A Pennsylvania school district is under fire from all sides after sending a letter home to parents who are not caught up on their school lunch debt.
One of the letters, sent by the Wyoming Valley West School District, demanded the payment of the balance of just over 75 dollars and included a threat. "Your child has been sent to school every day without money and without breakfast and/or lunch. This is a failure to provide your child with proper nutrition. Please remit payment as soon as possible to avoid being reported to the proper authorities." It also said "If you are taken to Dependency court, the result may be your child being removed from your home and placed in foster care."
The letter was signed by Joseph Muth, director of federal programs for the Wyoming Valley West School District.
Not only did the internet lash out at the letter, but so did government entities. The county's Children and Youth Service executive director stressed. "It’s just not true. We do not remove children from families for unpaid bills... Never has this county removed a child from a home for unpaid bills and never will we."
Luzerne County Manager David Pedri was also troubled by the letter, and he has asked the school district to retract the letter. “This is a gross misrepresentation as to what we do. What you are really doing is weaponizing the good things we are doing in Luzerne County."
Apparently, the school district is trying to collect 20-thousand dollars in unpaid school lunch debt and will now send more “sensitive” letters out.
Source:Yahoo!