Parent Portal Lunch Applications

Modified on Thu, Aug 22 at 3:00 PM

Genesis allows districts to enable an electronic Lunch Application that may be filled out by parents when logging into their Parent Module account.

Submitted applications appear in the Genesis Lunch Application tab where they can be viewed and processed by staff.

Parents can view the status of their application at any time by logging into the Genesis Parent Portal account.

NOTE

School districts must obtain approval from the NJ School Nutrition Program before going live with the online lunch application on the parent's module, each year.

To obtain approval, the district needs to submit a request which includes ALL screenshots/pages that applicants would fill out as they complete the application.

Reach out to the help desk if you have any questions about this.

If you have never utilized the lunch application feature within Genesis, please review our main lunch documentation here.

How to get started

Online Lunch Applications are enabled by navigating to the Parent Access>Setup>Settings>District Settings>Lunch Application Settings screen.

Checking off the “Enable Lunch Application Form” button and hitting Save will enable the application for any parent user that can view the Forms page.

If a Parent User has a student who is already a part of a lunch application in Genesis, they will NOT be able to fill out a lunch application in Parents Module.

Field	Notes
Enable Lunch Application Form	This option will enable Online Lunch Apps in the portal when checked off.
Display as 'Meal Application' rather than 'Lunch Application'
Assistance participants with case numbers skip income screen	If a parent fills in a assistance case number in the application, they will automatically skip to the end of application by passing the income screens.
Do not allow lunch applications for students with DC records	Added option to allow families with a DC tracking record to apply when "Do not allow lunch applications for students with DC records:" option is set if the DC record is a carry-over. Option appears below the previous mentioned and is called "But do allow lunch applications for students with only carry-over DC records"
But do allow lunch applications for students with only carry-over DC records	If a student only has a DC carry-over record then they will be allowed to apply. This works in conjunction with DC option above.
Require applicants to fill in a Race
Allow parents to re-apply for lunch benefits. A button to re-apply will appear for parents. Old application will be archived and no longer show in Genesis if parent creates a new application.	Added option to allow Parents to re-apply for lunch benefits. Checking off the new option will expose a new button for parents that allows them to remove their existing lunch application in Genesis and create a new one. The old application will be archived.
Allow parents to enter a note to the district
Allow parents to decline submission	This will apply the 'N - Did not apply' code to the lunch app
You can enter/modify/customize the text in these fields:
Lunch Application Welcome Text	Make sure to update your LUNCH PRICES under Frequently Asked Questions as well as the following fields in this text with the appropriate values: [Name of School/School District], [name, address, phone number, e-mail],[phone number],[signature],[name] and [title]
Lunch Application 'Agree' Text
Lunch Application 'Certify and Submit' Text
Display text when no application has been submitted
Display text when lunch status is 'Pending'
Display text when lunch status is 'Free'
Display text when lunch status is 'Reduced'
Display text when lunch status is 'Denied'
Lock all screens (other than forms) in Parents Module for Guardian User accounts until the lunch application is completed. This option applies whether or not the form is for the Guardian
Lock all screens (other than forms) in Parents Module for Student User accounts until this lunch application is completed. This option applies whether or not the lunch application is for the Student.
Case Number Formatting	- - Do not require S, G, or C at start of case number Must be exactly 6 or 9 digits (excluding letters)

You can update various pieces of Lunch data within Genesis on these tabs as well, when needed:

Student Data>Lunch>Setup>Codes
Student Data>Lunch>Setup>Income Eligibility
Student Data>Lunch>Setup>School Lunch Pricing

Here are some sample screens of the application wizard parents will see in the Parent Portal.

When first visiting the Forms tab, Parents will be given the opportunity to apply for a Lunch Application.

Most text in the “Before you Begin” tab is customization.

This introduction screen also allows you to attach a PDF that may contain additional information you would like the parent to have about the process.

Students from the Parent Account are automatically included into the application.

Income is collected for all household members. Parents may add as many income earners as needed.

Finally a summary page is shown where a parent submits the application into Genesis.

Once the Lunch Application has been submitted, the Parent User will be able to print a copy of the application and view the current status.

Submitted applications will be available for review in the Genesis Lunch Applications screens immediately after submitted.

How to Use the New Option to Allow Parents to Reapply for Lunch Benefits in Parent Portal

Go to the Parent Access>Setup>Settings>District Settings>Lunch Application Settings screen and check off the "Allow parents to re-apply for lunch benefits. A button to re-apply will appear for parents. Old application will be archived and no longer show in Genesis if parent creates a new application" option.
Click Save.

How it Looks Within the Parent Portal for Parents to Select:

If parents need to reapply, they can log in to the parent portal, click on the Forms tab, and they will see the new button in the "Online Free and Reduced Meal Application" area: