District introduces ParentOnline for online meal payments
Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, Guilderland Central School District is pleased to offer ParentOnline, a safe and secure way for parents to make online cafeteria meal payments via credit or debit card and view student meal account activity.
"This is something that our parents have been requesting for quite a while," said School Lunch Director Linda Mossop. "Not only is the system convenient for families but it also reduces the risk of lost or forgotten money and allows parents to see exactly what their child is purchasing from the school cafeteria."
Once a ParentOnline account is established, parents will be able to:
• Prepay for student meals using a Visa or Mastercard
• View account balances and student purchase history
• Receive e-mail notices when account balance is low
• Set-up automatic payments
• Access the website 24 hours a day, 7 days per week
Students will not need to maintain swipe cards in order to use the service; instead, children will use their student ID number in order to access their account balance in the school cafeteria. Food service workers will have a copy of all student ID numbers in case a child forgets his/her information.
In addition, as an added security feature, all school cafeterias will also utilize the district's student management system to match student faces and given ID numbers at check-out. By doing so, cafeteria workers will be able to confirm that students use only their own, individual accounts when purchasing food items.
How do parents sign-up?To create an account, simply visit WWW.PARENTONLINE.NET from any Internet-enabled computer.Click on the blue arrow that says "Create an Account" to complete the required user information/personal information forms. First-time users will then be asked to review the website's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. If all information is correct, click on the "Register" button to complete your registration process.
Once registered, parents will be able to add their child(ren) to their account and make online payments and/or add money to their child's account balance. You will also need to know your child's Student ID number in order to link your account to your child. Please note: There is a convenience charge for using ParentOnline. Parents will be charged $1.75 for up to every $100 placed on their child's account. This fee does not go to the school district; it is paid directly to ParentOnline.
Families who do not wish to establish a ParentOnline account for payment may still pay for school meals using cash or check. Money can be paid into a student's account at the register with no fees attached. At the elementary level, all cash and checks are collected from students and processed through the main office. The money is then placed directly on a student's account. At the middle and high school levels, students may continue to pay at the register as they have done in the past. However, 10-day lunch tickets will no longer be available for purchase. Please note that all checks should be made out to "School Lunch Fund".
