Meal Charges, Courtesy Snacks, Refunds, and Returned Checks

Board policy allows for students without adequate funds to charge the purchase amount of a set number of school meals to their account, creating a negative account balance. This benefit is to allow time for notification of parents to provide the needed funds to cover meals. Elementary students may charge up to the value of 5 lunches, middle and high school students are allowed to charge up to the cost of 1 lunch meal ($3.75). This charge allowance is for MEALS ONLY and does not cover any a la carte purchases.  Students who have unpaid meal charges need to repay the meal charge before purchasing a la carte food items. Board policy prohibits adults from charging.

Students who exceed the charge limit without sufficient funds to cover a lunch meal purchase, will be offered an alternative snack of a vegetable choice, a fruit choice and milk.  To prevent your child from being offered the courtesy snack, please provide money for your student's meals each day or prepay for meals in advance.  School cafeterias make every effort to inform students and parents when funds are low with notices sent home via student, verbal reminders to students and phone calls when possible.

Parents are responsible to ensure that children have an adequate lunch from home or sufficient funds to purchase school meals.  To assist parents, student account balances can be monitored any time via our online payment option, myschoolbucks.com. Parents do not have to apply money this way, but they can still monitor their child's accounts.

Just create an account for each student, then throughout the year monitor the student meal account balance (or to fund their account).  Add your student(s) by entering their student ID# and selecting their school.  The account balance displays in the middle of screen. We highly recommend that you set a Low Balance Alert ($10 or higher is suggested) using the links on the page to receive an email reminder when funds are low.

Charging for any meals will be discontinued during the last month of the school year. 

Meal Account Balance Refund Options

Funds remaining in student accounts at the end of the school year will stay in their account and automatically rollover to their assigned school for the next academic year. There are 3 options for moving funds or balances from student accounts:

1. They can be donated to the School Nutrition Program to help cover outstanding meal charges (often for elementary students)

2.  They can be transferred to a sibling or other student's account

3.  They can be refunded via a check mailed home

Any movement of funds on a child's account must be made in writing Print form for refund to provide information to process a donation, transfer or refund request. All seniors and those moving out of the district should complete and return this form. Students who have graduated or have withdrawn from Forsyth County Schools and have not claimed any money left on their account after 2 years will have the money removed. These balances will be used to support students in need.

Returned Payment Procedure

In the event of returned check or credit card payment, the student account may be converted to cash only.