School District Offers to Rehire Lunch Lady Fired for Giving Hungry Kid Free Lunch

Pocatello Chubbuck School District’s heart grew three sizes this week after angry parents and internet strangers protested the firing of a middle school cafeteria lunch lady who offered a hungry student free lunch.

Irving Middle School originally fired Dalene Bowden for “stealing” after she gave a 12-year-old girl without lunch money a hot meal for free. Bowden said she offered to pay the $1.70 for the lunch, but the school declined, opting instead to relieve Bowden of her duties.

“I know I screwed up, but what are you supposed to do when the kid tells you that they’re hungry and they don’t have any money?” Bowden asked the Idaho Statesman.

A petition demanding the school district change its policy and re-hire Bowden garnered over 80,000 signatures in less than two weeks. “This kitchen aid deserves to keep her job,” the petition reads. “Lunch room policies should prioritize kindness and making sure kids recieve (sic) a nutritious lunch so they can be ready to learn.”

In a statement, the school district said it “does not and has not ever taken negative employment action against any food service worker due to a singular event of this nature.”

But, the statement continued, “in the spirit of the holidays” the school district “has been in communication with Ms. Bowden, extending an opportunity for her to return to employment.”

Watch the video above, via KPVI.

—

>> Follow Elizabeth Preza on Twitter (@lizacisms)

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!