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EF Nutrition Services: Unpaid Meal Charges and Prohibition Against Food Shaming

File: EF

NUTRITION SERVICES: UNPAID MEAL CHARGES AND PROHIBITION AGAINST FOOD SHAMING 

The Board recognizes that some students may have outstanding balances for meal charges from past school years.

The purpose of this policy is to provide oversight in the collection of outstanding student meal balances, while ensuring that students are not shamed or stigmatized for having unpaid meal charges.

PROHIBITION ON PUNISHMENT RELATED TO UNPAID MEAL CHARGES

In accordance with 20-A MRSA §6681 the school will not openly identify or otherwise stigmatize a student who has payments due for previous meals:

  • Students with unpaid meal charges will not be required to do chores or work as a means of paying for one or more meals or as punishment for not paying for one or more meals.
  • Staff will not require a student to throw away a meal after it has been served to the student.
  • Staff will not refuse a meal to a student as a form of disciplinary action.

PROHIBITION ON FOOD SHAMING AND STIGMATIZATION

The school will not openly identify, differentiate, or otherwise stigmatize a student who has payments due for previous meals.

  • Staff will not openly identify or stigmatize any student in line for a meal or discuss any outstanding meal debt in the presence of other students.
  • Staff communication about a student’s meal debts must be made to the parent/ guardian of the student rather than directly to the student, except that if a student asks about his/her meal debt, staff may answer the student’s inquiry.  Staff may ask a student to carry to his/her parent/guardian a letter regarding the student’s meal debt.

Adopted:  November 25, 2024

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