Campaign tries to trim Boulder students’ unpaid lunch debt

A Boulder resident is raising money to help pay off more than $230,000 in unpaid lunch costs in the Boulder Valley School District.

The Boulder Daily Camera reported Tuesday Kate Lacroix is seeking help through social media and radio appearances.

Lacroix is also tapping her restaurant industry connections. She organizes First Bite, an annual restaurant promotion.

The Boulder district provides lunches whether or not children can pay, often leaving the district with unpaid debt. Officials say the district wrote off nearly $97,000 in unpaid meals last school year even after donors helped.

The School Nutrition Association says about 75 percent of school districts nationwide had unpaid meal debts in the 2016-17 school year. The group says some families don’t qualify for free lunches but still can’t afford to pay.