By Aalia Malik — PayForIt.net is the online payment option that is being used in all school buildings. There is a small fee parents have to pay to use the service.

“It is a convenient way for parents to put money on their child’s account,” head principal Tamiko Hatcher said.

Parents can now manage their child’s lunch account along with paying for school fees.

“It helps greatly reduce time in the lunch line. It also reduces money handling,” Hatcher said.

There are five tellers with hundreds of students at lunch. Money can easily get mixed up or lost. By having money already in students’ accounts, the lines will move much quicker and there will be fewer errors in the system.

A problem the administration faces is trying to investigate and track down any money students lose. Now students and parents do not have to worry about any money being lost by the time students turn it in. Payments can be made by credit cards or electronic check.

“It is as safe as other online banking,” Hatcher said. “It also becomes easier to pinpoint any errors. There are only a few people involved now that could actually make an error so we can figure it out now, but no error is anticipated.”

Students, parents, administration and staff can see the benefits of using the online system.
“I love the convenience,” parent Janet Dutt said.

Parents can choose to receive e-mails once an account balance reaches a certain amount. They can also choose to have their child’s account automatically replenished when it gets too low.
“It is easy to use and it is quick,” Dutt said.

Students have received their username and password at school. They will have to enter this while setting up the account, then contact information and payment information will have to be entered. Parents will also have to pick how many students they want under that account. Lastly, a code will be e-mailed to confirm the registration. The account is usable after this.

[Updated Aug. 7, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]