FAQs

What happens if my child loses the student identification number?
back to top

The cashier will ask the student’s name and perform a search of our database. The student’s school picture will appear and be compared to the student before the transaction is completed.

What if my child still has credit on POS at the end of the school year?
back to top

All account balances are carried over to the following school year. For students remaining in the District but are moving to another Souderton Area School District school (for example: elementary to middle school), the balance will automatically be forwarded to the account at the new school. Students leaving the district will receive the balance in their account in a check made payable to the responsible adult, as requested. Forms to request a refund for students leaving the District are available from the food service manager.

How are refunds handled for graduating seniors?
back to top

If the senior has a sibling attending a school in the District, the account balance is transferred to the oldest sibling remaining in the District. If the senior does not have a sibling, a refund will be issued.

Refunds will be processed only after the last student day for seniors. Please keep in mind that it takes several weeks to process all senior refunds.

What if a student has a credit or negative balance on POS?
back to top

Negative balance letters are sent out by the Food Service Department at least once monthly. We would request that you send payment as soon as possible for any negative balances on your child’s meal accounts. Please feel free to contact us at (215) 723-6061 extension 10213 to discuss payment plan options. We can also answer any questions you may have with regard to completing a Free and Reduced Price School Meal Application. Applications can be found on the District website at www.soudertonsd.org/Services/Food Service/Free and Reduced Meal Application or by contacting us at the above phone number. Please be advised a Free and Reduced Price School Meal Application must be completed each school year.

A credit or negative balance will be transferred with the student into the next school year.

Meal charges are for emergency use only and are designed to cover situations when parents or students forget to bring or provide funds for meals. Meals provided when a student’s account is negative will continue to accrue until paid. Students will not be allowed to charge a la carte or milk when the account is negative.

Adults: No purchases will be allowed without proper payment.

No Sharing: Children may not use another child’s (including sibling’s) account to make purchases.

Payments: Payments may made be made on www.myschoolbucks.com. There is $2.49 charge per transaction.

Application of Payments: All funds that come into the account will first be deposited toward the outstanding balance.

Low and Negative Balance Notification and Collection Procedures: The following notification procedures may be undertaken in various combinations in an effort to inform parents when a student’s account is low or negative. Parents are strongly encouraged to enroll in the automatic notifications to receive the most current information.

  1. Students will be verbally notified by the cashier when accounts are getting low.
  2. Building Food Service Managers or the Supervisor of Food Service may inform the building principal when a student’s account is low or negative.
  3. Parents subscribing to www.myschoolbucks.com will receive low balance emails through this website.
  4. Text messages and emails will be sent automatically every Sunday evening to the parents/guardians of all students with a negative account balance.
  5. The Superintendent or designee is authorized to negotiate a mutually agreed upon payment plan until an account is paid in full.
  6.  The District may also take necessary and permissible steps to collect on this overdue balance if the balance is not paid voluntarily. This may include obtaining a judgment through the local Magisterial District Court or utilizing a third party collection agency. Additional court costs and/or collection fees will be the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility, and will be added to the overdue meal charges.

Application of Payments: Revisions to this AR may be made by the Superintendent or designee at their discretion and without notice. The current version of this AR will always be posted on the SASD website (www.soudertonsd.org).

Can my child still use cash in the cafeteria?
back to top

Yes, at the Elementary and Middle School level ONLY. Cash may still be used in the cafeteria, accompanied by the ID number, but parents are strongly encouraged to deposit money into the account which will make the cafeteria lines far more efficient. The debit system is set up to serve the customer with optimal speed when cashiers do NOT have to wait to cash and make change. The ID number must still be presented to record the number of breakfasts and lunches. One of the benefits of POS, however, is the elimination of lost or forgotten money. The lunch lines will operate with greater efficiency as we move toward a “cashless” system.

What if my child qualifies for free or reduced meals?
back to top

Your child only needs his student ID number. It is impossible to differentiate between paid, free or reduced breakfasts or lunches. If your child is allowed to purchase snack or a la carte items, money must be deposited into their account for that purpose.

Can Point of Sale (POS) be used to purchase a breakfast?
back to top

Yes, POS can be used to purchase breakfast. Students qualifying for free lunches are also eligible to have a free breakfast. For students paying a reduced price, the breakfast is $.30 daily and will be deducted from their debit account.

How do I deposit money into my child’s account?
back to top

There are several ways to deposit funds into your student’s meal account:

  • Send cash or check made payable to SASD Cafeteria account in an envelope clearly marked with your student’s name, grade and student ID number and have your child give it to the cafeteria manager of the school they are attending. To ensure proper credit to your student’s account, please send a separate check for each student, especially if they attend different schools in the District.

  • Deposit funds electronically through an account with MySchoolBucks.com.  In order to set up a MySchoolBucks account, you will need your student’s ID number and their birthdate. The MySchoolBucks website is available 24/7. Please be aware there is a $2.49 fee charged for each payment made through this online account.

Student Breakfast is $1.75 daily or $8.75 per week in grades K-12. 

Student lunch prices are as follows:

  • Elementary Lunch          $3.00 per day or $15.00 per week
  • Middle School Lunch       $3.25 per day or $16.25 per week
  • High School Lunch          $3.60 per day or $18.00 per week

How do I put a “no snack” restriction or spending limit on my child’s meal account?
back to top

You can request a “NO SNACK” restriction be put on your child’s meal account. This would restrict your child from purchasing any extra a la carte items. For example: if you do not want your child to purchase an extra slice of pizza, a “no snack” restriction would preclude your child from purchasing the extra slice of pizza. This would apply to purchasing bottles of water, cookies, ice cream, etc.

You can also request a “SPENDING LIMIT” be put on your child’s meal account. The spending limit would be a “weekly” spending limit.

Please notify the cafeteria manager in your child’s school if you would like to make either of these requests.

Is the Sundae Bar included in the price of a regular lunch?
back to top

Yes. If your child purchases a complete lunch, they would be able to get the Sundae Bar at no extra charge.

If my child does not purchase a lunch, can they still purchase the Sundae Bar?
back to top

Yes. However, they must have money on their account or bring $1.75 on the day of the Sundae Bar in order to get the Sundae Bar.