Skip To Main Content

Meal Charging Procedure

IPS main logo

Meal Charging Procedure

The Food Service Department recognizes that there may be occasions when a deposit is forgotten.  As a courtesy to families, the following procedures are in effect.

  • Payment for school meals is expected at the time of purchase.
  • Parents/guardians are encouraged to monitor their students’ accounts online and keep an adequate amount of funds in the account.
  • You may monitor account activity and/or deposit money online at https://ionia.familyportal.cloud/
  • Cash or checks are always accepted at school.
  • Educational Benefit Forms are available for families with financial difficulties.  Apply at https://ionia.familyportal.cloud/ or request an application from your school.

 Students

  • Automatic low-balance and negative-balance emails will be sent home once per week.
  • À la carte items, including milk, cannot be charged.
  • All meal charges MUST be paid off by the end of the school year.  Any unpaid charges will be carried forward to the next school year and count towards the ability to charge.
  • Money remaining in an account will be carried forward to next year.

Adults

  • Adults are not permitted to charge meals or à la carte items.
  • Accounts can be created online to pay for meals at https://ionia.familyportal.cloud/ and we also accept cash or check at school.
  • All meal charges MUST be paid off by the end of the school year.  Any unpaid charges will be carried forward to the next school year and count towards the ability to charge.
  • Money remaining in an account will be carried forward to next year.

 

This policy also prevents lunch shaming with the specifics outlined in State Aid Section 31k as follows:

  •  Prohibits the requirement of students who cannot pay for a school meal or who owe a negative balance to wear a wristband or handstamp.
  •  Prohibits the requirement of students who cannot pay for a school meal or who owe a negative balance to perform chores or other work to pay for school meals.
  • Prohibits the requiring of students to dispose of a meal after it has been served because the student is unable to pay for the meal or has a negative balance
  • Prohibits direct communication with a student about a negative balance unless our district(s) have unsuccessfully attempted to contact the student’s parent or legal guardian first through telephone, mail, and electronic mail
  •  Prohibits discussing a negative balance with a student in the presence of other students.

For questions on the Meal Charging Procedure please contact Jack Nye, Food Service Director, at jnye@ioniaschools.org or 616-841-4008

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement 

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. mail:
        U.S. Department of Agriculture
        Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
        1400 Independence Avenue, SW
        Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

  2. fax:
        (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

  3. email:
        Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal-opportunity provider.

 

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement