-
Welcome to Dining Services at Bethlehem Area School District
Free/Reduced Meal Applications for the 2024 - 2025 school year are now open!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does my child purchase a school meal?
Bethlehem Area School District uses SchoolCafe in our school cafeterias. All students have a meal account which allows parents to deposit funds for the purchase of school meals and ala carte snacks, track purchases, and apply for free/reduced meals. Students access their meal account in the cafeteria in the cafteria by entering their student ID number on the keypad or swiping their student ID at the register.
How do I prepay for meals?
Cash/Check: Place cash or check made payable to BASD Dining Services in an envelope clearly labeled with the student's first name, last name and ID number. The labeled envelope may then be handed to a Dining Services team member in the cafeteria. Elementary students may hand the envelopes to their teachers.
Online via SchoolCafe: Just three easy steps to register and start making payments:
- Register yourself as a user.
- Add students for whom you wish to pay online. You must have your student's ID number, which is provided by the district.
- Make a payment. You can make a payment to your student's account by using a credit/check card. You will receive a confirmation number after the payment is accepted. There is a $1.95 convenience fee for each transaction. A minimum of $10 per transaction with a maximum of $100 is required.
What are the different menu options and pricing?
All current school menus are posted on the Dining Services website. Menus are subject to change due to product availability. Elementary lunches are priced at $2.65 and Middle/High School lunches are $2.85.
Thanks to the Universal Free Breakfast initiative, breakfast is free for all students across the state of Pennsylvania, regardless of eligibility status.
How do I apply for free or reduced-price meals?
You can locate the free and reduced-price meal application on the dining services website. Paper applications are also available upon request. You may apply for the free and reduced-price program anytime during the school year should your income or household change. If you are approved, the eligibility extends only throughout the current school year. A new application needs to be submitted at the start of each school year.
What happens to my child's meal account at the end of the school year?
Any funds left in your child's meal account at the end of the school year will carry over to the next school year. When your child transitions to middle or high school, their account will transition as well. Accounts do not transfer from district to district.
School Lunch Debt
No student in the Bethlehem Area School District will be denied a reimbursable meal. Schools may only withhold meals from a student if they receive written direction from a Parent/Guardian.
If a student does not have money in their account, they will still be permitted to take a reimbursable meal by charging the meal on their account and creating a negative balance. Students may not charge meal items beyond what constitutes a regular reimbursable meal.
Reasonable efforts shall be made by the district to collect delinquent debt from Parents/Guardians. Efforts taken for the collection of delinquent debt shall not have a negative impact on the student involved, but shall focus on the Parents/Guardians responsible for providing funds for meal purchases.
Donate/Transfer/Request Funds
Refunds and transfer requests can be completed by submitting the appropriate form. Additional information shall be published on the district’s public website.
Funds remaining in the student's account at the end of the school year will remain in the student’s account for the next school year. A parent/guardian may request a transfer of funds from one child’s account to another child’s account. Refunds may be requested at any time.
Additional refund procedures shall be published on the district’s public website.
Graduating senior/Withdrawn students with balances of five dollars ($5) or more will be mailed their refund within thirty (30) days of withdrawal/graduation date. Any remaining balances of five dollars ($5) or less, with no notification from the parent/guardian within thirty (30) days from the student's withdrawal/graduation, will be donated to the district’s negative balance fund.
Charitable Donations
Charitable donations are occasionally received from community members and community organizations for the purpose of helping students pay their student lunch debt. Donations shall be placed in a designated account. Donated funds will be distributed as designated by the donor. If the donor does not designate how funds should be used, then funds shall be distributed to lower or pay off outstanding student lunch debt accumulated by students receiving free or reduced-price meals and shall benefit as many students as possible in a random and equitable process.
Questions? Please contact Ashley Kelly at 610-861-8135 X37716 or akelly83@basdschools.org
