Local school districts try to work out payment plans with parents who fall behind in paying student lunch bills.

District superintendents said they address overdue lunch bills on a case-by-case basis, and certainly don't make the kind of threat that led to unwanted notoriety for school district in eastern Pennsylvania's Luzerne County.

Wyoming Valley West School District recently sent letters to about 1,000 parents recently claiming unpaid bills could lead to dependency hearings and possibly placing their children in foster care for not providing them with food. Officials from Luzerne County and its child welfare agency contacted the district and instructed it to stop making such claims.

Wyoming Valley West initially turned down a request from philanthropist Todd Carmichael to cover the overdue bills, but has since accepted the offer following backlash for its initial denial.

Closer to home, Eric Ritzert, superintendent of the Karns City Area School District, said “We work case-by-case to try to recover money owed, but we make sure everyone is fed.

Regardless of ability to pay.” He added how First Presbyterian Church of East Brady provides donations to help cover the cost of overdue bills.

Ritzert said the district works with families to resolve overdue lunch bills without making threats. Fellow superintendent David Foley, of South Butler County School District, echoed Ritzert's comments.

“We don't want anyone to not be fed,” Foley said. “If a family is in crisis and having trouble, we work with those families and decide how to proceed on a case-by-case basis.”

He said the district does not make threats regarding outside authorities.

“We collaborate with parents, and we try to get those bills paid,” Foley said.

Assistance for families having difficulty paying is available from the Knoch High School Family Career and Community Leaders of America. The organization accepts donations to the Angel Fund to cover overdue lunch bills, helping students who don't meet the criteria for the free and reduced lunch program, but whose families need short-term assistance.

Overdue bills in excess of $10 are turned over to the Angel Fund, according to Foley.

The Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District also has a policy for addressing overdue lunch bills. Superintendent David McDeavitt said the community and staff donate to help pay the bills, but no child custody threats are ever made.

“We have a process in place. If they have more than $5 in debt, we send a letter to remind them,” McDeavitt said. “If the debt continues to rise, the cafeteria manager and principal will contact the parents to set up a payment plan.”

However, in rare occasions when those efforts don't work, the district has filed complaints against parents in magisterial district court, McDeavitt said. He added that the district hasn't taken such measures in the past few years.

“We try to get kids eligible for free and reduced lunch to fill out the application. We've driven to houses to help them fill out the application,” McDeavitt said of going the extra mile. “We try to work out what we can to collect outstanding debt. We use communication to prevent the debt from getting too out of control.”