SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah school district that came under fire for taking away $2 school lunches from about 30 students is planning an independent investigation into the incident.
The Salt Lake City School District board will discuss plans to hire an auditor at a Tuesday evening meeting, said board Vice President Heather Bennett.
District officials apologized to outraged parents last month and put two employees on temporary leave after students at Uintah (yoo-IN’-tah) Elementary had their lunches seized and thrown out because of overdue accounts.
The district launched its own investigation, which is ongoing.
“There are individuals in the community that have raised questions about the process of investigating,” Bennett told The Salt Lake Tribune (https://bit.ly/1kS2hsX). “They seem to not trust the process of investigating. That’s the reason why we’re asking for an external auditor.”
She did not know what the audit may cost.
Kristi Swett, the board’s president, told other board members in an email that there were still questions about who is responsible for the situation.
“I have complete faith that district leaders have been forthcoming and honest in their response to and investigation of this matter,” she wrote. “Nonetheless, having that belief tested by an independent entity will serve to repair the public’s trust in the district’s integrity and commitment to its students.”
The district came under fire after the lunches were seized on Jan. 28 when a district official showed up at the school to investigate a large number of overdue lunch accounts.
Students whose lunches were taken were instead given milk and fruit, something the school did when students don’t have lunch money, district spokesman Jason Olsen has said.
Olsen said the seized lunches were thrown away because they could not be given to other students.
District officials are still investigating who decided to seize the lunches and how many were taking meals from students.
In addition to the internal investigation that’s already underway, the district announced earlier this month that it was implementing new policies to prevent a similar situation.
District officials said students will always be given a full meal, even if they owe money on their food accounts.
Schools are now supposed to flag lunch accounts once they are $10 or more overdue, and principals will help notify parents.
Officials also said that any communications about payments or accounts will now be made directly to parents rather than through students via notices.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, https://www.sltrib.com
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