'Lunch shaming' was a scandal in RI. These schools still have the policies.

Five years ago, "lunch shaming" in Rhode Island became the shame of the state as it made national news for handing sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches to students without money for a hot meal.

But similarly punitive policies still exist in several districts. Yet whether anyone enforces them, or just leaves them on the books, is another matter.

A Providence Journal review of public high school handbooks across the state found written rules threatening to withhold report cards from parents, warning of "collection remedies," and still offering sandwiches or "modified" meals in place of regular ones, potentially creating an obvious show of "haves" and "have nots" in the cafeteria.

Here are the schools with such policies on the books, and how their leadership explained them.

East Providence High School

A cafeteria balance may impact prom ticket sales, but Principal William Black said he is "not aware of any students who did not attend the prom due to lunch debt."

"We are always working with families to complete free and reduced lunch applications," Black said. "We have events in the summer and throughout the year to encourage families to complete these forms.  In addition, we work with families on payment plans for lunch debt to help them out with their situation."

More: Chobani donates $50K for school lunch debt

An East Providence middle school employee testified at a Senate Finance Committee hearing recently that students with meal debt risked not walking at graduation

Superintendent Sandra Forand said she is unaware of that happening to any student.

Forand provided a separate document that warns parents that meal accounts with negative balances exceeding $20 "are subject to closure."

Yet significant debts persist despite the policy. Forand said that as of May, the total outstanding meal debt in the district was $123,800.

Rogers High School

Newport's Rogers High School's policy states "seniors will not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony" if they have any debts at the end of the school year.

However, Principal Jared Vance said never during his seven-year tenure has that policy been implemented.

"We look at students' individual situations and assess whether it's appropriate to collect on that debt," he said.

Vance also criticized the policy as "discriminatory particularly for families and students that are struggling financially," and raised concerns about it being a potential barrier to graduation.

More: 'Generous community:' Smithfield company covers unpaid school lunch balance

North Smithfield High School

North Smithfield High School has in its handbook "very stringent" procedures to deal with negative lunch account balances.

That includes giving students a sandwich, fruit and milk when they can't pay for a regular meal, warning of canceled accounts for debts of more than $20, and, in severe cases, withholding report cards for unpaid debts.

But that policy may not last. District Superintendent Michael St. Jean told The Journal it is "scheduled for review."

"No student is ever denied food or goes hungry," St. Jean said. "Where families may fall in arrears of payment, we work with them to verify if they are eligible for free or reduced meals, we work with them to find other resources or supports, create a payment plan, or in cases of extreme hardship, find the means to cover the debt."

Portsmouth High School

Portsmouth High School's handbook states: "Students cannot 'charge' meals to their account. Food cannot be purchased if the account does not have the funds to cover the cost of the item."

However, as of deadline, school leadership had not answered The Journal's comment request seeking clarification about whether students would be able to receive food without money under this policy.

Lincoln High School

Lincoln High School's policy, adopted in 2019, states that unpaid balances at the end of the year carry over to the next year and eventually "may be placed into collections."

Similarly to Rogers High School, Lincoln High School states that "all seniors will have to pay any debt in full prior to graduation."

Principal Kenneth Hopkins Jr. said students are not denied meals if they don't have money, but they may lose their charging privileges for snack purchases.

"Lincoln Public Schools consistently partners with families to provide needed support, with consideration of exigent circumstances, to mitigate any outstanding debts," Hopkins said. "For students who do not receive free and reduced lunch support, the school does consider a limitation of graduation tickets until outstanding debt obligations are paid. Academic information is in no way withheld."

Block Island School

Block Island School, which serves students in grades K-12, references a different lunch for students without money for a regular meal.

"Charging snacks or other items is not allowed," it states. "Families who for whatever reason have a negative balance will be noticed and their child will receive a modified lunch until the balance is paid in full."

By deadline, the school principal had not replied to a request for further information including the contents of the modified lunch.

Chariho High School

Chariho High School's policy states that when students have unpaid balances, "all possible legal and/or collection remedies will be pursued." However, it is not clear exactly what "remedies" the school would use.

The Journal's comment request to the principal went unanswered by deadline.

More: Lawmakers push again for free school meals bill. Does it have a chance?

What are universal free lunch advocates saying?

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, an advocacy group for children's wellbeing, is part of the Healthy School Meals for All Coalition, which has been pushing lawmakers to pass legislation creating a universal free school meals program in the state.

"Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is opposed to any punitive measures being taken against students for unpaid meal debt," said Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Deputy Director Stephanie Geller. "Schools should not be put in the position of debt collectors. Putting them in this position can harm their ability to have positive relationships with students and families. Providing Healthy School Meals for All students would solve this issue and many others."

Several states – including Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont – have already adopted such a program, but Rhode Island lawmakers have been reluctant to pass it because of its roughly $40-million cost.

More: Here's what one of Rhode Island's largest teacher unions wants from lawmakers.

The National Education Association Rhode Island, one of the state's largest teacher unions and another member organization of the coalition, has also been advocating for an end to paid meals at school.

"Punitive lunch debt policy is one of many reasons NEA Rhode Island supports healthy school meals for every student in Rhode Island," said NEARI spokeswoman Stephanie Mandeville. "School meals are a part of the school day, just like transportation, textbooks and other services provided to all without cost."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Lunch shaming policies persist at some Rhode Island schools