Lunch Program Basics

 MEAL PRICING

► Elementary, Middle & High School Price List - Breakfast & Lunch

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ACCOUNT/PREPAY INFO

Effective June 4, 2011, we began using Horizon Software to administer the online payments for the meal accounts in our district.

If you haven’t already done so, you will need to set up a MyPaymentsPlus account for each of your students.  In order to set up the account, you will need the student ID for each account holder.  Student ID’s can be obtained by contacting the front office of your child’s campus, or by contacting the District Nutrition office.

This new system offers two options for managing your child’s spending on their account:  Meal Account or General Account.  All account balances as of June 4 were transferred to the new system, and will be reflected in the General Account when you set up your child’s account at MyPaymentsPlus.com.  If you wish to have this money placed in the Meal Account, please send an email to Angie Campbell at campbean@friscoisd.org.

To set up your account:   Go to www.mypaymentsplus.com.  Follow the on-screen instruction or refer to the Quick Reference Guide.

With MyPaymentsPlus, you will be able to make online payments via check or credit card, set up automatic payments for the account, receive low balance notifications, and monitor your student’s purchases.  In addition, MyPaymentsPlus offers you the ability to place restrictions on how the money is spent with “meal” and “general” account options.

Meal Account – Elementary and Middle School Level

At the Elementary and Middle School levels, Meal Account money can only be used to purchase qualified Power Meals.  If you put money in the Meal Account, your child will only be able to purchase one Power Meal per meal period.  Money in the Meal Account cannot be used to purchase a la carte items, or pay for adult/guest lunches if you choose to have lunch with your child.

Meal Account – High School Level

At the High School level, Meal Account money can only be used to purchase Power Meals and Premium Power Meals.  If you put money in the Meal Account, your child will only be able to purchase one breakfast and one lunch per meal period.  Money in the Meal Account cannot be used to purchase a la carte items, or pay for adult/guest lunches if you choose to have lunch with your child.

General Account

Money held in the General Account may be used to purchase any food item your Frisco Café offers.  Put all money in this account if you do not wish to restrict your child’s food selections.  If you put money in the General Account, your child will be able to purchase Power Meals (and Premium Power Meals at the high school level), and a la carte items.  In addition, you may use this account if you have lunch with your child.  You may establish a daily spending limit (breakfast and lunch combined total) in the General Account by completing the Account Restriction Form (on our website) and returning it to our office.

Payments on Student Meal Accounts You may prepay in person by cash or check at your student's school, or pay online at www.mypaymentsplus.com via check, debit card or credit card. There is no charge to parents for using this service.

MyPaymentsPlus was designed to provide parents with a safe and convenient way to pay for their students' lunch online. No more lost lunch money! It also allows parents to be in complete control of money being applied to lunch accounts. Parents may look at account balances and purchases anytime.  In most cases, funds are available within 24 hours. Occasionally, external factors may affect this process and could delay when the funds are received by the school.  If you have made a payment, you may utilize the payment tracking arrows to ensure your funds have been applied and are ready for use. Once all arrows are highlighted, the school has received the funds and are ready for use.

Account Balances The balance in your students’ account at the end of school will be reflected when you set up the account at www.mypaymentsplus.com.

Child Nutrition Check Acceptance Policy Our school district has established the following policy for accepting checks and collecting bad checks: For a check to be an acceptable form of payment it must include your current, full and accurate name, address, telephone number, driver’s license number and state, along with the student ID number of all students for which payment is being made.  When paying by check you authorize the recovery of unpaid checks and the recovery of the state allowed fee by means of electronic re-presentment. In the event your check is returned by the bank unpaid, checks will no longer be an acceptable form of payment for the remainder of the school year. Alternative forms of payment must be used instead of a check payment (cash, credit card, online payment). No temporary checks will be accepted.

Student Meal Charging Policy Elementary and Middle School students with no money in their account will be allowed to “charge” two meals.  Students may not charge any snack items. After charging the permitted two meals, an alternate meal (see below) will be provided at no cost. Parents will receive low balance phone call reminders via School Messenger. Notices will no longer be sent home in backpacks. Students should remind their parents to prepay into lunch accounts.   High school students with no money in their account will be allowed to charge one meal.

Alternate Meal Policy Although not required, the FISD Child Nutrition Department currently provides an alternate lunch meal for elementary and middle school students who have exceeded the allowable two-meal charge limit.  For the 2011-2012 school year, the alternate lunch meal is a cheese sandwich and a carton of fruit juice.  The alternate lunch is intended as an “emergency meal” when an elementary or middle school student is over the two-meal charge limit.

Pin Numbers All students use their district student I.D. as a "PIN number". It is used each day in the cafeteria and for payments on lunch accounts by credit card. To help the serving lines move faster and allow more time for students to eat, children should memorize their PIN number. Please practice your children's PIN numbers with them at home.

