SCSD Officials Respond to Claim Students Not Given Enough Time For Lunch

A Facebook post claiming that some students at Central High School are not given enough time to eat their lunches has prompted a reply from the school district admitting that while sometimes things don’t go as planned, all students are given sufficient time to eat.

Kevin Smith of Martinsburg said he had heard from at least 19 parents who told them that their students had come home hungry because they ran out of time during lunch.

“From what I’m being told, some kids are not eating because they are not given enough time,” Smith said. “It’s mostly the B lunch period that has the longest lines.”

Smith, who ran a write-in campaign for a seat on the board, said he wants the district to look into parents’ concerns and find a solution.

“If even one kid is not given enough time to eat, that is a problem,” Smith said.

In a letter to parents dated Feb. 1, Spring Cove School District Superintendent Betsy Baker wrote that while lunch lines have been unusually long, staff has made concessions to allow all students enough time to eat.

The letter said students who needed more time to eat were provided a late pass for their next class.

Smith said the late pass option is not a solution because students may be too uncomfortable asking for one.

“Some kids may be too shy or too scared to ask for a pass,” Smith said. “Some kids just don’t want to do that.”

In the letter, Baker said the cafeteria, like many businesses, is experiencing staff shortages which have contributed to slower service.

“Similar to many businesses, we are currently operating with vacant positions, higher absence rates, and few substitutes across all staffing areas, including food service,” Baker said in the letter.

Baker’s letter said with current COVID-19 cases and close contacts trending downward, along with shorter isolation and quarantine periods, attendance at the high school has been higher and that meant more time was needed to serve. And with the current staff shortages, serving all the students took more time than it normally does, but that all students who wanted to eat were served.

“The planned meal was one which required more time to serve,” Baker wrote. “We experienced a ‘perfect storm’ which resulted in longer lunch lines. That said, no student was denied a lunch.”

Smith said he understands the staff shortages and does not blame the cafeteria workers, but he said the district should do more to attract staff.

“The cafeteria workers are not to blame. They are doing their best with what they have,” Smith said. “But the district needs to hire more workers.”

Smith said this is not the first time he has heard about issues with the Spring Cove cafeteria and that he has brought it up at school board meetings.

“This issue needs to be dealt with. This is ridiculous,” he said.

Baker wrote that the district has taken steps to improve efficiency during lunch periods to avoid future occurrences of long lines and that the lines have begun to move at a better pace.

“Please understand that all our staff are making every effort to provide the best possible school experience for our students,” the letter said.

Baker wrote that the school district is currently hiring food service staff and encourages anyone interested to visit the Human Resources page of the district’s website.