Minnesota lawmaker hopes to stop school lunch debt shaming

A Minnesota lawmaker says she’s exploring ways to force school districts to back off hard-line tactics for students with school lunch debt.

The Star Tribune reports that Republican Rep. Sarah Anderson of Plymouth is pushing the effort. The move comes amid reports that a Minnesota school cafeteria worker took food from children who owed lunch money and disposed the food into a bucket as the children watched.

Anderson says children should never be shamed for owing lunch money.

Anderson has suggested that one possible method to encourage districts to be more lenient is to take away state aid from districts employing harsh tactics.

Gov. Mark Dayton signed a bill three years ago that banned any demeaning actions taken toward students because of lunch debts.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com