        What if I move and have money in the system?

A:        You may request a refund by providing a written request to the food service department.

Q:        What happens at the end of the school year?

A:        Funds in the account will be rolled over to the next year and if need be can be refunded by providing a written request to the food service department.

Q.        Can I place a restriction on my child's account?

A.        Yes you can - please mark the deposit envelope (available at each school's office) with "lunch only" and your funds will only allow your student to buy lunch.  No ala carte items can be purchased (this includes water) once this restriction is placed into the system.  The lunch consists of the daily menu selections (menu available on the school's webpage or by calling E-connect system.) and a milk.

Q.        What if my child has an allergy?

A.        Please contact the food service department.  An alert message will be added to your child's account so that we may caution your student from purchasing foods containing potential allergens. 

Q.     What is an ala carte item?

A.     An ala carte item is any beverage, alternate side dish, extra entree, cookies, or snacks that are not included with the lunch of the day.  Daily lunch includes an entree, sides of fruit, vegetable, and one milk.  If an additional milk is purchased that is an ala carte extra.  If your child packs a lunch and only purchases a milk this is an ala carte item.  Please call the food service department with questions at 330.653.1203.