Employees Fired in School Lunch Scandal

A school lunch scandal in Attleboro that has gained national attention has led to disciplinary action for four employees of the school district food contractor Whitsons, with at least some being fired, a company spokeswoman said at a Friday press conference.

Approximately 25 students at Coelho Middle School this week were denied lunch or forced to throw theirs out if they had insufficient funds on their payment cards.

The Boston Globe reported:

Whitsons School Nutrition said it investigated and found that four workers had violated the school district’s policies by not feeding the students. All of those employees were disciplined and some were fired, an official said.

Holly Von Seggern, vice president for marketing for Whitsons, declined to say how many people lost their jobs or if those people were management employees or cafeteria workers.

"The results of the investigation concluded that several individuals were acting outside of the district's policy on handling pending balances on their meal accounts," Von Seggern told reporters Friday afternoon.

The school district is also conducting its own investigation, various media reported.