Methuen: No lunch money?

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Starting this year, any student who ~AFFWRrrER does not bring money for lunch will be offered only.a meal consisting of a govMETHUEN - To keep fromholding emment-donated cheese. sandwich, the bag again on $20,000of outstanding fruit and a milk. lunch balances, the school district is "There will never be a time when trying something new: a less appetiz- your child will be refused a meal at the ing menu for students who forget their Methuenschools," food services direcmoney. tor Wayne Vespa said in a letter to
QUINONES

By ALEx

parents this we.ek.''but due to the vast amount of abuse of meal charges in the past,' this policy is quite necessary." . Vespa' hopes that the children will hate being limited' to the government cheese sandwich so much that the,Y'll never forget their lunch money, or simply saythey forgot it. . "It couldbe a kindergartener, but he

could still be working the system," Vespa said. . Vespa said that he will also send weekly letters to the homes of students who continue to charge for their lunches and never pay the balance. The district posted a loss of $33,000, Please see METHUEN. Page 12

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i METHUEN:

Town aims to thwart school lunch deadbeats

dents there are not able to get a free lunch if they forget their money. Vespa denied he is targeting' poor children with this policy. He said parents who cannot afford to pay for their child's lunches should utilize the free and reduced-price lunch prograin, which he said is highly underused by parents as a resource. Vespa said that there are many students who are eligible for the program, but whose parents never fill out the application or forget to reapply each year. To increase participation in the free' and reduced .lunch' program, Vespa will conduct workshops ~~ Tuesdays and Thursday from 7 p.m, to.9 p.rn. during September to help parents fill out the application, The deadline for the application is Oyt 1. Vespa said that he wants kids to ebjoy their meals and has encouraged lunchroom employees to go out of their way to get them whatever available food items they ask ).
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Continued from Page 1 largely due to the fact that distrtct has few students buying school lunches. Vespa said that Methuen is selling $1 million less per school year than the average school system of 6,000 to 7,000 students. Vespa said that only 42 percent of the students eat cafeteria food, and most of those students are on free and reduced lunch. "Paid lunches are only 17 percent. That's atrOCiOUS,'" e said. h "Paid lunches should be 42 percent." . The policy does not apply to Methuen High School; since stu-

for. But if a student walks in to a cafeteria, asking for the governmentcheesesandwich? In that event, Vespa joked the kid should just keep his money . and he'll get the sandwich. Staff writer Alex Quinones may be contacted bY plume at (978) 9462000, or bye-mail at

aquinones@eagletribune.com.

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