As many as 40 students in a lunch line had their hot lunches thrown in the trash and replaced with a cold lunch if they had outstanding lunch debts of over $15.
KARE 11:
A Minnesota school district is apologizing after video surfaced showing high school cafeteria workers throwing away the hot meals of students with outstanding lunch debt.
Richfield High School came under fire Monday after around 40 students had their hot lunches taken off their trays, thrown out, and replaced with a cold lunch when cafeteria staff saw they had lunch debt of more than $15, NBC Minneapolis affiliate KARE 11 reports.
NBC:
Rep. Omar represents the district where the school exists. In October, she and Senator Sanders “announced the introduction of the Universal School Meals Program Act to help provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student in America—without demanding they prove they are poor enough to deserve help getting three meals a day.”
“In the richest country in history of the world, when the top 1 percent are making more than they ever have before, it is simply outrageous that 1 in 5 children will go hungry this year,” said Senator Sanders. “Today, I am proud to propose legislation to make sure that no student goes hungry at a public school and to eliminate the stigma surrounding children who receive free or reduced lunch.”
“There are nearly 1 in 10 households in Minnesota that struggle with food insecurity, along with millions more across the country,” said Representative Omar. “We must find a way to address this crisis. When our children have empty stomachs, they cannot learn. They have more trouble concentrating. They are more likely to be absent or tardy. Study after study finds that access to meals increases child participation. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, no child should be turned away from a meal if they cannot afford it. I am proud to join Senator Sanders in ensuring that school meals are provided free of cost to all children all year long.”
Ilhan Omar:
In June of this year, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced the No Shame at School Act, to prohibit public schools from shaming students who are unable to pay for school meals or who have outstanding debt.
