A photo of a free meal served to Pre-K students at a Fort Worth ISD campus has gone viral.
The photo, which Fort Worth ISD Watchdog posted, comes from an anonymous teacher in the school district. It shows a bite-sized chicken piece with a piece of bread, a lemon, and some sliced cucumbers.
“This was the FREE meal served yesterday for all Pre-K students, at least at this Fort Worth ISD campus. Remember the FWISD is paying Sodexo $39.9 million for a one-year contract. Maybe this same food can be fed to the Trustees during board meetings,” Fort Worth ISD Watchdog posted on Facebook.
People from the community criticized the size of the food served.
“[Former Fort Worth Superintendent Kent] Scribner made budget cuts the year he got a bonus & he cut the food budget in 1/2, it’s only gotten smaller since. If PARENTS don’t make the effort to show up at board meetings nothing will change,” Fort Worth parent Hollie Plemons posted.
“Fwisd is a joke! The food is awful for years already! Everyday I have to pack my kids lunch because they won’t eat at school. The times I’ve gone to the school almost every child would leave their trays untouched and maybe just drink the milk. The whole tray would go in the trash and all of the kids I’m sure would be hungry for the remainder of the day. That is why I rather pack my kids lunch so I make sure they eat. FWISD has given up, I understand maybe they want to serve healthy but it’s Not even good and instead just goes in the trash. The food isn’t how it used to be from back in the day when I attended school,” Mayra Murrillo said in a comment on Facebook.
Other local residents believe that the food served to Pre-K students will be fine for the kids.
“Y’all feed y’all kids Ramen noodles, hot Cheetos and soda when they get home. They’ll survive,” Marissa Sanchez-Olivas posted in a comment.
Earlier this year, Fort Worth ISD voted for a one-year contract with food service management company Sodexo Operations for $39.9 million, per the Fort Worth Report. The vote was 7-2, with former board President Camille Rodriguez and trustee Michael Ryan voting against it.
The Dallas Express received a response via email from Jessica D. Becerra, media relations coordinator for FWISD, on September 27 regarding the controversy surrounding the viral food post:
Thank you for reaching out. We are aware of the social media post regarding the Pre-K lunch served at one of our campuses this week. The meal in question does not meet our standards for nutrition and presentation, and we are currently investigating the matter.
Our goal is to ensure that all students receive high-quality, well-balanced meals, and we are taking steps to address this situation promptly.