Pennsylvania school.district tells parents either pay tour child's lunch debt or risk loosi g your children

[Anonymous 1]

I'm only in favor of what the man in my example did. And when he did it, there was not a thing that those patrons could do about it. Pay your tab or it stays up! It was a great way to inform the community of who NOT to accept a check from.

The government doing it which involves shaming innocent children isn’t the answer. And children would be ridiculed by their nastier peers.

It is true that we are not a communist country. But this sort of shaming does occur here. And I can't say that I disapprove of it. I know a restaurant owner who used to accept checks. After getting burned one too many times with RETURNED CHECKS, he started a policy of allowing the person 60 days to make good on it. After 60 days, he hangs up your returned check, with the account number and address blacked out, for all to see. Mistakes are one thing. Intentionally writing a bad check is another.

We're not a communist country that shames people who owe money. There was only a handful out of 5,000 students who owed a lot of money. Work with them directly. Send it to collections like any other debt.

[CherryTreez]

Our last school district stopped allowing charging for lunches. No money means that you get a cheese sandwhich and a water bottle. They were going broke from unpaid lunch fees.
A kid used my son's id number to get meals. He racked up $45 before I figured it out. Ds only ever got milk. I thought we has enough money to last the year. The lunch lady said it was happening more and more. Kids stealing other kids id numbers to get better food.

[Anonymous 1]

Our school district used to give the cheese sandwich to kids who had no money until parents complained that it was "shaming the kids." So...the cheese sandwich thing was done away with.
I honestly don't know what they do now if the kid has no money or an outstanding balance.

Our last school district stopped allowing charging for lunches. No money means that you get a cheese sandwhich and a water bottle. They were going broke from unpaid lunch fees.
A kid used my son's id number to get meals. He racked up $45 before I figured it out. Ds only ever got milk. I thought we has enough money to last the year. The lunch lady said it was happening more and more. Kids stealing other kids id numbers to get better food.

[Valentina327]

My parents couldn't afford hot lunch. We had a brown bag lunch every day. And the extra humiliation of having to bring the bag home to reuse it until it fell apart. Very simple solution. Mommy needs to make sandwiches the night before. Why do these children have to buy lunch at school at all if their parents can't afford it? I'm not clear on this.

It's BS that these people aren't paying this bill. Have they not heard the old phrase "there's no free lunch"?

If you're not able to feed your kid, which you could infer because they're not paying their kid's tab, shouldn't a social services agency be alerted? Isn't that what they're about, is making sure the kids are maintained? Do they have food on the weekends? Do they get dinner each night or is school the only time they eat? Those things probably need to be looked into, no? If the parents can't feed them they clearly need help, don't they?

[Anonymous 10]

I don't know what the solution is but this is a very common problem.

I foresee public schools going to "FREE LUNCH FOR ALL STUDENTS" real soon.

This would stop all the indebtedness to school districts. Taxpayers will be paying for lunches.

Taxpayers pay for public school, why not include lunch? Some cities and towns have begun offering all students lunch. NYC does. Or at least lower the income level needed to be eligible for free lunch. Kids don’t do well when hungry.

So...We not only have to pay to educate other people's progeny that THEY choose to have, which we receive no direct benefit from doing, but we have to FEED them now too? Sure ... Why not! Part of the wealth redistribution plan right? LOL

[CherryTreez]

Our school district used to give the cheese sandwich to kids who had no money until parents complained that it was "shaming the kids." So...the cheese sandwich thing was done away with.
I honestly don't know what they do now if the kid has no money or an outstanding balance.

Our last school district stopped allowing charging for lunches. No money means that you get a cheese sandwhich and a water bottle. They were going broke from unpaid lunch fees.
A kid used my son's id number to get meals. He racked up $45 before I figured it out. Ds only ever got milk. I thought we has enough money to last the year. The lunch lady said it was happening more and more. Kids stealing other kids id numbers to get better food.

I was told that our district lost 45,000 on unpaid lunch fees. It was crazy to me. I make sure my kids have money in their accounts. Its my job to feed them. I don't understand not making sure your kid has food. Pack a lunch if you can't do hot lunch.

[agander2017]

Instead of a letter threatening to take the kids away, maybe they should send a letter asking if they need help with the lunches...

[Anonymous 9]

Do you think most schools could afford to help? Because they can’t.

Instead of a letter threatening to take the kids away, maybe they should send a letter asking if they need help with the lunches...

[cellomom26]

This is obviously crazy, but it's pathetic that parents think the school should be paying for their kid's lunch and not them.

This is the inevitable result of the middle class following the poor families that get free breakfast and lunch for their kids. Of course some people want free things that they don't deserve when one group gets free things that they don't deserve.

[Valentina327]

Instead of a letter threatening to take the kids away, maybe they should send a letter asking if they need help with the lunches...

Or a letter telling the parents to get off their dead ass in the morning and pack their child a lunch, since they clearly can't afford to eat out every day.

Since when is it a bunch of stranger's responsibility to make sure your child eats? When did this happen?