Reno, Nev. • Frustrated by growing debts, the Washoe County School District has discussed using debt collectors to recoup money from parents for unpaid school meals; something the district says has been done in Utah and elsewhere.
Students have racked up nearly $90,000 in unpaid meals in the first seven months of the school year, up from a record $66,000 in unpaid meals for all of the previous school, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported .
Attempts to stop the upward trend have been met with harsh community criticism. The district has considered policy changes, including giving alternative lunches to students with unpaid debts.