Giving lunch to a hungry student has gotten one US school worker fired.
The Idaho State Journal (ISJ) has reported that school food service worker Dalene Bowden gave a 12-year-old girl lunch for free, because the girl did not have any money.
The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District responded with a letter to inform Ms Bowden she had been fired after three year's service with District 25.
Ms Bowden said she offered to pay for the $US 1.70 lunch, but her supervisor rejected that offer.
"I know I screwed up, but what are you supposed to do when the kid tells you that they're hungry and they don’t have any money," Ms Bowden said.
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She received a verbal warning once for giving a student a free cookie, the ISJ reports.
The community is unhappy about Ms Bowden's treatment, and a petition to change the system has received more than 30,000 online signatures.