Frisco ISD uses Paytek Solutions as its collection agency. Further information can be obtained by phoning 800-641-9998

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 ONLINE FORMS

 Frequently Asked Questions

For At-A-Glance information on the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy, please refer to this site.

What happens to the money in my student’s account?  The balance reflected in your student’s account at the end of school will be reflected when you set up the account at MyPaymentsPlus.com.  Funds are held by the district and will not be affected by changing administrators of our online payments.

A Student ID or Pin # can be obtained by contacting the student's school or by contacting the cafeteria. It may also available from one of the following resources: Report card School registration paper work Student schedule Bus card Student ID card ACT test results Transcripts School office Child Nutrition office (469-633-6989)

I received an invalid student ID or Pin # message, what do I do? Please contact your student’s cafeteria supervisor or organization manager to obtain this information.

After an online payment is made, how long will it take for the money to be available? In most cases it is available within 24 hours. Occasionally, external factors may affect this process and could delay when the funds are received by the school. If you have made a payment, you may utilize the payment tracking arrows to ensure your funds have been applied and are ready for use. Once all arrows are highlighted, the school has received the funds and are ready for use.

When are my payments reflected in the balances? The MyPaymentsPlus balances displayed are immediately displayed in the pending payments area. Once MyPaymentsPlus transfers the money to your student’s school or organization it is available for use. In most cases this is available within minutes but could take up to 48 hours. If you have made a payment, you may utilize the payment tracking arrows to ensure your funds have been applied and are ready for use. Once all arrows are highlighted, the school has received the funds and are ready for use.

How can I obtain a refund? All refunds are handled by the District Nutrition Office.  Please call 469-633-6989 for refunds on your meal account.

Can I set up low account balance notifications? MyPaymentsPlus provides the capability to set individual Low Balance limit amounts for each of your accounts. If the balance of any account goes below the limit, MyPaymentsPlus will send you an email.

I keep receiving notifications about my child's low lunch balance. How do I opt out of this notification? In an effort for every child to have the meal of their choice, the Child Nutrition department utilizes the School Messenger system to call households that have an elementary or middle school student with a lunch balance below $2.00. The best way to avoid low and negative balance phone calls is to sign up for automatic payments at www.mypaymentsplus.com. This service is free! If you would like to remove your number from receiving low and negative balance phone calls, please send an email to removeme@friscoisd.org. Include the phone number, student name and student ID.  Please allow 24-48 hours for the restriction to take effect. If you have requested your number to be blocked in the past, your number is still blocked.

Can I transfer money from one account to another or from one student to another? For security purposes, we currently do not allow you to transfer money from your General account to your Meal Account or vice-versa. Also, we do not allow transfers from one student to another at this time. You must contact the District Nutrition Office at 469-633-6989 to move money from one meal account to another.

How can I see the purchases made in the cafeteria or the purchase history of the account? Please log in to your account.  On the home page, you will see a "View Purchase History" button on the home page.  Simply click this button.  Occasionally, outside factors may cause disruption of this service.  You may also contact your cafeteria supervisor to obtain a print out of activities.

What do I do if the system says that my username or password is invalid? Simply click on “Forgot user name or password” in the Secure sign in area of the home page. For security purposes you will need to know the email address you originally used to set up your account.

I know my username, but I forgot my password. How can I get my password? Simply click on “Forgot user name or password” in the Secure sign in area of the home page.  For security purposes you will need to know the email address you originally used to set up your account.

I forgot my username and password. How can I get this information? Simply click on “Forgot user name or password” in the Secure sign in area of the home page.  For security purposes you will need to know the email address you originally used to set up your account.

Can I change the username and password on my account? For security purposes, the user name is not changeable. However, you may edit the password by going to your "user profile" settings in the "preferences" section of the home page. Simply click on "Change Password" under the "Username" section and type in your old and new password.

Can I make payments to multiple accounts with one payment? Yes.

What are the different accounts used for? Our new software and online payment system offers two options for managing your child’s spending on their account:  Meal Account or General Account.  In addition, all balances transferred from Paypams to MyPaymentsPlus was automatically placed in the General Account.  Definitions of these accounts are as follows:

Meal Accounts: Meal Account – Elementary and Middle School Level At the Elementary and Middle School levels, Meal Account money may only be used to purchase qualified Power Meals.  If you put money in the Meal Account, your child will only be able to purchase one Power Meal per meal period.  Money in the Meal Account cannot be used to purchase a la carte items or pay for adult/guest lunches if you choose to have lunch with your child.

Meal Account – High School Level At the High School level, Meal Account money may only be used to purchase Power Meals and Premium Power Meals.  If you put money in the Meal Account, your child will only be purchase one qualified Power Meal or Premium Power Meal per meal period.  Money in the Meal Account cannot be used to purchase a la carte items or pay for adult/guest lunches if you choose to have lunch with your child.

