USD 240 Food Service and Online Payments
by Deana Betts
July 11, 2011
Welcome to USD 240 Food Service Department!
The Food Service Department has transitioned to a new district wide meal tracking system called Powerlunch which is part of Powerschool. These changes are being made to better serve the students in the Twin Valley School District and will enable parents to access their child(rens) lunch account at their convenience online. Parents will also be able to pay online by going to www.usd240.org. An account will need to be set up the first time a parent logs on, but after that you will just need your user name and password that you used to set up the account to make payments to USD 240.
Student ID #s, Accounts and Deposits
Students will continue to use their current PIN number. This PIN number will stay with the student until he/she graduates. Account balances were transferred into Powerlunch, with the family account balance equally divided among student accounts associated with that family. Please note that the Powerlunch system places deposits into individual accounts, not family accounts. If paying by check or cash, deposits must be placed in an envelope accompanied by the student’s name and PIN number. If there is more than one student in a family in a school, one student may make deposits to sibling accounts as long as you give us the ID numbers of each student and tell us the amounts to deposit to each account.
Example: A $20.00 check......
Billy Doe - Grade 4 #1111 $10.00
Judy Doe -Grade 6 #2222 $10.00
Deposits should be made before classes begin for the day to ensure current account information. This should either be done online or by bringing a payment to the office.
Powerlunch is linked to Power School so student records in the lunch program will contain current and more accurate data. Student photos are displayed when the student lunch ID is entered into the serving line keypad, improving accuracy and security. Account information regarding allergies, whether the student may charge ala carte items, and account comments are also displayed when the Student ID is entered into the serving line keypad. For the student’s protection, full, reduced or free meal status is not displayed in the serving line.
Free & Reduced Meals
These are available to qualifying households. An application may be obtained clicking here at any time during the school year. Please call 488-3325 for additional information. Extra milk and ala carte items are not included in the free and reduced meal program.
Students and Account Balances
If a student’s meal account gets low, our staff will remind them. For each account with a balance of +$10.00 and below email notification will be sent each Friday for each account with a balance of +$10.00 and below. If a student's meal account balance falls below $0.00, the parents will receive a reminder phone call to send payment. You will be notified at the email address/phone number(s) you submitted for Power School. Please make sure your information is up-to-date by contacting the school office.
Any full or reduced-pay elementary student with an account balance of -$20.00 or greater, will be given cereal and milk or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If Twin Valley Food Services has not been notified as to payment arrangements or if payment has not been made, charges will not be allowed. The student must bring payment to purchase a lunch or bring a lunch to school. This policy helps to operate a balanced program for the district.
Students who qualify for free meal benefits and have negative lunch account balances (due to ala carte or milk purchases) cannot be denied a school meal, as established by USDA. When account balances are at zero or below, juice and/or extra purchases are not allowed. The milk program is an ala carte program that requires a positive lunch account balance in order for the student to participate.
Access your account(s) online with
If you have additional questions, please contact our office at (785) 488-3325.
