Mungle, board members address Oolitic Middle School lunch concerns from community
During the public comment period of the Thursday’s meeting of the North Lawrence Community Schools board, members of the community, as well as an Oolitic Middle School parent, expressed concerns over lunch offerings at OMS, with the parent stating her child was only offered salad and french fries after the cafeteria had run out of other entrée offerings.
According to the menu posted on the NLCS website for the day in question,Monday, Aug. 15, offerings at the school that day included chicken pasta alfredo, herb breadstick, seasoned peas, chicken ranch wrap, marinara sauce and garden salad with mozzarella.
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Superintendent Ty Mungle said the cafeteria staff underestimated the demand for the chicken alfredo option and did not make enough for each student who wanted it.
Mungle said chicken wraps and other food options were made available that day and that nobody was denied food.
“Yes, there was food there and students were served,” he said.
Board president Trent Todd apologized for the matter on behalf of NLCS.
“We apologize, as a district, as an administration, we apologize for the unfortunate issue that happened at Oolitic,” Todd said during the Thursday meeting.
Board member Wendy Miller said that she felt the community’s reaction to this information, which had circulated on social media in the days prior to the meeting, was the result of a growing distrust of the board and a feeling that NLCS had not given equal treatment to OMS, following previous discussion of closing the school.
“I think the reason we have gotten such vibrant communication about this issue is because, and I'm only speaking for myself, it's a symptom of a bigger problem and people feel like oolitic has been abandoned. And I get that and I saw it when I went there. I don't think we're not giving them food though. I don't think that is correct,” Miller said.
In other business
NLCS instructor Beth Felts presented the board with information from Operation Uplift, a 12-week program for NLCS staff that included challenges aimed at encouraging building connections among staff and boosting morale for employees hosted this past Spring.
The board approved an out of state trip for students in the FFA program through the North Lawrence Career Center to attend the Farm Science Review event in London, Ohio from Sept. 20-22.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Mungle, board members address Oolitic Middle School lunch concerns
