The Cranston School District in Rhode Island hired a collection agency to recover all unpaid lunch balances.
According to NBC 10 News, the district has previously tried to collect outstanding lunch bills but did not have much success.
"In an effort to reduce our unpaid balance, the District has retained the services of a collection agency. The company is Transworld Systems and they will begin their collection efforts effective January 2, 2019," the letter said.
Raymond Votto Jr., chief operating officer for Cranston Public Schools, said between Sept. 1, 2016, and June 30, 2018, the school district wrote off $95,508.
He said the unpaid balance for the current academic year is $45,859.
Lunch at a public elementary school in Cranston cost $2.50 per day. For middle school and high school, it's $3.25 a day.
Parents who owe $20 or more and who haven’t paid off the balance within 60 days will receive a letter from the collection agency starting next year.
The district said students who don’t have money will not go hungry. In the past, the district offered an alternative meal for students who owed money.
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