Utah school officials apologize after kids' lunches are trashed

One of Utah's biggest school districts was forced to apologize this week after an overzealous cashier grabbed the lunches of about 30 students and dumped them in the trash.

The employee told the children there was no money in their food accounts.

'People are upset, obviously, by the way this has been handled because it's really needless and quite mean,' said mother Erica Lukes. 'Regardless if it's $2, $5, you don't go about rectifying a situation with a balance by having a child go through that.'

Lukes said there was plenty of money in her fifth-grade daughter's account. Nonetheless, Sophia Isom lost her lunch to a cashier who told her she couldn't have the meal because there was nothing in her lunch fund.

'I think it's despicable,' the mom said. 'These are young children that shouldn't be punished or humiliated for something the parents obviously need to clear up.'

On Thursday, Salt Lake City School District spokesman Jason Olsen issued an apology.

'This was a mistake,' he said. 'There shouldn't have been food taken away from these students once they went through that line.'

Reports of the incident that occurred earlier in the week garnered national news stories and a prompted an angry news conference held in front of the school by Utah legislators.

Republican state Sen. Todd Weiler said the district made a 'grievous mistake' that 'rises to the level of bullying. 'These children were humiliated in their own school, in front of their classmates.'

Lukes said she later called a cafeteria worker and was told her 11-year-old girl's account was not overdue and a mistake had been made.

The students who had their lunches taken were given fruit and milk instead.

Olsen said the school had notified some parents on Monday that their children's accounts were overdue. A cashier started taking away lunches on Tuesday, in violation of district police that gives parents time to rectify their overdue status.

It was not clear whether the employee had been disciplined for her actions.

The incidents prompted hundreds of angry posts to the school's Facebook page.

'This is sickening,' read one posted by Susan Marie Thomas. 'You are the people entrusted for the care of children? Disgusting!'

With News Wire Services