An official with the Monroe County Community School Corp. says the corporation will continue its current strategy to deal with outstanding school lunch debts, which now totals almost $70,000.
Director of Business Operations John Kenny says MCCSC emphasizes two aspects of their program: asking for donations to the Food Assistance Fund and continuing to notify families whose students have incurred lunch debts.
He says the charges incurred this year are $44,000 higher than last year.
“There’s more kids going through the line and not able to afford, or for whatever reason, not paying the meal charge for that breakfast or lunch meal," Kenny says.
MCCSC offsets those debts through the Food Assistance Fund, a donation system established in 2017 after it was revealed that students who had lunch debts were served cold lunches instead of hot meals.
The school board faced immediate backlash and reversed what was called the “lunch-shaming” policy in July 2017.
Kenny says the final number owed to the food service provider will be available after June 30.
