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Edmonds schools give kids back their hot lunches

Friday, September 12, 2008 11:14 AM PDT

By The Associated Press

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EVERETT, Wash. — The Edmonds School District has decided to stop taking away hot lunches from students whose parents owe lunch money to the district.

For nearly two weeks, cafeteria workers were told to throw away the hot food that students put on a tray if their lunch accounts were at least $10 behind. The children were given a cold cheese sandwich instead.

The policy was temporarily suspended Thursday after parents, cafeteria workers and community members complained about the district’s efforts to recoup more than $200,000 in lunch fee debt carried over from last year.

“We don’t want to throw away food and we don’t want to embarrass students,” Edmonds Superintendent Nick Brossoit told The Herald newspaper of Everett.

A community meeting has been called for next week to discuss alternative solutions to the district’s lunch money debt problem.

When the school year began earlier this month, 2,750 students owed $10 or more on their meal accounts. After five days of the cheese-sandwich policy, parents paid back $45,269 of the debt.

Barbara Burley, a cashier at Hazelwood Elementary in Lynnwood, couldn’t bear taking milk and fruit away from kids. She and other staff members collected donations to buy hot lunch for kids who would have otherwise received a cheese sandwich.

On Thursday, she was delighted to give children an IOU and put their lunch on their parents’ tab, just as she had been doing in the past.

“Now I can keep my job and I don’t have to humiliate a child — and that’s all I wanted,” she said.

Ron Martinez, president of the district’s PTSA, also was glad to hear that cafeteria workers have stopped throwing away perfectly good food.

“It’s good that they suspended that and it’s good that they’re continuing to feed the kids and it’s good that they’re trying to get the community involved to try to find a solution,” the Lynnwood father said. “I think that shows they’re looking to help the kids.”

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DestinyN wrote on Sep 12, 2008 9:52 AM:

" Throwing away food isn't going to save any money or recoup any debts. The superintendent should have thought to begin with that this would embarrass a child. What a horrible idea! I'm glad they did away with it. It's not the child's fault his lunch bill hasn't been paid yet. Sometimes parents fall on hard times, or forget, or for whatever reason they have the bill doesn't get paid. Send notes home. Call the parents. Take charge of the situation somehow. But throw away the child's food in front of all his friends? Might as well flip him upside down and shake him for his lunch money. "

classic_mustang_chick wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:03 AM:

" We had to pay before we got our lunch elementry school/middle school...though high school was a lil different since we had different choices and prices on things...rather than change to having the kids pay first they would waste and embarrass...wow "

rastor wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:15 AM:

" So, a person could go through the line KNOWING they can't pay, and aren't going to pay, grab all the food they want then simply get to keep and eat it because it can't be put back? Of course you could double the number of employees working in the cafeteria one to allow admission to the line before any food is distributed, but wait that would mean higher costs as well. School have to BEG parents to fill out forms to get free and reduced price lunches for their children.

The Edmonds school district WAS sending notes home, making telephone calls etc. How can the school come up with the extra $250,000 of food services not paid for when parents are the failure here?

You tell the school to "TAKE CHARGE" of the situation but offer no hint at HOW. If telephone calls, certified letters, memos don't work THEN WHAT? Keep handing out food? "

DestinyN wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:21 AM:

" How about move the registers to the front of the lines again so that the kids can't go through and grab their food before they pay? Wouldn't cost a penny. "

country gal wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:49 AM:

" In my day, Mothers made our lunches. Sometimes, they'll give us lunch money for hot lunches and we pay it right up front. It was never done on a pay later basis. $200,000 lunch debt? What's with these parents. Don't they make lunches for their children anymore? "

rastor wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:49 AM:

" You haven't been in a lunch line lately, there are menu "options" with different prices for different items. A person who only wants a salad and fruit instead of main course, dessert and hot drink would have a different price as well. We could just hand out lunchables and not have to worry about anything I guess. "

betsyboolizzie2 wrote on Sep 12, 2008 11:59 AM:

" I would in the school district in Arizona,and we were told to give the kids cheese sandwiches to, never could do it, I just would feed the kids,and then get on the phone to mom/dad and try and get the payments,its heartbreaking to see kids come in ready for lunch and have to tell them they owe money on their accounts,we throw away so much food it could feed a whole community anyway so I'd feed them... You'd be surprised how bad these kids look when you say you can't eat what everyone else is because your parents didn't pay your bill.I feel that thats the hardest, knowing that sometimes the food these kids have at school is the only real meal they get...Thats something that needs to be worked out. "

lola*in*longview wrote on Sep 12, 2008 12:34 PM:

" SO WRONG, TOO MANY KIDS ARE NOT EATING ENOUGH AT THOME ALREADY AND YOU THROW THERE LUNCH AWAY FOR A FAULT OF THE PARENT. SHAME ON YOU, YOU TRY STARVING A FEW DAYS. "

DestinyN wrote on Sep 12, 2008 12:58 PM:

" When I was in school (only a few years ago) the only thing that was a different price was the ala carte line, and that was paid for in cash - not taken from the kids' accounts. Sounds like instead of offering different "options" at different prices, schools need to go back to letting everyone eat on the same budget and charging them at the front of the line. Seems much easier and more fair than letting them grab their food and then telling them they can't eat it because their parents didn't pay up. That just isn't fair. "

columbian wrote on Sep 12, 2008 2:06 PM:

" No common knowledge. " NO FIXEN STUPID" "

Billy Hill wrote on Sep 12, 2008 2:45 PM:

" Back in the day.....again.....you pay FIRST by buying a "lunch ticket" which contained, say, 14 lunches and every time you got in line your ticket was "punched" once per meal. If your friend forgot his ticket or money you could "sell" him a lunch off of your ticket. THEN you ate OR you could pay cash first. You ate what was put on your plate, no choices...it was very good as all meals were (not the stuff served now by a far cry) and we were thankful to get it. Nowadays the whole system has been basterdized to such an extent by the liberals that the whole thing makes no sense to anyone. "

country gal wrote on Sep 12, 2008 3:20 PM:

" Billy Hill: I'm afraid to ask but what stuff do they served now? Back in my day they served a meal, no options, but it was still a good healthy meal. Is it not like that anymore? "

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