Meal TRAC
Starting Thursday, Feb. 22.
If parents choose to use a PIN number for their student, a "Pin Number request From" must be completed and submitted before biometric enrollment begins. This form is available in the principal's office.
Starting the first day of your rollout, cash or money order deposits into student accounts can be made. Shiloh will accept deposits from 7:30 A.M. - 7:50 A.M.
Students will proceed through the lunch lines as usual. If a student wishes to make a deposit, he/she may do so at the cash register. Once there is a positive balance in the account, the student will identify him/herself to the cashier and the cost of the purchase will be withdrawn from their account. The cashier will notify students when their account balance is low. Payments can be made with cash or money order.
The online payment option is not yet available.
For more information on this new system go to: www.parmacityschools.org/cafeteria or 440.885.2454
FAQ's
1. How does Meal TRAC work?
Our cashiers will be using a touch screen computer on the serving line. You may have seen these similar machine in restaurants and grocery stores. With our system, Meal Trac, we will be able to serve lunches to child more efficiently, accurately and confidentially.
2. Why is the food service department using this new system?
Student confidentiality will be more closely protected. Meal TRAC will allow you or your child to participate in depositing funds into an account which is used to pay for meals. Meal tickets will no longer be used, which will eliminate problems with lost, stolen, forgotten, or traded meal tickets. Accounting, claiming, reporting and all operations will be streamlined. Students with food allergies can be identified far more easily, which will result in closer monitoring of their dietary needs.
3. What is a student account?
Parents or students deposit cash, checks, or make online deposits into their student account. Student purchases are deducted from the account at the Meal TRAC register.
4. How does a student open a account?
Students will be enrolled at their individual school as Meal TRAC is installed in that school. Details on enrollment will be provided prior to this procedure.
5. How are students identified in Meal TRAC?
The recommended method is a state-of-the-art technology called biometric finger scanning. This is an automated method which recognizes a student based upon a finger point characteristics. This method is fast, accurate, cost effective, non-intrusive and secure.
6. How does finger scanning identification work?
Using a finger scanner, the software scans the finger to create and store individual templates of unique points that identify each student. When the student makes a transaction, the software scans the finger and looks for the match, identifying the student.
7. Is this a fingerprint?
No, a fingerprint is not taken. The software identifies specific unique points on the the finger. These points are then assigned a number which then identifies the student when their finger is scanned. The points are discarded once the number is assigned.
8. What about my child's privacy?
The computer does not store a copy of the finger point. The finger point cannot be reconstructed, replicated, or delivered to any person or agency.
9. What is the other option identification?
Students can be assigned a five digit pin number, which they enter into a pin pad. This method is not as secure as the Meal TRAC scan. A pin number can be forgotten causing a delay in the lunch line. A stolen or shared pin number could result in a loss of money or a student's free or reduced meal.
