Minnesota school officials apologize for tossing lunches

RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — School officials are apologizing after some students at Richfield High School saw their meals thrown away because of outstanding lunch debt.

As many as 40 students in the lunch line Monday had their hot lunches taken off their trays, thrown in the trash and replaced with a cold lunch when a lunchroom staff member at the register saw that they had outstanding lunch debts of more than $15.

Superintendent Steven Unowsky tells KARE-TV that the school’s nutrition staff “inaccurately and inappropriately implemented alternate lunch.”

Richfield High School Principal Latanya Daniels says the school “absolutely failed.”

Richfield likely will foot a $20,000 unpaid lunch bill at the end of this school year – and that is with nearly 65% of the students in the district being on free lunch.