No Money, No Food For You. School kids have lunches tossed in garbage.

[rwm1273]

Heartless school administrators. Terrible. Just plain terrible.

http://news.yahoo.com/lunch-lady-rev...223628501.html

Chaney Zinn knew something was amiss when her first-grader came home sobbing over what happened during school lunch. On Tuesday, just as her son and his class were sitting down to eat at Uintah Elementary School in Salt Lake City, staff started confiscating trays of warm food from students throughout the lunchroom, tossing them in the trash.

The reason for the tearful food fight was that a large number of kids hadn't paid their tabs and the administration ordered a crackdown—a growing problem across the country for students who don't qualify for reduced or free lunch programs but whose parents can't afford to pay up.

“At first it took me a minute to understand what he was even talking about because it just seemed so crazy,” Zinn tells TakePart. “Even the lunch ladies were upset and crying because they didn’t want to take the food away from the kids.”

When word of what was happening spread through the school, Zinn said her son’s teacher raced to the cafeteria and paid for lunch for six of her students with her own money.

But not every child was so lucky. Nearly 40 students had their lunches removed and thrown away in full view of other students and were given a piece of fruit and milk instead, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The school district says its child nutrition manager was sent to the school on Monday to investigate the large number of students who had zero or negative balances.

Calls were made to delinquent parents, but by Tuesday, students with negative balances had their hot lunches thrown away.

“But the kids were already sitting down,” says Zinn. “They didn’t stop them when they went through the line and punched in their number that deducts the money from their online account. They let them all go through [the line] and sit down. I think it’s bullying. It’s horrifying what they did to those poor kids.”

Jason Olsen, a Salt Lake City School District spokesman, and school principal Chelsea Malouf didn't respond to requests for interview. A statement was posted on the district’s Facebook page, and on Thursday morning—two days after the lunches were seized—Malouf sent an email to parents saying it was unfortunate and that they were “confident this situation will not be repeated.”

Uintah Elementary School is in an affluent community. According to data collected by the state, just over 10 percent of the students who attend the school qualify for the free or reduced lunch program. Looking at the Salt Lake City School District as a whole, that number soars to nearly 60 percent. Why this elementary school was singled out over unpaid lunch debt is unclear.

At the start of the 2012–2013 school year, the district raised the price of elementary school lunches by 65 cents to $2, although it could have raised the price incrementally over several years instead.

Part of the problem is that school meals have become healthier, and including more fruits and vegetables in them has come at a price. The new nutrition standards mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act took effect in July 2012, and they limit meats and grains.

“Members regularly tell us they’re encountering increased numbers of unpaid meal charges. When that happens, schools get stuck with the deficit,” says Diane Pratt-Heavener, spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association.
Unpaid meal charges are a growing national problem, and schools are asking the USDA to address it as part of its oversight of the nation’s school lunch program.

“We are seeing a rise in the number of students who are not eligible for free and reduced price lunches and aren’t able to pay for their meals,” says Pratt-Heavener.

School districts from Washington to Wisconsin have been struggling. This past fall, Willingboro Township Public Schools in New Jersey sent a letter to families, threatening to dump students’ lunches in the trash if they were delinquent in payments. School food advocate Dana Woldow says it’s one of the strictest policies in the nation.

“No money, no lunch, not even for five-year olds. Period,” says Woldow.

In the case of Uintah Elementary, she says the consequences should be for the parent or guardian of the child.

“Not for a seven-year old. Try withholding the quarterly report card until a parent comes in to clear debt or fill out a meal application. For older students, try withholding student ID card or locker, or not letting them attend school dances until things are resolved,” Woldow says. “But don’t snatch food away from children in front of their friends.”

[Tactical Lever]

That would probably cause me to snap, just a little.

[rwm1273]

Originally Posted by Tactical Lever

That would probably cause me to snap, just a little.

I was touched by the teacher who ran to pay for some of her students. And some many of them don't make very much money.

I understand the costs to the school, but there is a better way to do it then to take food that was already handed out, and take it and toss it in the garbage. Especially little kids. That incident will probably be remembered for the rest of their lives.

[edmontonlady]

That is really disturbing to read. You would think that would a form of child abuse or at the very least mental cruelty....that is complete humiluation of the child/ children!!! What an absolute abuse of power by the school.....disgusting!!

[waterninja]

i think this is a sad and disturbing story. you'd think the school could have handled this differently. sounds like some sort of child abuse. also, since the child had already been given thier lunch sounds like theft to steal it back. guess it's better to throw it in the garbage then let a hungry child eat it.
wouldn't surprize me to hear about a lawsuit being filed or at least some administrator getting spanked in the playground after school.
wonder if one of those little kiddies brings a gun to school one day.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Originally Posted by Tactical Lever

That would probably cause me to snap, just a little.

