Mum claims school ‘taking food off kids’ plates’ if parents haven’t paid dinner bills
Staff at a Brit school reportedly came through the canteen with tongs to remove slices of pizza, cookies and bottles of water from trays of pupils whose parents had lunch debts.
One furious mum said the school, Liverpool College in Merseyside, even threatened legal action over lunchtime debts after “humiliating” kids in front of their peers.
The parent, who asked not to be named so their children were not embarrassed, claimed the apparent food cull happened as pupils sat to eat lunch in the canteen on Thursday, February 2.
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The parent said staff then told children, who were “in tears”, to inform their parent about their bills, the Liverpool ECHO reported.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The parent said: “The school wrote to parents last week threatening to take legal action over minimal balances. They then decided to humiliate scores of children as their accounts for school meals had slipped into a negative balance.
“The lunch staff publicly shamed the children by coming through the lunch hall with tongs and removing slices of pizzas, cookies, and bottles of water from their plates.
“I think the word from one of them was ‘not today’ as they took one of the child’s two slices of pizza.
“To add insult to injury the food then had to be disposed of as the children had touched it.”
She added children were left in tears, ringing their parents to have their accounts topped up.
The parent, whose own children were not affected but was shocked to see the treatment of their friends, said she understood schools should not have to deal the debts.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
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However, she added she “couldn’t help but think” there was a better way to communicate with parents.
She continued: “I cannot believe that any school would treat families like this particularly one which proports to have such high values. There are many families across the city who are struggling with the cost of living.
“Children having to call their parents telling them they need to top up in January must have been really embarrassing.”
Principal Mr Hans van Mourik Broekman categorically denied any pupil had or will ever go without lunch at Liverpool College.
He told The ECHO: “The College and its catering company partner do need to limit the amount currently owed by parents to our caterer as it is at unsustainable levels.
“We appreciate times are difficult and we will not see pupils go without a lunch. These policies have been explained in writing to parents and pupils, and the College has apologised for any upset caused by their introduction.”
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