There are a lot of aspects of the school day that kids aren't too fond of, but lunchtime usually isn't one of them. For that period of time, school feels less obligatory and more like a treat.
And, if a student is very lucky, their parent or guardian packed some good snacks to munch on. But, for some kids, homemade lunches aren't the norm. Instead, they rely on cafeteria workers to cook them up something good to eat.
Of course, most students don't complain. There's nothing like a nice, warm meal at lunchtime, especially if there are chicken nuggets involved. That's unless a student's name has made its way onto a certain list.
For elementary school students in the Canon-McMillan school district in Pennsylvania, lunchtime just got a bit more stressful.
School policy states that any students whose parents owe $25 or more in lunch money are not eligible for a hot lunch. They are to be given a cold sandwich instead.
Former cafeteria worker Stacy Koltiska was left heartbroken when she came across one of these students. Even though she'd already handed the student his chicken, she was made to take it back from him.
The boy's eyes filled with tears and Koltiska felt she had to leave her job. The school stresses that it has no intention of shaming students, but instead wants to collect the money owed. Koltiska, however, desires a change in policy so no child goes through the embarrassment.
Please SHARE if you hope schools will also find another way to deal with this difficult lunch situation.