Just a tad..... wow unreal.

[riden]

It is likely run by a private company, not the school itself.

There is a tremendous pressure today for these programs to provide healthy food, but nobody involved is willing to pay the cost. Workers make crap wages, likely not full 8 hour days and then no pay for all the days the kids aren't in school.

You get what you pay for. Just because it is in a school doesn't change that, good employees cost good money. On top of it, they are likely the least respected people in the building. Then it is an outrage when they are dummies.

[hillbillyreefer]

It was a terrible way to get the point across to the parents.

On the flip side if you're a parent your kids are your responsibility, pay for their damn lunches yourself. Why should the teacher have payed, in the states they make poor wages? At least he/she was more responsible than the actual parents of these kids. Teaching kids to be deadbeats does nothing to improve society in later generations.

The lunches were replaced with fruit and milk, it's not like the kids were starved for the rest of the day. It does seem wasteful, but it did make a point to deadbeat parents, and taught the kids a life lesson, if you don't pay to eat you don't eat.

[jethunter]

It's not all the fault of the administrators or school although they didn't handle it well. The school has to pay their bills, too.

Blaming the school for making a scene and traumatizing kids is a fair call.
Blaming the school for the parent's failure to provide for their children is BS.

The article doesn't say what communications the school had with parents prior to this. They should have given a week warning before they were cut off.

Responsible parents pay for their children's lunches.

[brownbomber]

Originally Posted by hillbillyreefer

It was a terrible way to get the point across to the parents.

On the flip side if you're a parent your kids are your responsibility, pay for their damn lunches yourself. Why should the teacher have payed, in the states they make poor wages? At least he/she was more responsible than the actual parents of these kids. Teaching kids to be deadbeats does nothing to improve society in later generations.

The lunches were replaced with fruit and milk, it's not like the kids were starved for the rest of the day. It does seem wasteful, but it did make a point to deadbeat parents, and taught the kids a life lesson, if you don't pay to eat you don't eat.

Taught them a lesson, by psychologically scarring them. Let's humiliate these children in front of their peers because the parents are late paying.

Where my kids go to school there is a school lunch program that the less fortunate pay nothing and people who earn more pay full price and let's say it's significantly more than 2$ a day.... Frustrating yes, why should I pay because others don't like to wake up at 430.... Ultimately I also believe that the outeageous amount I pay for school hot lunch helps feed other kids. So the lesson I'm proud this teaches my kids is share with those less fortunate I wasn't raised to crow about doing well for yourself and always always share food.

Should those parents pay their bills.... Heck yes!
Should the result of non payment be making a 7 year old cry? Haha in my opinion no

[dmcbride]

Who paid for all the food that was thrown in the garbage. What a waste.

[J D]

Wrong way to deal with the issue

But I don't doubt there is more to the story

[javlin101]

This has got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever read. Everyone involved in this should be terminated. How can they ever justify this action demoralizing young children in front of their friends and follow students. They have been punished for doing nothing wrong other than having they parents the have.

Just sad really.

[CNP]

We can only blame ourselves. Having a lunch "program" in the first place is the best place to start. Good idea until this happens. I don't know what goes on in this prov.........I have been out of the school system for a long time but I either paid cash or brought my own lunch.........money was tight when I was a kid.

[Donkey Oatey]

Wrong way to do it but if parents would take responsibility for their actions or lack there of and teach their kids that the school didn't do this, the parent for not paying the bill did it.

But no lets blame the school.

I am in no way suggesting the way they went about it was correct. The correct way would be to deny lunch altogether, not give it then take it away.

[recce43]

use to eat alot of peanut butter sandwiches and ham sandwiches.. Of course you cannot bring peanut butter anymore. but lunch was always brown bagging it nothing fancy except for the rich kids and ther fancy thermo containers and cartoon steel lunch pails

[357xp]

What happened to bringing your own lunch to school? Maybe it's time for some parents to take up some slack instead of pushing there own responsibilities onto somebody else's back.

[rwm1273]

Originally Posted by riden

It is likely run by a private company, not the school itself.

There is a tremendous pressure today for these programs to provide healthy food, but nobody involved is willing to pay the cost. Workers make crap wages, likely not full 8 hour days and then no pay for all the days the kids aren't in school.

You get what you pay for. Just because it is in a school doesn't change that, good employees cost good money. On top of it, they are likely the least respected people in the building. Then it is an outrage when they are dummies.

I agree, but why would they take the food and toss it in the garbage? That is where I have an issue. Why not let the child eat it. It is not the child's fault their parents didn't pay.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by rwm1273

http://news.yahoo.com/lunch-lady-rev...223628501.html
"..staff started confiscating trays of warm food from students throughout the lunchroom, tossing them in the trash.."

