US District Bans Students with Lunch Debts from Attending School Events

The Cherry Hill school district in New Jersey passed a new ruling that bans students with outstanding school lunch debt of $75 and above from attending extracurricular activities, including the prom and field trips. The new policy takes the place of an old one, which many considered a form of “lunch shaming.” Under the old ruling, students who are behind on payments can get only tuna sandwich meals or nothing at all from the cafeteria. With the recent change, students will now be allowed to get lunch meals. The Cherry Hill school board president said that the new policy is meant to make families accountable for their debts while still showing care to the students. Despite the intention, the new rule was met with negative reactions from parents and politicians. One parent raised concerns about how being banned from field trips could affect a student’s image. US presidential aspirants Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker took to social media to express their disagreement with the idea of punishing school lunch debt and vowed to fight against it. In response to the lunch debt problem, a local Cherry Hill businessman previously said via Facebook that he would be happy to help clear all student lunch debts. However, the school district board refused the offer, saying that they do not accept donations. Superintendent Dr. Joseph Meloche said that lunch debt is a complicated issue, and simply zeroing it out will not solve the problem of families and children who are struggling to provide meals both in school and at home.