A letter explaining your SNAP benefits will be sent to you by email. If you do not receive a letter confirming your SNAP benefit eligibility status, please contact:
freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
- Families qualifying for SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR benefits receive a NCSD Direct Certification approval letter. If a confirmation letter is not received or students are missing in the notification, please call the North Clackamas School District Helpline at 503.353.6034 or email freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
Access to Meals
According to Oregon law, any student who requests a meal shall receive a meal.
North Clackamas School District students who attend a school that serves breakfast and lunch may receive both a breakfast and lunch at no cost thanks to the expansion of the National School Lunch Program's Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP) in Oregon.
Oregon law specifies that when a student requests a meal during meal service, they shall receive a meal regardless of the ability to pay. For clarification purposes, the cost or balances of meals are the responsibility of the parent or guardian.
- Due to provisions current laws, the school district is unable to establish a charging limit for students requesting complete meals.
- Nutrition Services does not provide alternative meals to students that have a charging limit imposed by the parent or guardian or have a negative balance on their meal account.
Charging
Account Management and Collection of Delinquent Debt
The school district allows for the prepayment of meals directly at the school or online using the LINQ Connect.
- School office staff are able to receive cash or check payments for student meal accounts. No change can be provided. Meal prices are posted on our menus, our district website, and the Nutrislice Menu mobile application.
- The online account management service, LINQ Connect enables management of student accounts online. Features include transaction history, online payments, auto-payments, payment reminders, low balance warnings and more. This tool is a voluntary option for families and a service charge will apply for online payment processing.
Handling of Delinquent Debt
When a payment is overdue or when funds are not present to cover the cost of a meal that has been served and charged on a student’s meal account, the monetary credit extended is considered delinquent debt. The North Clackamas School District will pursue efforts to collect unpaid meal charges or delinquent debts.
- Negative Balance Notifications – The district initiates an automated phone call to households every week notifying of balances owed on the student meal accounts.
- Email notifications are also sent during the school year.
End of Year Student Account Balances
All student meal account balances (positive and negative), automatically to the next school year. If a student(s) has funds and no longer attends North Clackamas School District, families can:
- Request in writing the funds be donated to Nutrition Services to help other families with negative balances. To submit a request, send an email to freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
- Request a refund check on our website at: Meal Account Refund Request Form. NOTE: Refund checks may take up to 4-6 weeks to process.
- Request in writing the funds be transferred to a sibling’s student meal account. To submit a request, send an email to freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
- NOTE: Funds that have not been used for two (2) consecutive school years are considered inactive accounts and money is sent to the State of Oregon as unclaimed property.
HB3454 INFORMATION
On August 8th, 2017 House Bill 3454 into law. The bill outlines practices and communication that are not allowed in Oregon school cafeterias. The law is intended to reduce or remove practices and communications that have been deemed as “shaming” to students regarding the collection of funds in exchange for meals or identification of balances for unpaid meals. Key points of the bill include:
- Must provide written permission to withhold meal from student or establish a charging limit.
- The school district shall contact households to determine Free or Reduced-price eligibility; repeat contact if owing more than five (5) meals. Offer assistance in completing Free or Reduced-price meal applications.
- Not publicly identify who cannot pay for or owes money for
- Not serve an alternative meal to a student who cannot pay.
- Shall communicate about monies owed to parent or guardian and not students.
- May not assess fees related to agencies to parent or guardian.
Current impacts of this bill include an increased balance of unpaid meal charges for students of all income categories. For the specific language of the bill, click here.
For any information or questions, please call the Free and Reduced Helpline at 503-353-6034 or email freeandreduced@nclack.k12.or.us
THIS INSTITUTION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER.