Kids Pay When Parents Don't In Du Quoin School Lunch Room
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A substitute cafeteria worker who put her job on the line by refusing to swap a child's standard lunch tray for a lesser one because the parents hadn't paid told the Du Quoin Board of Education Thursday night it needs to solve an imperfect policy.
To the school board's credit, no one ever wants to embarrass a kindergarten student in front of their sneaker-wearing friends in a lunch line. The problem isn't the policy of having to trade a ravioli entree for two pieces of bread and a slice of cheese. The problem is that parents allow a child's self-esteem to be a policy target by not keeping the lunch account current.
Regardless of whose side you come down on, it's a no-win policy that on this day was apparently poorly executed with complete indiscretion, leaving the youngster in tears while clinging to the lunch tray he wouldn't let go of.
Carrie Haggard told the board, "I love my job. I hadn't worked in a year. Why would you think I would risk my job if I didn't believe this policy is wrong."
The incident involved a kindergarten student who was going through the lunch line a couple of weeks ago. At the end of the line the computer flagged the student as "no pay" and the worker was apparently instructed to trade the child's regular lunch tray for one that included two pieces of bread and a piece of cheese instead. She refused and when she was reminded she "had to" she even offered to pay for the child's regular tray and was turned down. The child was upset and it created a scene.
The cafeteria worker was allegedly told that she either follow policy or wouldn't be called back as a substitute.
Supt. Dr. Gary Kelly told the board the woman remains on the substitute list and asked her, "Do you want to come back?" But, other cafeteria employees have already told the administration they would be "uncomfortable" if she does.
The board was told the child received only the cheese sandwich, but Dr. Kelly was quick to state that would violate the lunch policy. He said anything else that was a menu item on that day goes to the student, as well. If that didn't happen, "I want someone to tell me (who didn't allow that)."
The problem isn't kids who receive lunches under the free and reduced price lunch program. The problem is with main stream students whose parents don't keep the accounts current. Dr. Kelly said at least two letters about the policy get to parents. Oft-times the communication includes a phone call. Still, they don't keep the accounts paid up.
"We receive $150,000 from this program," he said.
The food replacement program isn't about embarrassing children. It's about trying to find some leverage to get parents to take care of their children.
One spokeswoman said the indiscretion goes too far if a cashier is blurting out "no pay" in front of the other students.
Only a small handful came to the meeting because of this issue. Nearly two dozen DHS senior government students were there for academic reasons.
Parents told the board they know the lunch room policy has nothing to do with rebuilding football fields or new schools, although at the outset of the debate some argued "How can we build a million dollar football field and give a kid a cheese sandwich?" That argument is flawed because the daily lunch program has little to do with capital construction.
But, one parent asked a very valid question, "Why does a child have to eat a cheese sandwich when trays of lasagna or ravioli go into the trash every day? What can it cost?"
The short answer is parents need to pay their accounts so kids and school board members aren't put into this position. The policy itself is part of federal school lunch guidelines and the jury is still out on whether the district could--or should--circumvent it. A very sincere board president pro tem Joe Day and Dr. Kelly thanked all for coming and said the policy will be the subject of discussion in the days ahead.