According to a report from NBC 10 in Massachusetts, students at Coelho Middle School were told to throw away their lunches if they did not have enough money on their pre-paid lunch cards.
One of the students was the son of Jo-An Blanchard.
“He said because I was a dollar short they made me throw my lunch away and I couldn’t eat,” Blanchard said.
“I apologize to all parents on behalf of Whitson’s. This sort of thing should never happen at any school especially at Attleboro Public Schools,” Coelho Principal Andrew Boles said Wednesday.
The food vendor, Whitson’s Culinary Group, has been blamed for the problem by the school. Boles noted that the workers in the cafeteria are contracted by Whitson’s and they determined not to give food to the children.
“I told him this is bullying, neglect, child abuse. You can’t do that to children,” Blanchard said.
Boles claims that the teachers did not know about the incident until after the issue. If parents owe money for the food, they are permitted a three day grace period and they receive a written warning telling them they have a balance in the negative. Blanchard told reporters that she did not receive any of these.
“I’m appalled by Whitson’s actions and we’ll be taking the necessary measures to ensure that this never happens again,” Boles said. “They did not respect me, they did not respect my students and they did not respect their parents.”