Online system eases school lunch payments

In a time when many families pay bills online, or by debit or credit card, the act of physically writing checks has almost disappeared. For parents of school-age children, paying for school lunch has meant sending cash or a check to school each week or so.

No longer. In November, Bedford County Schools introduced http://MySchoolBucks.com , a payment system in wide use across the country.

Filling a need

"An online payment system was becoming more than a request -- it was becoming a need," said Janet Clarkson, supervisor of child nutrition.

Bedford County is one of seven systems in the state using the system, which is owned and managed by Heartland Payment Systems -- the nation's fifth largest payment processor.

"Our customers were the driving force behind the decision to use an online payment system," Clarkson said.

"Over the past couple of years, we had several requests to offer online payments, but we did not have the capabilities."

Timing was right

Of concern was the timing -- how long would it take for an online payment to show in the student's account?

"We did not want to offer a product that would frustrate more than it helped," Clarkson said.

County cafeterias make use of a point-of-sale system, and the Heartland program was able to integrate in a way that allows posting of payments -- usually by the next morning.

"We had done the research, and I had talked to several school systems already offering it -- but until I was sure that it worked -- in our setting -- with our system -- I was not going to advertise that it was available," Clarkson said.'

System works

Since November over 350 families have signed up for the service, with more than $5,000 being deposited into student meal accounts.

"We are so excited about how well it has been accepted," Clarkson said.

Use of the system is free, and parents may access the account at any time, regardless of whether they make payments online, by check or cash. When the account balance gets low, parents can elect to have an email reminder sent, or select a recurring payment option.

Options

Even better, parents may view a three-month history of their child's purchases. A $2 transaction fee is charged for each deposit, but funds may be split between student accounts regardless of which school they attend in the district.

"It seems every day we are discovering new benefits from this program," said Clarkson. "Those last minute 'frantic' phone calls from parents that forgot to send lunch money are decreasing -- as well as the questions of 'How much money does my child have in their account?'"