Staff Writer

On Tuesday, August 30, Bristol Borough School District announced that it was canceling all student lunch debt which had accumulated to $21,914.49. The decision will profoundly impact the over 1,000 students that attend school within the district and their families.

Since the nationwide free lunch program was canceled earlier this summer, schools had the opportunity to start collecting on the lunch debt accumulated over the past couple of years. In total, Pennsylvania has about $14.9 million in student lunch debt.

Despite the opportunity, Bristol Borough School District Board voted unanimously to forgo a potential revenue earning opportunity and forgive the lunch loans. School Board President, David Chichilitti was happy to forgive the debt explaining that the board had the extra money to do so and that it would relieve pressure off of local families.

The school is the first in Bucks County to forgive lunch debt, but many hope it will not be the last.