Full disclosure, I have a 10 year old and I have forgotten once or twice to add funds to his online lunch account.  Luckily, the way the system works in Bossier Parish (and much of the U.S.) is that the kids still get the full lunch and a negative balance is shown on their account.  If the negative number gets big enough, kids are given a much plainer lunch and aren't allowed to purchase extras (like Rice Krispies Treats) until the account is paid up.

Officials with Cranston Public Schools in Rhode Island are taking things a bit further.  According to WLKY, the school district wrote off a whopping $95,500 deficit in what was being served for lunch in the cafeteria and what was being paid for - and they are currently in the negative $46,000.  To try and re-coup those lost dollars, administrators have hired collection specialists Transworld Systems to go after the parents starting in January.

Officials say that they will continue to feed all of the kids, but parents that owe $20 or more will start to receive letters and phone-calls from the collection agency in less than a month.  If left unpaid, the negative balance could even effect credit scores.

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