The Pella School Board approved a wide range of resolutions at the first of two summer meetings Monday.

A negative balance policy for school lunches was approved in response to state and federal laws requiring districts to clarify how meals will be charged. The rule passed by the Pella School Board allows students to continue to eat until their balance reaches negative $45, at which point students could buy lunch with cash at hand. The district was already operating a policy discussed a few years ago that attempted to make more contact with parents to get them to pay off the meal debt, and the resolution approved is similar to those previous rules.

However, at the meeting, numerous administrators discussed how they intend to handle students or families with outstanding lunch debt beyond what’s outlined in the proposal. Board President Joan Corbin says she commends the efforts of the nutrition staff and principals for working together to protect students that don’t qualify for free or reduced lunch and have a need.

The board is dealing with approximately $4000 in balances of lunches to be paid, with 32 students that exceeded the negative $45 balance limit.

External directional signage for the school district’s main campus was approved as well. The board also gave the go-ahead to keep their current workplace insurance company at considerable savings to the district after they shopped for other providers.