Thousands of Bronx and city high school students in the free-lunch program may soon have to pay for their food.

According to the New York Post, starting next week, the Department of Education wants an account on every student who is eating a school lunch. Department officials say many who are getting free lunches don?t deserve it. Students whose family income exceeds the minimum income will now have to pay cash for lunch.

The Department of Education claims the free-lunch program is costing them as much as $5 million in annual federal reimbursements. Education officials say the loss is due to students who claim they lost their free-lunch tickets and get a free pass from cashiers. Without the tickets, the city says it won?t get reimbursed. Department officials say the pay-to-eat plan is a ?standing policy? being reinforced and that principals can still decide how to handle hungry students without tickets.