A Texas teacher and Army veteran is taking on what he calls state-endorsed shaming at public-school cafeteria counters.
As WFAA reports, Kelvin Holt says he became concerned when he saw a cafeteria worker admonish a child who didn’t have enough money to pay for her meal, then tossing the food out and giving the child a lesser substitute.
Holt said, “Insult to injury is the fact that they dump the food in the presence of the child. The message that sends to a child is 'I care about my bottom line. I don't care about you or your feelings or your hunger.’”
Holt wants guidelines for how the situation is handled when a child’s account runs out of money, so that kids aren’t sent away crying.
“Treating kids this way is wrong,” he said. “It's bullying. And right now, it's state-sponsored bullying because the laws allow it in Texas.”
