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Hypothetical and temporary solution options angered district parents
Sometimes, social media is an invaluable tool to share ideas. Other times, it can be an absolute nightmare. If gossip didn’t have its own unique way of spreading like wildfire on its own already, the use of social media, on devices in nearly every person’s hand or pocket, certainly has helped to speed it along.
It is likely that misunderstood tidbits, and a rather blown out of proportion chatter online, is what caused a recent panic for some Upper Dublin Township parents who’d heard hot lunches would no longer be offered at area schools. However, this wasn’t really the case.
“I would like to apologize for any confusion caused by our recent message regarding the district’s food service program,” said Dr. Laurie Smith, Ed. D., the Upper Dublin School District superintendent. “The purpose of the [earlier] communication was to proactively share a temporary situation in our cafeterias so that families could make informed choices regarding their child’s lunch preferences.”
Smith said it was never the intention of the district to eliminate hot lunches altogether, but rather to create a plan around potential “unforeseen circumstances.”
“We would like to clarify that this situation is not a result of our inability to hire or retain staff,” said Smith. “Our food services department was fully staffed at the start of the school year, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, we are experiencing a short-term shortage.”
While parents quickly got into an online uproar on social media, coverage on the topic by area media outlets spread quickly, as well. The entire concept was truly a hypothetical option that the district had not even put into practice, nor had immediate plans to, according to Smith.
“Our team is prepared to offer several cold grab-and-go lunch options as the situation necessitates,” she said. “While we make every effort to provide advance notice of any transitions during this period, we encourage families to review the cold lunch options on our menus with your child, so they are prepared to make a selection in the event this is needed.”
Smith additionally said that the staffing at all Upper Dublin schools has been hard at work to prevent any disruptions in the services for its students.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to commend our entire food services team, led by our Director of Food Services Kristan Delle and our Assistant Director of Food Services Dennis Picorelli, who have been working extremely hard to minimize disruptions to our food service options at this time.”
To learn more about the school lunch program in the Upper Dublin Schools, including the menus for each building, visit the website here or view the video below.
