I agree it is not only humiliating but wrong. Put a lien on the house if you have to. Humuliate the parents/guardians.
Someone needs to be fired.
I agree, but will go one further. Get rid of the lunches all together. I went to Catholic School and had to bring our own lunches. Nobody seemed to go without lunch that way. Of course on occasion a child might have forgotten his or her lunch and the Mom was running into school to ensure she got it to them in time for lunch. On the VERY rare occasion when someone forgot to bring their lunch, kids would give parts of their lunch to the child. No big deal.
What bothers me most is that these parents took this story to the TV station. I remember that if our lunch account was empty that it was our fault, not parents or the schools.
So if low income folks can get EBT cards to buy food, why do they also need free lunches?
is there a free lunch program in addition to a free food program?
is it illegal to bring a bag lunch now?
I am of the opposite opinion. The teen will now learn to managed their lunch account in order to avoid being embarrassed. A life lesson in being proactive.
There is nothing wrong with expecting folks to pay for what they buy. I felt pretty humiliated when the Mercedes guy wouldn’t let me drive the car home without paying, but I guess that is why I drive an old F-150...