Birthdays are those special milestones that remind us how we successfully completed another trip around the sun. Children, however, are most joyous when their birthday comes around because that means having a party and a cake. A boy named Jefferson Sharpnack from Green, Ohio, was looking forward to celebrating his 9th birthday. He was at school that day and hoped to have some fun with his schoolmates!
Little did he know, however, that what was supposed to be a special occasion would turn into a sad day for him. During the school break, he went to the school cafeteria to have his lunch. But just as he got it, the food was abruptly taken away from his tray. The reason? His grandmother failed to pay the $9 bill for school lunch.
“I got my cheesy breadsticks and put in my number,” the boy told WEWS. “And when I was going to check out, the lunch lady didn’t say anything, took away my cheesy breadsticks and sauce, put them over there, and took out bread on cheese from the fridge and put it on my tray.” When he returned home later that day, Jefferson told his grandma that he had the “worst birthday ever.”
The school stated in a statement about the incident that “students who are $15 or more in debt” are given an alternative lunch. Diane Bailey, Jefferson’s grandmother, said that when her grandson came home with a notice about his lunch debt, she called right away and thought the problem was resolved. The school was required to provide Jefferson with free and reduced lunch regardless of debt.
Instead, they publicly humiliated him and humiliated him in front of the rest of the students. “In my opinion, he owed nothing,” Diane stated. “I owed money to the parents and the school district.” “They have to throw away the food if they take it off your tray,” Diane added. “You’d take food from a tray and you can’t reserve it?” You’re going to squish it and not feed the child? That makes no sense to me.
” This isn’t the first time a parent has complained about their child being “lunch shamed” at school. According to the Washington Post, the district superintendent announced a change in policy on Monday: “All students enrolled in PreK through twelfth grades will receive the standard lunch for the day at their respective buildings regardless of their account balance.”
”A district spokesperson added, “our administration felt strongly that the time to make a change in our lunch guidelines was now, and the change took place today.” We are deeply sorry that Jefferson’s birthday did not go as planned, and we hope that no other child is ever “lunch shamed” again. For more information on the story, watch the video below and SHARE it with your family and friends on Facebook!