It's MealTime!

1. http://tablet.olivesoftware.com/Olive/Tablet/AustinAmericanStatesman/SharedArticle.aspx?href=AAS%2F2013%2F10%2F09&id=Ar05403
2. Category of problem: Technology
3. Level of problem: Local level
4. The article concerns: Leander School Districts lunch payment program that will be convenient for students and their parents.
5. Why is this important to individuals/families OR how does this affect individuals/families?
        --Leander's upgraded electronic school lunch payment system will allow parents to keep track, balance, limit, and add money whenever they wish. The upgraded system will allow for convenience for student, their parents and school officials.
6.  What are your views on the issue/policy?
   -- I think having the MealTime accounting system like this is a wonderful thing for the students and their parents. Upgrading the system's software to a much more versatile form is only going to enhance the program. The ability for parents to set limits for their child and monitor how much of their money their child is spending, how much they're eating, and possibly what they are eating will vastly improve the control parents have over their children's eating habits. At the end of the day the parents will be able to either praise or revise their child's meal choice. This could prevent obesity and promote healthy eating habits in school age children. What I don't understand is why it would be beneficial for students to be able to use the new system across the district when they should only be going to their own school. I would think that each child is assigned a meal plan, or access to money for meals, only at their certain school.
       "The system overall will function much faster, a result of six years of intervening technological upgrades. From a technical standpoint, the biggest change will be a shift in where the information in the MealTime system is actually stored." I think it it smart of the school district and officials to incorporate new technology like the cloud into the school system. It is a physical representation of our tax dollars being used wisely. It will also save the school district money by eliminating the need for physical servers, which in turn help students' parent's transaction speeds. Parents will be able to transfer funds to their students accounts much quicker this way.