Saint Cloud School District has publicly apologized after a photo of a lunch offered to students on Friday went locally viral on social media.
The photo (above) shows a school lunch at Apollo High School featuring a hot dog bun covered in melted cheese with a side of carrots and some marinara sauce. The photo was taken by Maryn Holler, whose Facebook post has been shared nearly 1,000 times.
Holler, a 17-year-old student, wrote: "Alright so i paid for this to eat at lunch today. I thank God everyday that my family has the money where i get to go home and eat actual food. there are kids at this school who this is ALL THEY GET TO EAT, and we were given a hotdog bun with cheese. it’s honestly sad to know that we go to school and pay around 3 dollars for something that cost .50 cents to make."
Nearly 1,000 shares and hundreds of comments later, St. Cloud School District 742 addressed the issue. .
"Oops! We goofed," the district's Facebook post says. "Tried a new menu item today at lunch and we hear it was not a winner! Going forward, we will gather input from our students on new menu options. Thanks for the feedback!"
Holler has since been notified that she'll be able to meet with the school district's nutritionist, which she hopes "is the start of something that could forever change my district."
Minnesota public schools operate under the School Nutritions Program, a federal initiative focused ensuring the following standards:
- Students are offered fruits and vegetables every day of the week.
- Increase offerings of whole grain-rich foods, fat-free or low-fat milk varieties.
- Base calories on the age of students.
- Focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium in meals.
Comments on Holler's viral photo suggest that students at Apollo High School also had a fruit option, and that the "Italian Dunkers" were the main menu option while students could've also selected a hamburger or slice of pizza.
Bring Me The News has reached out to the school district for more clarity about Friday's menu.
