Clarkstown Families Face New Fee for Using Online System to Pay for School Lunches

School lunch just got a little more expensive for families who use the Clarkstown school district's "MyLunchMoney" online account payment system.

A notice has gone out to the school community alerting them of a $1.95 fee they'll be charged each time money is added to a child's account electronically with credit/debit cards at with MyLunchMoney.

"These fees will be displayed at the time of your payment," the notice states. "For example, if you fund $25.00, the $25.00 will deposit into the meal account and your credit/debit card will be charged $26.95.  If you fund more than one account at the same time, and the accounts are at different schools, you will be charged the $1.95 transaction fee for each school. Multiple accounts funded at the same time at the same school are considered one transaction and the $1.95 fee will only be charged one time."

Schools superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan said today that the district was previously supporting the program by covering fees that are associated with the operation of MyLunchMoney. Looking at every way to trim costs for the district, Keller-Cogan said the district wants the lunch program to be self-sustaining.

"(Parents) can load a fair amount onto the debit system therefore limiting the number of transactions for the school year," Keller-Cogan said.

Additionally, she noted that parents can avoid paying a fee by adding money to their child's account by sending cash or a check in to school. Checks need to include the child's PIN number and should be made out to CCSD Food Service Department, according to the school district.

The school district also says that parents who previously used the "Smart Pay" feature on MyLunchMoney accounts need to log into MyLunchMoney.com and reactivate that feature for the new school year if they want to use it. Smart Pay charges the parent's credit card automatically when the account reaches a low balance.

This change will not affect any money already in a child's account, according to the school district.