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No lunch if they don't pay? Parents upset over district's new policy for high schoolers

Grand Prairie ISD says unpaid lunches cost the district $400,000 in 2018

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Jocelyn Menjivar has four children who are and will be coming up through the Grand Prairie school district.

"When looking at schools, Grand Prairie was one of the top school districts in DFW," she said.

But she feels the district they so desired is letting children down.

"It's not okay," Menjivar said.

She's talking about a new school lunch policy for high school students. The district will no longer allow students to "charge" meals.

"Students at this grade level are capable of being responsible for themselves," the policy states. This doesn't apply to students who get free or reduced-price lunches.

"It's absurd. They're in high school," Menjivar said."I would never expect my high schooler to be responsible for providing for their own lunch financially."

"We knew there’d probably be some questions," said district spokesman Sam Buchmeyer, who says the district previously set up a phone bank to answer concerns about the new policy.

Buchmeyer says they made this decision because last year, unpaid lunches cost the district around $400,000. This year so far, the running tab was around $200,000.

"We needed to be good stewards of our taxpayers' money," he said.

So now, after a five-day grace period of not paying for lunch (during which they'll receive an alternate lunch), they'll no longer get food. Buchmeyer doesn't expect that to happen, however.

 "We think that five-day period gives us plenty of time to work with those parents, whatever the situation may be," he said.

Menjivar, whose children are not yet in high school, was considering going to the school board meeting Thursday to speak out.

 "Prisoners are guaranteed a breakfast and lunch and dinner and you’re going to say our high schoolers are not guaranteed a lunch?" she said.

She feels food should not be a question for our children.

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