Brockton School Lunches Go Online

The BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--Brockton Public Schools will now offer parents an online account for student lunches that allows parents to prepay balances, review purchases and keep an eye on what their kids are eating to ensure students are making healthy choices.
In a prepared statement, school officials said the new program is a partnership with Mealpayplus, an online prepayment system that offers parents a safe, easy and convenient way to prepay for their children's school meals.
"We see this as a convenience for parents, and also a way for them to monitor their child's purchases and help them make healthy food choices," said Superintendent of Schools Matthew H. Malone.
Chartwells School Dining Services, the corporation that operates Brockton Public Schools cafeterias, has been working to improve food choices, cafeteria operations and convenience since it became the district's food service vendor in 2006, officials said.
Last year, Chartwells introduced a new point-of-sale system district-wide, whereby students use their ID numbers or ID cards to expedite meal service in the cafeterias.
The new online payment system, officials said, is in response to parents comments.
"We often hear from parents wondering why their child is spending a certain amount of money, now those parents can view their child's account and see how much their student is spending on meals versus ala carte items," said Tom Burke, Chartwells' Brockton district manager.
Parents can log onto the student's account any time at http://www.mealpayplus.comand view what their child has purchased on a specific day. The software allows parents to view the balance at any time, as well as to check payment history. In addition, parents can choose to have email confirmations of payments and low balance reminders sent, and payments can be made quickly and easily using a credit card or check online or via telephone. Optional Wallet and Auto-Replenish features enable parents to set a low balance amount that will automatically replenish the account when it drops to a specified balance, if they choose.
For additional information about MealpayPlus, please visit http://www.mealpayplus.com
(The above logo is courtesy of Mealpayplus.com website)