New Jersey school district bans students with school lunch debt over $75 from attending extracurricular activities including prom and field trips, sparking outrage among parent and pupils
- The Cherry Hill School District in New Jersey passed a policy last Tuesday that restricts students with a school lunch debt of over $75
- The policy, which applies to elementary, middle and high schoolers, will ban students with lunch debt from participating in extracurricular activities
- High schoolers with lunch debt won’t be allowed to attend prom or field trips
- Last year the school district reported $14,343 in unpaid meal debt from more than 300 who students who had a debt of more than $10
- The policy sparked outrage among parents and students who said: ‘There are many reasons why parents can’t pay’
A New Jersey school district has banned students with school lunch debt over $75 from attending extracurricular activities including field trips and prom.
The Cherry Hill School District passed a policy last Tuesday at a board of education meeting that punishes high school students with significant school lunch debt – but the decision was met with swift backlash from parents and students.
The new rule will bar high school students from ‘participating in extracurricular activities, purchasing tickets for school dances including proms, attending class trips including the Senior Trip, and purchasing a yearbook,’ according to the policy outline.
The new policy is designed to tackle the district’s school lunch debt. Last year the district reported $14,343 in unpaid meal debt from more than 300 who students who had a debt of more than $10, according to NJ.com.
The Cherry Hill School District in New Jersey passed a policy last Tuesday that restricts students with a school lunch debt of over $75. A still image of that board meeting above
The new policy is designed to tackle the district’s school lunch debt. Last year the district reported $14,343 in unpaid meal debt from more than 300 who students who had a debt of more than $10
The policy also applies to middle school student who owe $75 in school lunch fees. Elementary school students with the same amount of debt will also be prohibited from participating in after-school events and class trips.
Video of the board meeting was shared on the district’s website and showed students, teachers and parents confronting the board and criticizing the new policy.
In the clip Dr. Vibiana Cvetkovic, whose grandchildren attend the school district, said: ‘There are many reasons why parents can’t pay. It is an elitist assumption on the part of this school board that parents are not paying a bill because they don’t want to.’
‘If my mom or dad can’t pay for lunch, why should I be restricted from my passions? Jacob Graff, a senior at Cherry Hill East, said outraged at the meeting. ‘What are colleges gonna think?’
The new rule will bar high school students from ‘participating in extracurricular activities, purchasing tickets for school dances including proms, attending class trips including the Senior Trip, and purchasing a yearbook,’ according to the policy outline. Cherry Hill High School pictured above
Dr. Vibiana Cvetkovic, whose grandchildren attend schools in the district, said: ‘There are many reasons why parents can’t pay. It is an elitist assumption on the part of this school board that parents are not paying a bill because they don’t want to.’
Superintendent Dr. Joseph Meloche claimed the district’s goal with the plan was ‘responsibility with compassion.’
He pointed out that the policy doesn’t include a state statute which withholds meals from students who owe lunch money.
‘Money is certainly something that we have to deal with. That’s our world, but that’s not the most important thing that we’re addressing in terms of the policy and the work that’s being done,’ Meloche said.
‘It’s about supporting children and supporting families … sometimes the right thing is not the easy thing to do,’ he added.