The Minot Public School board will hold a special meeting Thursday night to discuss the district’s meal-charging procedures, after changes to the program stirred backlash from parents and community members.
Please attend and let the Minot Public School Board know that you support a school lunch policy that treats families with dignity and respect instead of shame and threats.
- While some families are able to qualify for assistance, many working families make too much to qualify but not enough to make ends meet, leading to school lunch debt.
- Sending Meal Lunch Debt to collections is wrong, and doesn't work: only 10-20% will likely be collected because if a family doesn't have the money for school lunch, they probably can't afford it when it goes to collections either.
- Sending families to social services over as little as $15 dollars is wrong and a waste of resources.
- Banning kids from activities because of school lunch debt is wrong. We shouldn't punish kids for something that isn't their fault.
- Charging $1.50 for an alternate meal is wrong and puts them further in debt for a substandard meal.
- Hungry kids can't learn at their full potential. We should make sure all kids get a hot meal while at school.
