All Spotsylvania County schools will go to computerized lunch cashiers by next year.

By BILL FREEHLING

Date published: 11/24/2004

Spotsylvania County schools are moving toward computerized cash registers in their cafeterias, with John J. Wright Middle School the next to change over.

Students use the computerized registers to pay for meals. Each student is assigned a seven-digit personal identification number that is different from his or her Social Security number.

The PINs are keyed in to buy meals, and the student accounts are debited. Safeguards are in place to prevent students from using other students' numbers to make purchases.

Parents or other occasional visitors can still buy lunch without the PINs. Human cashiers are at the computers to key in the price of a meal and help with transactions.

Accounts can be set up by going to cafeprepay.com or writing checks payable to the child's school. Each time they make a deposit, parents are encouraged to put at least enough money to buy a week's worth of meals.

Spotsylvania's high schools got the computerized cashiers last year. They've been installed at a different middle school every other week this fall.

The program started at Battlefield Middle School the week of Nov. 15. It'll start Monday at John J. Wright. Spotsylvania Middle--the last to get the program--will have it the week of Dec. 13.

The cashiers will be installed in the county's elementary schools starting next October, said Mark Sendrick, resident district manager for Chartwells, the company operating the cafeterias in Spotsylvania County's public schools.

Students keep the same PINs throughout their time at Spotsylvania schools. They're encouraged to remember PINs as they would a phone number.

According to school officials, the program has the following benefits:

Lunch lines will move faster, giving students more time to eat.

The confidentiality of students who receive free or reduced-price lunches will be protected. All students will key in their numbers, regardless of how much they pay for meals.

Cafeteria managers won't have to spend as much time on paperwork.

Students will be exposed to advanced technology.

The computers may someday double as time clocks for employees.

This system of accounting makes it easier to get reimbursements from the federal government.

To reach BILL FREEHLING: 540/374-5424 bfreehling@freelancestar.com

Read more stories about Spotsylvania
Date published: 11/24/2004