RTSun, 21 Jul 2019 17:58 UTC
© https://cdni.rt.com/files/2019.0m11 / ZUMApress.com / Global Look Press
The Wyoming Valley West School District in Pennsylvania warned parents that their children could be taken from them and placed in foster care if they fail to pay their outstanding lunch debt.
The letter, sent to about 1,000 parents with unpaid lunch bills, warned that failure to pay for their children's food could lead to dependency hearings and the removal of their children from their home. The bills reportedly range from $75 to $450, and total over $20,000.
"You can be sent to dependency court for neglecting your child's right to food. The result may be your child being taken from your home and placed in foster care," the letter read.
Unsurprisingly, the correspondence sparked a barrage of complaints from parents. Luzerne County child welfare authorities
said the alarming claim was false and harmed those most vulnerable.
Responding to the outcry, the school district said the stern letter was simply a desperate attempt at collecting fees they are owed. Wyoming Valley West's lawyer, Charles Coslett, said he did not consider the letters threatening and
told WYOU-TV that it's
"shameful" some parents don't want to contribute towards feeding their own kids.
School officials later said that they will send out a less severe follow-up letter to parents next week.
Comment: The school district has backed down on its threat. WPIX
files a followup:
Parents in a Pennsylvania school district are no longer being threatened with losing custody of their children if they don't pay their school lunch debt.
A letter was sent to parents in Wyoming Valley West, near Wilkes-Barre.
It said the district will take them to court for failing to provide food for their children.
Luzerne County officials insisted the district "cease and desist from making the representations" about placing their children in foster care, according to The Citizens Voice.
The district will send letters apologizing to parents, the newspaper reported, and future letters will threaten to send their kids to foster care.
"Hopefully that gets their attention and it certainly did, didn't it? I mean if you think about it you're here this morning because some parent's crying foul over he or she doesn't want to pay a debt. A debt attributable to feeding their kids. How shameful!" said Charles Coslett, the district's solicitor.
The district is owed more than $20,000 by about a thousand families.
Legal experts said the letter was legal, but the chances of a child being taken away are slim.
Update 23/07/2019: The Hill reports that the president of the school district
turned down a local businessman's offer to clear the children's unpaid balances:
According to the local paper, the Wyoming Valley West school board rejected an offer from Todd Carmichael, the CEO of La Colombe Coffee Roasters headquartered in Philadelphia, to pay off over $22,000 worth of debt for local students.
In an op-ed Carmichael wrote that was published in the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice on Tuesday, the businessman said that he had worked with his team to "reach out to the school district to let them know we were eager to donate the full amount outstanding, reported as $22,467."
"On Monday, we talked to School Board President Joseph Mazur to determine the best way to transfer the funds in order to wipe the slate clean and restore dignity to the 1,000 families who received these threatening letters," he continued.
"Shockingly, Mr. Mazur turned us down. I can't explain or justify his actions. Let me be clear: we offered over $22,000 with no strings attached. And he said 'No,'" Carmichael went on to write.
"Mr. Mazur, I am offering to pay this debt in full. By saying no, you are not just shaming families who elected you, but you are placing this burden on WVW taxpayers, and that is completely unfair," he added.
The op-ed comes days after a copy of a letter that the school district recently sent home to parents surfaced, in which parents were warned that their children could be recommended for foster care if they did not pay off their student lunch debts.
Mazur did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill on Tuesday.
What sort of man refuses an offer of kindness to the children whose welfare he is charged with? Mr. Mazur does not deserve his position with the school board.
Comment: The school district has backed down on its threat. WPIX files a followup: Update 23/07/2019: The Hill reports that the president of the school district turned down a local businessman's offer to clear the children's unpaid balances: What sort of man refuses an offer of kindness to the children whose welfare he is charged with? Mr. Mazur does not deserve his position with the school board.