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90.5 WESA reporters look at food issues in the region, including access, school lunch programs, food history, culture and more. Check our collection of stories below.

Pennsylvania School Cafeteria Worker Quits In Lunch Shaming

Canon McMillan School District

  A public school cafeteria worker has quit over what she considers a "lunch shaming" policy in one western Pennsylvania school district.

Stacy Kotiska says she quit last week after she had to take a hot lunch away from a child because their parent had fallen more than $25 behind in paying for his school lunches.

The Canon-McMillan School District enacted the policy to deal with a backlog of about 300 parents who owed tens of thousands of dollars. Now fewer than 70 parents owe money, and the district says the policy isn't meant to shame students.

The policy says students from kindergarten through sixth grade will lose their hot lunch and get a sandwich and fruit if their parents owe more than $25. Older students get no lunch at all if their parents owe that much.

 

Credit Canon McMillan School District
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Canon McMillan School District
Canon-McMillan School District enforces a strict lunch policy for parents with lunch accounts delinquent more than $25. Students in sixth grade or under aren't eligible for a hot lunch and get a sandwich and fruit instead.