I know, I know, it's not Tuesday. But I saw this article and had to talk about it. The Associated Press has reported that parents stated approximately 50 elementary students in Salt Lake City, Utah had their lunches tossed in the trash because money was owed on their food accounts. Cafeteria servers are unable to see the debts owed until the child checks out with their lunch tray. For health reasons these lunches couldn't be served to other students, so they were taken away and thrown out, and the students with overdue bills were given fruit and milk.
Now, keeping in mind that the news isn't always accurate, if this report is even remotely true, it's disturbing. With the economy the way it is and the unemployment numbers what they are, overdue lunch accounts aren't surprising. Families are struggling. But to mortify any child and draw attention to his overdue account in such a public fashion not only goes against common decency, it sets up the child to be teased and bullied by his peers. Isn't that something schools are working to curb? And let's not forget, this isn't the child's fault, yet he is the one suffering for it.
What do you think about this?
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