I know if i were hungry enough, i'd of waited 5mins until the demonic staff did said evil deed,then i'd of helped myself to said trash can when all was clear!

[Redfrog]

Maybe it's time America realized what a big liar Obama is.

wake up people. There is no free lunch. I'm just saying.

It is mind boggling that this is the best solution a bunch of educators could come up with!!! What is the goal of the program? Is the goal to feed kids? When they had all the committee meetings to decide how to set this program up, did not one of these administrators ask "What should we do if the parents can't pay?"

I expect someone piped up with "Let them eat cake". and everyone applauded that solution.

This is how they teach kids to deal with real life situations??? Pathetic.

Where do you start to fix this kind of stuff?

[Tactical Lever]

If money was an issue then why weren't the kids given bagged lunches from home? The lunch program could have been stopped altogether, and outstanding bills sent to everyone, so that everyone can see who is holding up the program.

The school could have said: "effective this date: ___, we will be quiting the hot lunch program until _____, and ____ pay their bills."

To do it the way they did was unfairly traumatizing to a bunch of little kids who are probably having a hard enough time from being raised by losers.

[rwm1273]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

Where do you start to fix this kind of stuff?

By holding the administration accountable for poor actions. Fire the person who made the decision, and then fire the principal that permitted the decision to happen in their school.

We claimed that those who stuffed ovens in WW2 could not claim they were "only following orders" as an excuse for their actions, this in my opinion is the same. Yes the parent's should have paid, but don't harm the children in the process.

[brownbomber]

Originally Posted by tri777

I know if i were hungry enough, i'd of waited 5mins until the demonic staff did said evil deed,then i'd of helped myself to said trash can when all was clear!

That would be a whole lot for a 7 year old to process

[rwm1273]

Originally Posted by recce43

use to eat alot of peanut butter sandwiches and ham sandwiches.. Of course you cannot bring peanut butter anymore. but lunch was always brown bagging it nothing fancy except for the rich kids and ther fancy thermo containers and cartoon steel lunch pails

I too ate lots of P&J sandwiches. However when the school provides a hot lunch program as many schools do, there is no room for kids to eat bag lunches. All kids must be part of the hot lunch program. Often it is government run in an attempt to ensure all kids get a proper meal.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by brownbomber

That would be a whole lot for a 7 year old to process

Totally agree!
Back in my schooling times though, i probably bought school lunches
maybe 5% of the time,all was made at home,yeah,the times were simpler
& yet appearing much more advanced when stories of this horrific nature surface..

[Tactical Lever]

Originally Posted by rwm1273

I too ate lots of P&J sandwiches. However when the school provides a hot lunch program as many schools do, there is no room for kids to eat bag lunches. All kids must be part of the hot lunch program. Often it is government run in an attempt to ensure all kids get a proper meal.

That is the day, that the government tells me how to feed my own. We had a problem with the school here giving juice and candy everyday. We were just not comfortable with that kind of sugar and artificial colour being used not just as a treat, but as a matter of course. It was a fight just to get water, and cut down on the candy. Those people have zero nutritional training and of course know better....

Just to force the lunch program is crap. Most of the time the food is junk like mac and weiners, which is fine occasionally but poor fair as a regular meal.

I doubt that it would be an issue to have a relatively small number of parents opt out.

[recce43]

my kids eat what i make for them. they brown bag it for lunch

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by recce43

use to eat alot of peanut butter sandwiches and ham sandwiches.. Of course you cannot bring peanut butter anymore. but lunch was always brown bagging it nothing fancy except for the rich kids and ther fancy thermo containers and cartoon steel lunch pails

Yep no peanut butter, no ham cuz its cruelty to animals and "brow bag" might contain a pint of whisky or a hand gun...line up...check your credentials...no soup for you!

What a freakin society.

[rwm1273]

Originally Posted by Tactical Lever

That is the day, that the government tells me how to feed my own. We had a problem with the school here giving juice and candy everyday. We were just not comfortable with that kind of sugar and artificial colour being used not just as a treat, but as a matter of course. It was a fight just to get water, and cut down on the candy. Those people have zero nutritional training and of course know better....

Just to force the lunch program is crap. Most of the time the food is junk like mac and weiners, which is fine occasionally but poor fair as a regular meal.

I doubt that it would be an issue to have a relatively small number of parents opt out.

Some school districts don't give an option. They know better than the parents, since they are now co-parents.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by 357xp

What happened to bringing your own lunch to school? Maybe it's time for some parents to take up some slack instead of pushing there own responsibilities onto somebody else's back.

They're too busy smoking, drinking, playing xbox and waiting for the next poggy check!