Pa. district apologizes for lunch money threat, will accept donation to cover debt
By MixDex Article may include affiliate links
A school district in Pennsylvania has apologized after sending a letter about money it was owed for lunches and initially refusing a donation to cover unpaid lunch fees from students.
The district had sent out letters to parents that suggested children with lunch debt could be placed in foster care if the fees weren’t paid.
“Please remit payment as soon as possible to avoid being reported to the proper authorities,” the letter said.
In total, the Wyoming Valley West School District estimated it had about $20,000 in unpaid lunch money.
When the CEO of La Colombe Coffee, Todd Carmichael, jumped in with a $22,000 donation to cover the debt, the district initially refused the funds.
However, the district reversed course and accepted the funds as well as issuing an apology for the “tone” of its letter.