BUFFALO TWP — Freeport School District parents with delinquent student lunch accounts should pay up or face an impact on their credit reports.

The school board voted last week to hire Creditech, a branch of Berkheimer and Associates, to serve as a collection agency for the many student lunch accounts that are in arrears.

Ryan Manzer, Freeport's business manager, said the district allows parents to deposit money into their students' lunch accounts, and breakfasts and lunches are charged to the individual student by the student punching in the number associated with their account when they have a meal.

Parents, Manzer said, can see what foods their children are choosing, how much they paid, and the remaining balance online. They can also deposit money into the student's account by sending a check, paying online, or sending cash with the student to pay at the register.

“Unfortunately, the (delinquent accounts) are still growing,” Manzer said.

He said students will neither be shamed for having a delinquent account nor refused a basic lunch, but the growing number of delinquent accounts must be addressed.

He said the total negative balance from delinquent lunch accounts is now $15,000.

“That can be a shocking number,” Manzer said.

But he explained that if seven to eight students in each building take a lunch every day and do not provide the money to cover the lunch, “those balances escalate very quickly.”

Manzer stressed that hiring Creditech does not mean students will go hungry at Freeport.

“Students every single day can take a complete meal no matter what,” he said. “That's the right thing to do, and that's what we do.”

He said the only communication from the district or Creditech will be with parents.

The district will make changes for the next school year meant to ensure that students don't incur a negative balance in their lunch account, Manzer said.

Those changes include reducing the number of extra foods a student can purchase if they are delinquent, and only allowing them a basic lunch of a meat, grain, fruit, vegetable and dairy product.

“If a student has a negative balance, they cannot take anything beyond that meal,” Manzer said.

The contract with Creditech begins on Aug. 15, and if parents pay up their students' accounts or set up a payment plan with the district before that date, their account will not be sent to Creditech.

Accounts with more than a $25 negative balance will be sent to the company on Aug. 15, where employees will follow Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices to collect the balances.

If no action is taken by parents, Creditech could report the delinquency to the major credit reporting entities and the parent's credit report could be negatively affected.

“Our goal is to not let it get to this point,” Manzer said.

He said parents who cannot afford daily lunches for the child can apply for free- or reduced-price lunches, but that will not affect or lower their existing delinquent balance.

Also, payment plans set up with the district before Aug. 15 will not include any fees or interest, but fees will be attached to accounts sent to Creditech.

Those who wish to pay their account can send a check to Freeport School District, c/o Food Services Director Cassandra Mielke, 625 S. Pike Road, Sarver, PA 16055.

Mielke can also set up payment plans, provide free and reduced lunch forms, or answer any questions at 724-295-5141, Ext. 1252.