CANAAN, N.H. (WHDH) - A New Hampshire cafeteria worker says she was fired for giving a student food when he didn’t have enough money to pay for it.
Bonnie Kimball was working at Mascoma Valley Regional High School in Canaan, New Hampshire when the incident occurred.
“I told him he could eat and to bring money in the next day or have his mom,” Kimball said. “At 7:30 the next morning, the student brought the money he owed, and that afternoon they fired me pretty much for stealing.”
Kimball said Cafe Services, the company that runs the school’s cafeteria, handed her a termination letter, which reads: A district manager was on site and witnessed a student coming through the line with multiple food items that you did not charge him for. This is in strict violation of our cash handling procedures.”
“I don’t believe in taking a kids tray. It embarrasses them and makes them go hungry,” Kimball said.
Cafe Services tells 7News: “Employees receive and sign their acknowledgment to company policies. When these aren’t followed, corrective action is put in place.”
The school’s superintendent says: “School district policy is to make healthy nutritious school meals available to every child, whether or not the child has sufficient funds to cover the cost of the meal.”
Kimball says two other staffers walked off the job in solidarity with her. Students told 7News they boycotted the cafeteria.
“Instead of going through the lunch line, they packed food from home,” said senior Taylor Crate.
“Everyone in the school really liked her, and it was a kid who didn’t have money for lunch, so I think she did the right thing,” senior Morgan Prentiss said.
Kimball says she has no regrets.
“He had bought $8 worth of stuff … that was paid for the next morning,” Kimball said.
After never taking a sick day, Kimball says she plans to use this time to hang with her family and look for the right job.
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