A Utah school’s child nutrition officer threw away the lunches of 40 hungry elementary students this week, when their parents unknowingly fell behind on payment. Some parents at Uintah Elementary in Salt Lake City were unaware of a balance due, having missed phone calls made by the school on Monday and Tuesday.
The children of those who had missed the call were singled out to have their lunches confiscated and thrown out in a dramatic and humiliating measure to teach the little 47 Percenters a thing or two about fiscal responsibility!
The original plan (as if it would be kinder) had been for the nutrition manager to withhold lunch for the 40 kids; but cafeteria staff couldn’t determine who was on the deadbeat list prior to serving lunch. Due to food safety codes, food cannot be given to another student and must be thrown away. Alternately, the nutrition Nazi could have noted the students in arrears, let them eat the lunch in their trays and take further action at a later time.
This isn’t a solitary incident. In November a Texas middle school student’s lunch was trashed when he found himself to be short by a whopping 30 cents.
Students at Robert J. Coelho Middle School in Attleboro, Massachusetts experienced the same humiliating treatment as the Utah children. In April of 2013 the food service company (Whitsons) threw away the lunches of 25 students because there was not enough credit in the student’s pre-paid account or they were not able to provide cash for the meal.
More than one in five children lack adequate nutrition, yet only half who are eligible for free breakfasts receive them. Child hunger has a long term impact on mental health, as well as cognitive and social ability. Imagine the added impact when the element of shame is added to the equation.
Happily, not every school district believes in depriving students of food and shaming them before their peers. Many municipalities provide all students with cost-free breakfast and lunch regardless of their financial situation.