Kenton City Schools

Dear Parents & Student;

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that beginning Thursday, May 10th; the Kenton High School Cafeteria is implementing a new computerized debit system that will replace the traditional cash registers currently being used in the cafeteria lunch lines. This new system will benefit you, your child, and the district in many ways, and I hope that you and your students will consider taking advantage of some of the convenient options the system has to offer. The information in this letter will outline and hopefully answer questions concerning the new system. However, if you still have questions, please feel free to call the food service office at (419)675-7216.

The new system will allow you to pay in advance if you choose to do so. Students will still be able to pay cash on a daily basis as they have in the past. The system works with a twelve key pin pad (located near the end of the serving line) that is similar to an automated teller machine (ATM). It will allow your son or daughter to enter their 4 or 5 digit student identification number (SIN) to access their account. The SIN number will stay the same throughout the remaining years your child is enrolled at KENTON CITY SCHOOLS. Please note that this system is very confidential. All students will be required to enter their SIN number regardless of meal status or payment method, thus insuring your child’s privacy.

All students will have an established debit account, although you will not be required to make advanced payments because the system has the ability to act as a cash register and can accept cash payments on a daily basis. However, for your convenience, you may wish to choose the following option for making advanced payments. To prevent fraudulent use of student accounts, each register will be equipped with a digital camera that will take a digital image of your son or daughter and download it into the system the first time they purchase foods in the cafeteria. This digital image will appear on the monitor for the cashier to view every time your child accesses his or her account, therefore insuring that no other student can use your child’s account.

Money will only be deducted from an account when the student uses the account to purchase meals and/or ala carte items. The system will know the meal status of your student (full-pay, free, or reduced) and will deduct the correct amount from the account. There is no limit on the amount of money that can be deposited into a debit account. When account balances fall below $5, the cashier will remind the student to bring in more lunch money.

Advanced Payment Option

CASH ON ACCOUNT — A cash debit account is created by making a payment of a certain dollar amount ($5.00, $10.00, $20.00, etc.) to the cafeteria. These funds are then deposited into your son or daughter’s debit account and are available to your child when purchasing meals and/or ala carte foods in the cafeteria. There are no limitations as to what may be purchased or how many purchases can be made. The account balance simply decreases as purchases take place. For safety purposes, we recommend that advanced payments be sent in the form of a check. If you are paying for more than one student in the same school with one payment, please note how much money is to be designated to each student’s account. If you do not specify, the amount will be equally divided between siblings’ account. Thank you for your cooperation and your participation. We hope that you will be patient with us as we make the transition to the new system. We are very excited about the new system and hope you will take advantage of all of the convenient options. Once again, this will begin Thursday, May 10th.

Sincerely,

Laura Widder
Cafeteria Supervisor
(419)675-7216