June 16, 2009

ARMOREL -- The Armorel school district will no longer allow students to charge breakfast or lunch meals beginning in the 2009-10 school year. At a special school board meeting Monday evening, the board approved a "no charge" policy on school meals. Under the plan, students will be allowed to pay at the time of service or they can prepay for future meals as well...

ARMOREL -- The Armorel school district will no longer allow students to charge breakfast or lunch meals beginning in the 2009-10 school year.

At a special school board meeting Monday evening, the board approved a "no charge" policy on school meals. Under the plan, students will be allowed to pay at the time of service or they can prepay for future meals as well.

Board superintendent Mike Hunter said the measure is necessary because of the large amount of unpaid meal charges.

"We still have over $3,500 of unpaid meal charges," said Superintendent Mike Hunter. "There are some who owe almost $300. We don't want to every turn away a child, but we felt we had to take a firmer stand. We know that there may be circumstances where a student will forget their money or lunch from time to time. However, if there is a pattern forming where they are always doing it, we may have to turn the situation over to the state for child neglect. We hope we don't have to get to that point, however."

The board also approved small increases to the breakfast and lunch meals for the 2009-10 school year. Breakfasts will now be $1.25, elementary lunches will be $2, high school lunches and potato bar will be $2.25, adult meals will be $2.75 and milk will be raised to 35 cents.

Plans to connect the district to the Blytheville sewer system have been sent to the Health Department for approval. Pending approval, the plans should be ready to be sent out for bidding the week of July 6.

In other news, the board approved a plan to renovate the cabinets in the district house for $6,900.

The next board meeting has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, July 20.

afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com

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