📢 Why Are Parents Receiving “Low Lunch Balance” Emails?
Some parents have noticed they’re receiving automatic low lunch balance notifications from our new student information system, even though all students receive free meals at Commerce Public Schools.
Here’s why:
The system is designed to send these notices whenever a student’s lunch account balance drops below a set threshold. Many parents use this feature to know when to add funds if their child buys extra items, such as à la carte snacks or additional milk.
✅ What You Can Do
If your child only eats the free school meals and you’d prefer not to get these reminders, you have two options:
Adjust the Threshold – Set the Low Balance Threshold to $0.00 so you’ll only be notified if your child owes money for extras.
Disable the Notification – Turn it off completely if you don’t want to receive these emails at all.
⚠️ Important: These changes must be made on a computer using the Parent Portal. The mobile app does not have this setting.
How to Update Your Settings (on a computer):
Log in to the Parent Portal
Go to Parent Main > Miscellaneous > Communication Preferences
Check the Low Lunch Balance notifications option
Set the Low Balance Threshold to 0.00 (or disable it)
Click Save
All students will continue to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. These notifications don’t affect that—this is simply a system setting you can control.