Lunch debts piling up for school districts - USATODAY.com: More children are getting into school lunch lines without being able to pay, creating a financial burden for school districts.
Some schools are toughening their policies — limiting students to two or three unpaid meals, creating payment plans and using collection agencies.
It's a growing problem that reflects families' economic struggles nationally, says Dora Rivas, president of the School Nutrition Association.
'When we're talking to parents, we're hearing that they lost their jobs, their cars have broken down,' says Sheila Mason of Des Moines Public Schools.
About 4,500 students in Des Moines owed $133,000 for unpaid meals at the start of the year, most of it from previous years. That's more than twice the amount a year earlier.
If a student can't pay, school officials say they contact parents and urge them to apply for federally subsidized free and reduced-price lunch programs. About 19 million students received free and reduced-price lunches in May, according to the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service.
