No Free Lunch For Poor Kids At School Leaves Parents Hungry For Action

A food service company is in hot water after embarrassing several students at a southeastern Massachusetts school because they did not have enough money to pay $2.40 for lunch.

At least 25 students at Coelho Middle School were denied lunch this week at school because their subsidized accounts were just a few cents short. Students reported that when they were informed by cafeteria workers that they did not have money available their lunches were taken away and thrown in the trash. Parents are, understandably, really outraged. Standard practice at the school is to provide students without any money a cheese sandwich and a milk box but this time they were denied lunch completely.

School officials have apologized repeatedly for what happened, saying that they did not approve or authorize the students to be shamed so publicly in front of their peers. Whitsons Food Service, the company that provides meals for the Attleboro school system, has apologized as well and said that employees will be “subject to disciplinary actions, including termination.”

“It was kind of embarrassing being there just siting there with no food but I also wasn’t offered anything after,” said Jason Mota a student that was denied lunch.

The students, in the incidents last week, used pre-paid cards that are similar to collegiate or federally discounted meal plans.

Whitsons Food Service is providing free lunches to the school’s 650 students next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in an effort to make up for the incident.

Watch clip below via WCVB