Punishing children because they have unpaid school balances has always been a burning issue for me. If you remember back to 2020 and before, it was the policy of TCSC to not allow students to walk during graduation if they had unpaid balances. That made my blood boil. There was a treasured community member who helped raise money to pay off whatever fees those students owed (past textbook fees, lunch fees, etc.) so that those kids could walk during graduation. Myself and the Board at that time made it crystal clear -- we we're not going forward with that policy any longer.
As far as lunches are concerned, it is my opinion that NO student EVER should be given an "alternative lunch" because they have a meal balance of $20...$30....$100 that hasn't been paid. NO EXCUSES - NO EXCEPTIONS!
There are federal programs such as No Kid Hungry, Feeding America and Feed The Children that schools can apply to. Some grants pay for ALL STUDENTS to receive free meals regardless of income. One that I am aware of is Community Eligible Provision. Schools have to meet numerous pieces of criteria including high poverty levels to qualify. The federal government would reimburse the schools for all meals in that situation. Some grants/programs are building specific, so one building may qualify but not all. The federal government is changing the criteria for schools to qualify, making it more difficult.
BOTTOM LINE: THIS IS NOT AN EASY ISSUE TO SOLVE.
What community members are doing...making the issue known and asking friends to donate to the school lunch balance fund is one way to help, and it is very effective. Our community has been very generous when it comes to those in need.
I also understand that people feel like it is the parents responsibility to make sure that their child has the sufficient meal money so that their accounts don't dip to the point of not being able to receive a full lunch. I don't disagree - for those parents that do not qualify for free and reduced lunches. THIS IS the parent's responsibility.
I revert back to my original statement: Punishing children because they have unpaid school balances is unacceptable. My recommendation would be -- feed the children the standard meal(s) each and every day. Offer more assistance in filling out the paperwork for parents to apply for free and reduced meals. At the end of the year, send those unpaid balances out to parents and for those that have a high balance ($50+ for example) refer those to small claims court for reimbursement. DO NOT make this the child's problem and DO NOT punish the child for parents who can't or don't meet their responsibilities financially. I understand that the corporation can not absorb the cost for meals that aren't paid. However, I would never vote to "deny a child" a full meal tray because they have a high, unpaid meal balance.