Ohio school's ice cream policy goes viral, called 'shameful' to kids with low funds
Every student at a southwest Ohio elementary school received a treat Friday after the school received thousands of comments on a Facebook post stating students with negative lunch balances wouldn't be able to buy ice cream on the first "ice cream Friday" of the year.
Donovan Elementary School, which serves third and fourth graders in Lebanon, about 30 miles northeast of Cincinnati, posted a reminder about rules for their ice cream Friday event on Thursday afternoon.
"A student must have money on their account to purchase an ice cream. If a student has a negative balance they will not be able to purchase an ice cream even if they bring their $1 for ice cream. Students are only allowed to purchase 1 ice cream and are not permitted to buy an ice cream for a friend. We hope to have a great first ice cream Friday," the school said in the post.
The post had 13,000 comments as of Friday, with many commenters expressing disbelief and calling the post "cruel" and "shameful."
Lebanon City School District apologizes, every Donovan Elementary School student gets a treat
The Lebanon City School District posted a response on Friday morning apologizing for the wording of the post and reiterating its rules.
"The wording lacked empathy and sensitivity for students who have low or negative meal account balances. We work very hard to provide school lunches to students by removing barriers and eliminating the stigma associated with the lunch assistance program," the district's post said. "This post inadvertently sent the message that we would embarrass students or turn them away for an issue outside their control. The message fell short of our values as a district and we sincerely apologize."
The district provides meals to students with negative account balances but does not allow those students to buy a la carte items like ice cream. The district does not allow students to buy food for classmates without a parent's permission and does not accept cash at the cafeteria registers.
Lebanon City Schools Superintendent Isaac Seevers apologized in a statement to The Enquirer for the way the information was communicated.
"The message falls short of our district values of building a reflective, responsible, and respectful community," he said. "We work very hard to provide school lunches to students by removing barriers and eliminating the stigma associated with the lunch assistance program. The Facebook post inadvertently sent the message that we would embarrass students or turn them away for an issue outside their control. "
Seevers said the district does allow students to charge lunch, because "good nutrition is essential to learning, and children forget or lose their money."
He also said every student at Donovan received an ice cream or other treat at lunch on Friday
Community raises money to offset negative lunch balances
Seevers said the school district has received multiple offers from people who want to pay off student's balances. The district partnered with Lebanon Bridges, a nonprofit organization that supports those in need in the community, and created a fund for donations.
Naiyozcsia Thompson, owner of Mz.Jade’s SoulFood restaurant in Middletown, donated over $400 to the fund.
"Now let’s make it a ice cream Sunday," she said in a Facebook post. "See you don’t have to be part of a certain community to help people Mzjadessoulfood loves everyone."
Erin Glynn is the watchdog reporter for Butler, Warren and Clermont counties through the Report For America program. The Enquirer needs local donors to help fund her grant-funded position. If you want to support Glynn's work, you can donate to her Report For America position at this website or email her editor Carl Weiser at cweiser@enquirer.com to find out how you can help fund her work.
Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at eglynn@enquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @ee_glynn.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio students get ice cream after viral Facebook post
