Our district has always done this. We've never had a problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone thought it would be a good idea to eliminate the pins for the cafeteria and now have students using their student ID to purchase food. That’s right, the student ID that you can easily look up within the FCPS system and that are used in their school emails. So now anyone can use our account. Wtf? Whose dumb idea was this?

This is crazy. So after type in “friend’s” name in email and get their student ID number (that part takes less than one second to do), can have 10 kids all order off of same # in line… Does it only work if $ in a MySchoolBucks account? Or can kids now run up a tab?

In the past, kids have been able to run up a tab. My kid (special needs) has no impulse control, and likes snacks. And brings lunch from home each day. We are on a limited budget (but not free lunch). The fight to get the pin disabled so purchases could not be made at all was amazing (although I suspect they finally just changed it, since we had later purchases accidentally charged to our account that had be reversed out). How does it teach kids at all about finance if they are permitted to go into debt? And yes, my kid should have been good and followed our rules and not purchased food, but that's not the kid we have. I was not there to monitor this in real time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone thought it would be a good idea to eliminate the pins for the cafeteria and now have students using their student ID to purchase food. That’s right, the student ID that you can easily look up within the FCPS system and that are used in their school emails. So now anyone can use our account. Wtf? Whose dumb idea was this?

This is crazy. So after type in “friend’s” name in email and get their student ID number (that part takes less than one second to do), can have 10 kids all order off of same # in line… Does it only work if $ in a MySchoolBucks account? Or can kids now run up a tab?

This is the craziest thread I've read in a while. Why would 10 kids try to order off the same number? Are Fairfax lunches that good? Plus if a kid can't afford the school lunch, they'll get it for free anyway. The family just has to fill out a form to get it for free.

Why would kids during the original covid times share the unsecured blackboard link so that random other kids, in or out of district, could join their class and mess with it? Why would FCPS kids skip their own online class to attend and mess with another online class rather than skip it to sleep, play video games, etc? Why would random kids or adults choose to join a link for a class outside of their own school district to cause chaos rather than literally any other productive or non-productive activity?

You can't honestly believe teenagers won't attempt to abuse this as a pranking or bullying tactic. My children are still elementary, but if a kindergartener can be allowed to buy cookies, popcorn, etc on their lunch account with no parental approval or ability to block these purchases, I assume middle schoolers and high schoolers can also buy more than just the regular lunch with their pin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school, each kid just has to say their name to get food. That's the way it always has been. I've never seen any random charges from that.

Is this an FCPS? They had to type in a 4 number code last year to match with their lunch account.

Everyone's pin was 1111

No it wasn’t.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school, each kid just has to say their name to get food. That's the way it always has been. I've never seen any random charges from that.

Is this an FCPS? They had to type in a 4 number code last year to match with their lunch account.

Everyone's pin was 1111

This explains how my HS'er who splits days between their base school and an Academy school is able to use the same number in both school cafeterias this year.

I don't think it makes it easier for other kids to use a student's lunch account, but do feel badly for the younger kids having to remember the 7 digit code.

Anonymous wrote:This was the first thing my rising 9th grader said when she heard. She said last year in middle school kids were constantly trying to steal food using other kids' accounts. She went to Longfellow

Yep. Easier now as just look up name -literally any name- and get their student if number and use it

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school, each kid just has to say their name to get food. That's the way it always has been. I've never seen any random charges from that.

Is this an FCPS? They had to type in a 4 number code last year to match with their lunch account.

So this year it’s too hard for kids to remember a 4 digit code so now they need to remember a 7 digit code? Is this to accelerate math in ES so more are easy for algebra in MS?

The kids all know their ID number - they use it for lots of things at FCPS. It was the 4 digit lunch code that was an additional number to memorize.

So the kindergartners will be able to better remember 7 digits than 4? And if say yes, then can we not agree they could also remember 11 numbers so they could have a code tied to $ that has a chance to be kept private?

Anonymous wrote:It’s like this in many school districts, but DCUM is constantly overreacting, as always.

Are emails in those other districts the kids numbers as well so everyone knows everyone else’s number? That is what it is in FCPS- can pull up anyone’s number.

This was the first thing my rising 9th grader said when she heard. She said last year in middle school kids were constantly trying to steal food using other kids' accounts. She went to Longfellow

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school, each kid just has to say their name to get food. That's the way it always has been. I've never seen any random charges from that.

Is this an FCPS? They had to type in a 4 number code last year to match with their lunch account.

So this year it’s too hard for kids to remember a 4 digit code so now they need to remember a 7 digit code? Is this to accelerate math in ES so more are easy for algebra in MS?

The kids all know their ID number - they use it for lots of things at FCPS. It was the 4 digit lunch code that was an additional number to memorize.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to assume when they punch in their number, their picture pops up on a screen.

Yeah no. There was no picture associated when using the PIN - why would you assume there is one now?

Because photos are associated with student ID numbers, which is likely why they made the change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to assume when they punch in their number, their picture pops up on a screen.

we must we assume that?

It’s the most likely guess. I wouldn’t necessarily assume it but I wouldn’t posting complaints on the internet until I politely asked.

It’s like this in many school districts, but DCUM is constantly overreacting, as always.

Anonymous wrote:You have to assume when they punch in their number, their picture pops up on a screen.

Yeah no. There was no picture associated when using the PIN - why would you assume there is one now?