While you'll probably never hear anyone raving about the deliciousness of their school cafeteria hot lunch, it's a much better alternative to not having it all. In fact, Stacy Koltiska, a former cafeteria worker at Wylandville Elementary School in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, would argue it's a right, which is why she quit after being forced to deny a student the day's hot lunch.
Koltiska was adhering to Rule 808.1, initiated this year to combat the massive debt many parents owe the school. The rule requires any child between kindergarten and the sixth grade who have a debt of $25 or more on their mandatory school lunch account to forgo the hot lunch being served that day. Instead, they receive a carton a milk, a serving of fruits or vegetables, and a single sandwich.
Koltiska feels this policy is unfair, so she took to Facebook to make a point.
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Not only does Koltiska believe this shames students who cannot afford school lunch, but it just makes the problem worse. The students who are given the alternative lunch are still charged the same price as the hot lunch, exacerbating the debt they're already being punished for.
Koltiska isn't stopping at Facebook. She also spoke to CBS Pittsburgh about the incident.
School superintendent Michael Daniels sees it differently.
"There has never been the intent with the adoption of this policy to shame or embarrass a child," he told Action News 4. It's all about saving money, and technically, it has. In the past, Daniels claims 300 different families owed the school between $60,000 and $100,000, combined. Now it's down to 70 families and $20,000.
However, Koltiska feels this isn't the right way to handle things. "I'm not saying the parents shouldn't be held accountable," she told Action News 4. "But I think there has to be a better way than involving the children."