Eating lunch by the numbers

The days of students waiting in lengthy lunch lines for change to be counted out as their food grows cold are long gone from area schools, where new technology has allowed cafeterias to become virtually cashless.

Schools in Jackson and Cape Girardeau have incorporated cash-free payment systems through pin numbers or cards with bar codes issued to every student.

"It's been wonderful for the students, and the cafeteria workers think it's the best thing since sliced bread," said Dr. Rodney Pensel, principal of Jackson Middle School, where students punch in four-digit personal identification numbers to pay for their lunches.

Jackson schools first implemented the PIN system in a pilot program last year at West Lane Elementary.

According to food services director Elizabeth Aufdenberg, the program went over so well it was extended to three other elementary schools and the middle school this year.

Children as young as 6 are assigned pin numbers to be memorized. Jackson students and school officials view the new system as a major improvement over cash or cards used in previous years.

"The lines go much faster. There's no money to keep up with, and there's no cards to lose," said 12-year-old Chance Breese, a student at Jackson Middle School, where lunch is divided into four periods with around 160 students in each.

Students in grades 5 through 12 in Cape Girardeau schools have plastic debit cards with bar codes that are scanned after students have collected their food in the cafeteria.

Officials say one of the most important benefits is the privacy the cards or PINs provide to students on free or reduced lunches.

"Kids in middle school and older do not want to be set apart in any fashion," Pensel said. "I really believe the pin numbers offer more anonymity to students on free or reduced lunches."

The federal government uses a school's free and reduced lunch count as a socioeconomic measuring stick for funding needs. The more students participating in the subsidized lunch program, the more money a school receives for federal Title I programs and food service reimbursements.

Eligibility for the lunch program is determined by household income. For example, students in a family of four with an annual household income of $33,485 or less qualify.

Federal guidelines prohibit schools from openly labeling students on subsidized lunches. Even so, as students get older, studies show that fewer take advantage of the program. Researchers say it's because students want to avoid the stigma associated with subsidized lunches.

But as students realize how the cards and PINs work, officials say they will be more likely to sign up for subsidized lunches, especially at the secondary grade levels.

Increasing numbers

In local schools, officials said it is possible that the new payment systems have increased the number of students on free and reduced lunches.

Since the Cape Girardeau school district began using cards in 2000, the number of free and reduced students has increased from 36.7 percent to 38.4 percent.

"We have seen an increase in free and reduced lunches, and it could be because of the cards," said Lisa Elfrink, director of food service for Cape Girardeau schools. " But I can't say that for sure. It could also be economics."

Bridget Watson of Jackson, whose daughter is a seventh grader at the middle school, said she thinks the new PIN system is a big improvement over old payment systems.

"It's so much easier," Watson said. "The school doesn't have to replace swipe cards, and the lunch lines seem to go much faster."

Watson said she feels the system teaches students to be accountable for money. Students in both Cape Girardeau and Jackson are responsible for depositing money in their accounts.

When the PINs punched in, a student's account balance, along with an identification photo, appear on a computer screen in the cafeteria.

The PINs were a welcome relief for 12-year-old Josh Gwin of Jackson, who said he had difficulty keeping track of the swipe cards.

"I lost my card twice last year, and you have to pay to get a new one," Gwin said.

There are districts in Southeast Missouri, especially those with small enrollments, that say the cash system still works fine.

Superintendent David Newell with the Kelso School District said under the current system, the school's 130 students give their teachers lunch money every morning, which is then turned in to the office. Students' names are checked off a roster as they go through the lunch line.

"With the size of our school, I don't think cards or anything would be feasible or efficient," Newell said.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128