BROOKLYN — There won’t be any more cheese sandwiches for Brooklyn students who are over-extended on their lunch accounts.

Interim Superintendent Mary Conway said there was some concern about the nutritional value of the cheese sandwich, but the district also needs to have a written policy of what to do when a lunch account is in the negative.

Conway said the district has had an unwritten procedure for those circumstances for years, which culminated in the child getting a cheese sandwich for lunch if the account was $20 or more in the red.

“There was a policy but it was not in writing,” Conway said. “We felt it was necessary to have something in writing. This policy has come from staff.”

Conway said that, while reviewing the policy, it was decided a cheese sandwich was not adequate, and now children are receiving cereal, a cheese stick juice and milk.

The rest of the procedure, however, remains intact. Parents are sent a notice when a child’s account is getting low, they are then sent a letter when it goes negative and notices are sent weekly, Conway said.

Before the alternative meal is given, the principal of the school is asked to make contact with the parents, as well, Conway said.

Conway said while the cheese sandwich raised concerns, food services staff believed providing an alternate to the regular meal would spur the children to also ask their parents to send money for their lunch account.

Board of Education Member Joan Trivella said the cheese sandwich has been controversial for years and usually prompts parents to complain to the superintendent’s office. But Trivella wondered if the cereal would actually work to get students to talk to their parents.

“Kids love cereal,” Trivella said.

Board of Education Vice Chairman Kelly Codding said she recently spent a week in the elementary school cafeteria for a PTO fundraiser and the amount of food students throw away is astonishing. However, the idea of having to eat an alternate meal without having any choices may work.

“I don’t think it matters what they give them,” Codding said. “In this case you hope a little bit of social pressure would help the kids go home and say ‘Mom, you have to pay for lunch.’”

Conway said the issue will not impact the majority of students.

“This is a handful of children, literally a handful of children,” Conway said.