Food workers fired as Mass. students denied lunch

rockin'robin

rockin'robin

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ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — A New York food service company says it has fired four employees after 25 students at a Massachusetts school were denied lunches this week because their prepaid accounts ran low.

Islandia-based Whitsons Culinary Group spokesman Todd Shapiro said Friday the company has "zero tolerance for any individual who leaves a child hungry."

The lunch decision had outraged parents, who said some students at Coelho Middle School in Attleboro cried after being told they couldn't eat.

Company officials said it was a violation of their policy and apologized.

Marketing vice president Holly Van Seggern says the company will give free lunches to all Coelho students for three days next week and host a barbeque for students and families later.

Food workers fired as Mass. students denied lunch
 
rockin'robin said:
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — A New York food service company says it has fired four employees after 25 students at a Massachusetts school were denied lunches this week because their prepaid accounts ran low.

Islandia-based Whitsons Culinary Group spokesman Todd Shapiro said Friday the company has "zero tolerance for any individual who leaves a child hungry."

The lunch decision had outraged parents, who said some students at Coelho Middle School in Attleboro cried after being told they couldn't eat.

Company officials said it was a violation of their policy and apologized.

Marketing vice president Holly Van Seggern says the company will give free lunches to all Coelho students for three days next week and host a barbeque for students and families later.

Food workers fired as Mass. students denied lunch
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Food service is probably the worst sector to work in if you're in an entry-level position :P on the one hand people are fired for acting on their own, and on the other people are fired for not doing that.
 
Our school (and probably others) don't refuse lunch to students who haven't paid but will give them a basic meal, such as a cold sandwich, apple, and milk. Not a wonderful meal but they won't starve.
 
What a shame those kids had to go hungry.

Around here, parents get mail from the school informing them of a negative balance in their lunch money accounts so the parents can get caught up. (Although I have no idea what happens if a parent doesn't get caught up .. I have yet to hear on that.) So even with a negative balance the kids still get fed.
 
It happened to my son last year...his account wasn't negative...he was just short of a few cents....and was refused Lunch...so he borrowed from a friend so he could eat. And told me after school about it. Parents often "forget" and the kids are too absent-minded to say anything. I got it straightened out for both of my boys tho', paying for a full month.

Just think it's awful that they would not let the kids eat something.
 
At the moment, it appears the company has the funds to deal with it.

However, it is a bad policy. In fact, it's no different than health care. Perhaps the solution will be school-lunch-care?

The fact is, while that company may have fired the workers which I'm sure appeased the parents who where angry, that food still has cost.

So, the question is who wants to pay for it? What happens when it is more than 50% of the students who need lunch and know they will get it for free?

If they have the money to do a BBQ and feed everyone for three days, I have to wonder about how the company can do it. If there is extra money for food just hanging around, why isn't that money being used?
 
Its called Liability, and they might try to make settlements with parents in hope avoid serious lawsuit. Administrators always thinks ahead of time not just present.

VacationGuy234 said:
If they have the money to do a BBQ and feed everyone for three days, I have to wonder about how the company can do it. If there is extra money for food just hanging around, why isn't that money being used?
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Aren't the parents responsible for making sure their kids either have money for lunch, their accounts are paid up, or they pack a lunch?
 
Ideally, yes, parents are.
But sometimes, the parents don't. For many reasons.
 
Wirelessly posted

My daughter told me that they gave her friend a cold cheese sandwich and a milk. She felt bad and went a bought her lunch. If parents can not afford lunch they do have a free or reduce lunch program. They just have to fill out the papers to see if they qualify.
 
Either way if something goes wrong, it's always the entry-level staff that get fired, like they are responsible for all the decisions the management makes :P
 
When my kids were in public school and got school lunches, I was notified once the account reached $10. This way, there was no chance it would go negative. Also, the school had an account for extras that if I child did run low, their lunch came from the extra account and the family was not charged. It was something that was voted on and passed by a whopping majority.
 
Reba said:
Aren't the parents responsible for making sure their kids either have money for lunch, their accounts are paid up, or they pack a lunch?
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Yes parents should do that but you never think a child would be told to throw a meal away because they did not have enough money! The kids will be getting free meals for a 3 days.






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