General Account Money held in the General Account may be used to purchase any food item your Frisco Café offers.  Put all money in this account if you do not wish to restrict your child’s food selections.  If you put money in the General Account, your child will be able to purchase Power Meals (and Premium Power Meals at the high school level), as well as a la carte items.  In addition, you may use this account if you have lunch with your child.  You may establish a daily spending limit (breakfast and lunch combined total) in the General Account by completing the Account Restriction Form (located on our website) and returning it to our office (friscocafe@friscoisd.org).   If you would like to have this money transferred from one account to the other, please send an email to Angie Campbell at campbean@friscoisd.org, or call 469-633-6989.

How do I add additional students at a later date? Students can be added or removed using “Add/Delete” students on the home page once you log in.

Can I set spending limits on my child’s account? Please use the Parent Lunch Account Preference form in order to limit daily spending by your child. Elementary cafeteria policy already limits students to the purchase of 1 snack and 1 beverage with their meal. This policy does not prevent a student from returning to the line during their lunch period to purchase another snack or beverage. Parents who wish to limit their child’s spending must complete an Account Restrictions form (each year) and return the form to the Child Nutrition Programs District Office at 12050 Rolater Road, Frisco, Texas 75035 or send via email to friscocafe@friscoisd.org.

Elementary (K-5) Account Restriction Form (PDF)

Middle School Account Restriction Form (PDF)

High School Account Restriction Form (PDF)

Can a sibling at the same school use the same account? Each student has their own individual Student ID number.  If siblings attend the same school, they would still need to use their individual Student ID/Pin when purchasing a meal in the cafeteria.  Multiple children can be registered on a single MyPaymentsPlus account, and parents can add funds to all children within a single district in one easy, secure transaction.

How often do I have to re-register my account? MyPaymentsPlus only requires a one-time, free registration. You will not need to re-register your account at any point, even if you have a new student entering the school system. Simply go to the "Add/Delete students" option under "Preferences" on the home page and follow the simple instructions to edit your account.

How secure is my on-line or telephone transaction? MyPaymentsPlus offers the 128 bit encryption with SSL/ secure socket layer. We are certified by VISA for its CISP/Cardholder Information Security program. This certification is VISA's highest security protocol.

My child seems to run out of money in their meal account sooner than I expect.  Why are they charged more for a la carte items than if they get the standard hot meal? We receive federal funding for the school lunch program, and to ensure that children select healthy meals, the Federal Government requires that students select foods according to our menu plan. If a child does not select a reimbursable meal the school district does not receive funding for any portion of the meal. In this case, students are charged a la carte prices for items selected. Consequently, they could actually pay more for less food.

My child lost their lunch card – do I have to pay for a replacement? Students PK through second grade may access meal accounts with the provided meal card and/or student ID#. Meal cards will be replaced a maximum of 3 times. A $5 replacement fee is required after the third card or students may use their student ID# to access their meal account.

Why can't teachers tell my elementary child what to select at lunch? This again relates to federal guidelines and federal funding. Because we offer a choice of entrees, the student must independently select a reimbursable meal. We can offer, but not serve, so that is why we have to ask faculty not to add additional items to student trays. We cannot make changes that seem like we are forcing students to take full meals to increase our federal funding. In summary, teachers may suggest not tell or force students to take items offered.

Why are snack items offered? We survey parents and students to see what they want us to serve, and we only serve snacks that meet the nutritional guidelines set by the federal government. Snack sale revenue is used to update kitchen equipment, assist with maintenance cost, and various other kitchen upgrades.   Many parents want their children to be able to purchase a snack to eat after school, etc. However, parents who wish to limit their child’s spending may do so by completing an Account Restrictions form (each year) and return the form to your student’s cafeteria manager or to the Child Nutrition Programs District Office at 12050 Rolater Road, Frisco, Texas 75035.

How can I find out what my student is eating at school? After creating an account at www.mypaymentsplus.com, you may view your student’s account balance 24/7 and monitor their purchases.  You may also contact your campus cafeteria supervisor and request a printout.

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CHILD NUTRITION NEWS

• Study reveals that school meals are healthier and less expensive than meals brought from home.
  Read more...
• Breakfast at school increases performance!
  Read more...

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RESOURCES

Celebrate Nutrition And Learning
Kids that eat nutritious meals not only perform better in school, but in all aspects of their lives. We analyze our meals for their nutritional value, fat content, etc., and improve upon the standards demanded by federal guidelines. These analyses are available to you at your request.

One of our goals is to assist with nutrition education for our students, and we have made ourselves available to the schools.

Learn More About Nutrition & School Meals

• Top 10 Nutrition Links

• www.nutritionforkids.com

• www.fns.usda.gov

• www.nal.usda.gov

• www.nutritionexplorations.org

• www.dolenutrition.com

• www.tasn.net

• www.eatright.org

• www.dltk-kids.com/nutrition/

• www.gotmilk.com

• www.opi.state.mt.us/schoolfood/recessBL.html 

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