Southern Boone has authority to take parents to small claims court who refuse to pay for meals

The Southern Boone School District can now take parents, who persistently refuse to pay for meals, to small claims court after the board approved the policy revisions.

Superintendent Chris Felmlee said on Thursday the district has $30,000 in meal debt annually and the board wants to initiate practices to get that number down.

The board has been looking into a solution for over the past year and have asked for the community’s input, Felmlee said.

Felmlee said they have sent letters home and made phone calls to the offending families, but have mostly received the cold shoulder.

The board said the offending families do not qualify for free or reduced meals.

Felmlee said besides having the ability to take the offending families to small claims court, the board will also have the ability to ban parents from attending annual celebrations in each of the school buildings.

Felmlee said he does not want the parent’s actions to affect the students, “We have put procedures in that target the parents as opposed to the student. We are not giving alternative lunches, we are not turning kids away, I want kids to eat, I don’t want kids to go hungry.”

Felmlee said the the district wants to be flexible to the offending families and asks them to call to set up a payment plan.

Felmlee said he hopes the new revisions will bring more communication and partnership with families.