The Iola district’s prom policy has raised a debate about tying school meal fees to participation in activities.
Becca Martin, a 1976 graduate of Iola High School, aired her concerns last week after learning the district requires students to either have lunch balances paid in full or agree to a payment plan in order to attend prom.
The policy also applies to graduation. Meal balances and other fees must be paid in order for a student to participate in commencement activities.
“To keep a student from attending prom because they have unpaid lunch bills is so terribly discriminatory,” Martin wrote in a letter to the editor. “Kids whose parents have money don’t have unpaid lunch bills. Poor kids like I was are certainly far more likely to.”
A Facebook post on the subject also generated a discussion, with a handful offering to pay a portion of those debts.
As of March 16, IHS had a negative meal balance of $4,837.
Superintendent Stacey Fager said the policy has existed for several years. It began as a way to ensure fees are paid in a timely manner and reduce debt.
The policy could be a surprise to some after the past couple of years, when it wasn’t an issue.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USDA paid for all school meals across the nation during the 2021 and 2022 school years. As a result, students did not have outstanding meal balances the past two years.
Congress terminated the benefit this year, so districts returned to existing policies, Fager said.
He notes Iola’s policy allows flexibility; families that cannot afford to pay the meal balance can agree to a payment plan. As long as a plan is in place, students can participate in prom and graduation.
Students must also meet academic standards by passing five classes, cannot be suspended and must agree to a drug test to participate in prom.
THE POLICY developed after administrators visited the Arkansas City district about seven years ago, Fager said.
At the time, USD 257 was struggling with a large unpaid meal balance. They were surprised to learn Arkansas City had a low amount of lunch debt, which was credited to a policy that required balances paid before prom.
The Iola board then approved a similar policy and saw its meal debt improved, Fager said. Iola’s policy also included options for those who were struggling financially.
“The board was adamant about offering a payment plan for extenuating circumstances,” he said.
