CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If your child goes to CMS, there is still time to apply for free and reduced-price lunches. According to some schools' websites, lunches can cost anywhere from $2.50 to $3. That can add up if parents are not paying.
Many student's parents get caught in the middle they make too much money to qualify for free school lunches but not enough to actually pay for school lunches every day.
We are looking at the numbers to see what that lunch debt looks like and who has to pay it.
OUR SOURCES:
- Local School Districts
- The Education Data Initiative
WHAT WE FOUND:
We reached out to all the school districts in our area. Only a few districts got back to us, disclosing their current lunch debt.
With Charlotte Mecklenburg County being the largest district in our area, it's not a surprise they have the largest debt. They tell us more than 13,000 students had an unpaid meal balance totaling $447,073.67 for the district.
- Union County-$442,179.85
- Fort Mill School- $30,686.36
- Alexander County- $14,125.20
According to the Education Data Initiative, the national public school meal debt adds up to $262 million a year.
So who pays the debt?
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In an email, CMS tells us Any unpaid balances must be paid by the district, adding they are always searching for grants and business partners to assist. Meanwhile, Alexander County tells us the individual schools are responsible for paying back those overdue charges.
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CMS parents will get an email reminding them to pay the outstanding balance; according to the district, even if a child's account reflects a negative balance, all children will eat.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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