Purchasing Meals
How students purchase meals
All students are issued a personal identification number (PIN). Each child’s PIN is their student ID number.
When a child decides he/she wants to buy lunch for that day, he/she will approach the cashier and enter their PIN on a keypad. The child’s account and photograph will appear on the cashier’s computer touch screen. The cost of the lunch will automatically be deducted from the account without any exchange of cash. Students who receive Free or Reduced-priced lunches will follow the same procedures outlined above; however, their automatic debits will be made at a free or reduced lunch price this transaction is PRIVATE to cashier.
Deposits may be made with cash, check, or online using SchoolCafe https://www.schoolcafe.com/NWLSD. Checks should be made payable to NWLSD Food Service Dept. and contain the current date. The Food Service Department will not hold post-dated checks. Each building has a “black box” located near the school office in the Elementary and Middle Schools or outside the serving line at the High School. Students may drop cash or check deposits into their respective box prior to lunch.
We encourage students (especially seniors) to expend their account money by the end of the year. Underclassmen’s accounts will be carried over into the next year; graduating seniors’ account balances (over $5.00) will be refunded in the form of a school district check and will be mailed, or transferred to a younger sibling’s account automatically unless prior arrangements have been made with the Director of Food Services.
How parents can request restrictions
The Food Service Department extends the option to parents of applying restrictions to their student’s cafeteria accounts. A “meals only” restriction may be applied to allow your child to use their money in their cafeteria account to purchase a school lunch only. No a la carte sales will be taken from the account balance. Your child may, however, purchase a la carte with cash.
You may request a restriction by contacting the Food Service Office. All restrictions will remain on the student’s account until we receive a note to remove it.