Faster lunch lines — just one benefit to prepaying for meals

SFUSD's new technology allows families to prepay for their students' meals. There are a lot of benefits:

* Lunch lines go faster.
* Kids don't need to carry cash.
* Families don't need to come up with cash daily.
* Caf staff can pay attention to serving food to our kids, not ringing up money.
* Less cash handling means more revenue.

(and more)

The more students eating in the caf who have prepaid, the greater the benefit!

The technology, MealpayPlus, is up and running in all middle and high schools and, as of this week, the following elementary schools:

Alice Fong Yu, Bryant, Buena Vista, Carmichael K-5, Clarendon, Cobb, El Dorado, F.S. Key, Glen Park, Grattan, Hillcrest, Jefferson, John Yehall Chin, Jose Ortega, Lakeshore, Lafayette, Lawton Alternative, Lilienthal, Longfellow, Miraloma, Monroe, Paul Revere, R. L. Stevenson, Rosa Parks, Sherman, Starr King, Tenderloin, Ulloa, West Portal, Willie Brown, Yick Wo, & Visitacion Valley.

It's being expanded to about six more schools every week. The order of schools receiving the technology was determined by logistics like wiring and siting for computer terminals.

If your kids attend the schools that have MealpayPlus and they eat in the caf, or may sometime, please log on at www.mealpayplus.com and register — then make a deposit by credit card, debit card or electronic check. Families that prefer to pay by cash or check may do so at the school.

Also, if you haven't filed a meal application, please do — even this late in the year. This is essential for families who qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, and the only way to ensure that all those families return the form is to ask ALL families to return the form. If you know you don't qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, please just fill in your child's name and school, write "not interested" anywhere on the form, and be sure to sign it. Forms are available from your school office.