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Getting Tough On School Lunch Debt
They say there is no such thing as a free lunch, but that’s not always the case at school. When students show up without a lunch or money to buy one, most schools will feed them and send the parents a bill. But what happens when parents don’t pay? In a district in Brantley County, Georgia, you get a collection agency to go after them.
After students there racked up nearly $25,000 in unpaid lunch bills, officials decided it was time to get tough. Citing federal requirements that there be no indebtedness to the school nutrition program, they turned the matter over to a collection agency.
But wait! Don’t collection agencies charge for their services? Of course they do. And that is probably the reason for the 40% late fee that was tacked on to each parent’s bill.
If you think hiring a collection agency and increasing a parent’s debt isn’t the best way to go, consider the cheese sandwich method. A neighboring school district with nearly $40,000 in unpaid lunch debt has stopped serving a full lunch to kids who owe money. Instead, those students get a cheese sandwich and a carton of milk. Not only does that cost less for the school, it motivates the kids to nag their parents until they pay up. And they do: Nearly half the unpaid school lunch debt has been cleared since the cheese sandwich program was implemented.
As someone who knows what it’s like to run out of money before you run out out of month, I feel for parents who are struggling to make ends meet. But unless prior arrangements have been made, parents should send their kids to school with lunch or money to buy one. And if a kid shows up every now and then with neither, I think a cheese sandwich is more than fair. It’s certainly a better solution than a 40% penalty that places an unnecessary burden on parents who are already struggling.
Image: dancing_chopsticks/Flickr
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Baby Swimmers Have Better Balance | Strollerderby commented on Jul 21 10 at 12:12 pmGtothemfckinP commented on Apr 27 10 at 6:54 pmA cheese sandwich and a carton of milk sounds healthier than the standard lunch. Maybe this is the new “Food Revolution”…seriously, though…if they can’t pay for the lunches, shouldn’t they get on the free lunch program then?
Heather commented on Apr 27 10 at 8:17 pmMy daughter’s school shames us into paying up. When I get forgetful and neglect to replenish her lunch account, she comes home with a big stamp on her hand that says, “MONEY”. She is in Kindergarten so it doesn’t bother her at all, but I can imagine the older kids may be a bit sensitive to being marked in such a way. Perhaps this too motivates the kids to nag their parents a bit.
Ri-chan commented on Apr 27 10 at 9:06 pmMy parents were to lazy to fill out a free lunch form and too poor to pack me a lunch, so more often than not I’d beg a bit of food from a friend or just not eat lunch. My school didn’t let you graduate if you had outstanding lunch or library fee’s, so charging lunch wasn’t really an option for me…
MOM2 commented on Apr 27 10 at 9:55 pmComments
At my daughter’s school, lunch is $3.00. Reduced is .40 cents. The selection is not all that great. My daughter only buys on pizza day, either Papa John’s or Domino’s, not the “gross” pizza the cafe makes that my 5 year-old says tastes like “wet cardboard.” The school offers a “fruit, salad and vegetable bar” that most kids walk right by. If you can’t afford lunch, I pray that your situation will someday be better. You really have to be scrapping by if your getting the reduced (.40 cent) lunch. I pack a lunch for my daughter everyday. When I don’t, I pay for lunch. I think the parents should pay their kids lunch bill and be thankful their kids got something to eat. It sounds like many kids were sent to school to deal with the situation themselves, poor babies. If the parents don’t qualify for reduced lunches, then they should pack one. At our school, it’s the cheaper and the healthier option.My daughter swipes a “debt” type card for her lunch that I put money on. It sometimes takes up to 5 days for the money to show up on her card. When she swipes it and it shows a low balance, the lunch staff will tell her she needs to bring some money in. This is very upsetting for my daughter. She doesn’t like it and says it makes her feel bad. Her money just hasn’t posted yet, imagine how the kids who’s parents are not paying at all must feel???
Anonimon commented on Apr 27 10 at 9:58 pmYou would never walk in to McDonalds and say, “Oh crap! I forgot money, but you’ll feed me anyway. Right?”
Leigh commented on Apr 28 10 at 9:18 amRi-chan, I think that is one of the saddest stories I have every heard. I feel terrible that you or any child had to go through that. I can understand it may be pride that some parents don’t want their child on free lunch, but I can not imagine forcing my child to go without food or to be forced to beg for their food instead. I am also shocked the school didn’t notice or help. My school system now has Paypal type accounts and each student shows their ID to the cashier. Now no one knows when someone is on free or reduced lunch. I think it is a great system for both parent and child. It means the kids don’t have to carry cash and the parents get a record of everything their child buys. What a great way to start teaching kids how to use (and hopefully not abuse) credit cards too.
Paul Langhorst commented on May 17 10 at 4:00 pmI have found that a gentle reminder as soon as a lunch balance goes negative is more effective than waiting until the balance becomes unmanageable. Solutions like SchoolReach EZ Lunch Balance offer a better alternative.
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