Unpaid meal debt at Loudoun County Public Schools is up by 52% over last year while requests for free and reduced lunches have seen a 180% increase, school administrators told the county supervisors and School Board members last night.
Lunch is provided to every student each school day regardless of the status of their account, Chief Financial Officer Sharon Willougby said. However, weekly notifications are sent to families with a negative balance of $5 or more. A school lunch costs $3.55 for high school and middle school.
Willoughby said several factors could be contributing to the rise, including…