Pennsylvania School District Apologizes For Threatening Parents With Foster Care Over Unpaid Lunch Debt; Accepts $22k in Donations

A Pennsylvania school district is apologizing for threatening students’ parents with possible foster care over unpaid lunch debts and has now decided to accepted a donation that will cover the entire balance of outstanding fees.

According to NBC News, the board of directors of the Wyoming Valley West School District, which is near Wilkes-Barre, “sincerely apologizes for the tone of the letter that was sent regarding lunch debt,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

The board also agreed to accept a $22,000 donation from the CEO of Philadelphia-based La Colombe Coffee, Todd Carmichael, who on Tuesday said the school board’s president initially refused his gift. 

WBRE reported initially that a strongly worded letter was part of an attempt to collect around $20,000 in delinquent lunch debt from parents. 

The letter warned parents that the unpaid lunch debt could lead to their children being placed in foster care.

Aren Platt, a spokesperson for La Colombe Coffee and Carmichael, said that they were pleased the district had reversed its decision and will accept the donation. However, the company wants another letter, a letter of apology sent to parents who received the warnings.

Todd Carmichael said that he was moved to donate because as a child, his family received assistance including lunch programs and food stamps after his father’s death.

“We are feeling incredibly optimistic with the most recent developments over the last several hours and look forward to taking the next steps to make sure both that the money is used as intended and the parents are treated with dignity,” Platt said.

The Wyoming Valley West School District board of directors said in Wednesday’s statement that the $22,000 donation would be directed to the Wyoming Valley West Educational Foundation to eliminate the debt owed by parents.

“Again, please accept our sincere apology for any harm or inconvenience the letter caused,” the statement, signed by Wyoming Valley West School Board President Joseph A. Mazur, said.