In the school lunch line, self esteem can be expensive
EDMONDS — Many school districts have found themselves in a lunchroom food fight, an ethical quandary that pits financial responsibility versus student self-esteem.
A new policy in the Edmonds School District leans toward the latter, and student lunch debt is on the rise.
The unpaid tab now stands at nearly $28,000. By year’s end, it could balloon to more than $106,000, according to school district estimates.
The issue revolves around what to feed students who have fallen behind on payments.
In the past, rather than have them go hungry, Edmonds students were offered an alternative lunch, sometimes called a courtesy meal.
They were provided raisins, juice and a cheese sandwich on wheat bread. “We still wanted them to have something to eat,” said Barb Lloyd, the district’s director of food and nutrition services.
That practice, which is in place in most local districts, is intended to provide hungry kids some nourishment while keeping costs down.
But the policy has come under local and national scrutiny. Political leaders have pointed out instances of shaming children among their peers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture allows schools to provide alternative lunches when there’s an unpaid tab for regular school lunches.
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We can't afford to feed kids but by golly billionaires need a tax cut.
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