Community leaders pay off lunch debt for Henry County schools

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Community leaders in Henry County are stepping up to the plate to pay off school lunch debt.

A $741 lunch balance is now zero at Dutchtown Middle School, which is a big relief for a lot of students and parents.

The balance was paid Thursday morning by Bishop Eusebio Phelps, from New Faith Christian Church.

The bishop told Channel 2’s Kristen Holloway that his church also paid the balance at Stockbridge Elementary School this week.

Stockbridge City Councilman Elton Alexander is leading the charge on this through his nonprofit, Community Development for Real People.

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“We want to make sure that these students can focus on their education and not have to worry about a hot meal. In some cases, this meal may be the only hot meal these children receive all day,” Alexander said.

He said the organization already paid lunch debt for four other schools.

“We’re going to go to each school in Henry County to make sure we eliminate this problem going forward. No child should suffer the embarrassment of being denied a hot lunch,” Phelps said.

Holloway checked the district's website, and students in the Henry County school system are allowed to have a debt of up to $17.75 in elementary school and $5 in middle school.

Students who run up a debt higher than those numbers are offered an alternative meal of a sandwich, fruit and milk instead of a hot lunch.

“Our overall goal for Community Development for Real People and our parents is to make sure we have a policy change that the parents are held accountable and not the students,” Alexander said.

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