Recent reports of students’ meals being thrown out by Simpson County School District food service workers were accurate.
A family member contacted this newspaper last week to report that if students did not have the money to pay for meals in the school cafeteria the students were embarrassed. The caller stated that in this particular case the regular meal for the student was dumped in the garbage and the child was given an alternative meal.
District Food Service Manager Joanna Maddox said at the most recent meeting of the Simpson County School Board that this situation was “not handled the way it should have been.” She did explain that the student in question was given an alternative meal, which included a soy butter sandwich, fruit and a vegetable.
What prompted the issue to surface was the fact that $30 had been sent to the Mendenhall cafeteria to pay for meals if students could not afford them, but the school district’s policy is not to accept donations unless they come before the board.
When the board approved the policy of the alternative meal for non-paying students, it was stated that “no child would go hungry.” At the end of the last school year, the school district’s food service was stuck with a $16,000 balance for unpaid student meals.
In other business, the board approved travel for the following school faculty and staff:
Brenda White, Nursing Conference in Biloxi, Oct. 24-Oct. 26;
Karen Bryant, Counselors Conference, Biloxi, Nov. 5-7;
Leslie May, Association for Gifted Children, Oct. 3-5, Vicksburg;
Crystal Brewer, MS Counseling Conference, Biloxi, Nov. 7-9;
Misty Hanna, I-Ready Summit, Sept. 27, Biloxi;
Vicki Parker, Amanda Tindell, and Breyana Rivers, MSTA Conference Oct. 28-30 in Biloxi;
Joe Hanna I-Ready Summit, Sept. 27, Biloxi;
Deia Sanders, Conference for Teaching Mathematics, Oct. 12-13, Columbus;
Keri McRaney, Judy Byrd, Dene Miller, Amy White travel to Washington D.C. with Gifted Students from Simpson Central and Mendenhall Jr., March 8-13;
Leslie May, Desoto Caverns, Childersburg, AL, Magee Elementary Gifted, Oct. 19;
Dene Miller, Louisiana Renaissance Festival, Hammond La, gifted students, Mendenhall Elementary, Nov. 15;
Kim Holloway to attend Counseling conference Nov. 7-9 in Biloxi.
The board approved the Human Resources report which included staff tutors for after school sessions as well as Saturday tutors for students. The board also approved an additional $6,000 in reimbursements for 12 staff members who are nationally board certified for teaching.
