Superintendent takes action after three South Bend schools ran out of food

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Superintendent Dr. Todd Cummings and his cabinet members will be serving lunch at local schools on Thursday to ensure students are being fed.

If a school appears to be running low on food, they will get more food from area restaurants or food suppliers, according to the superintendent.

Dr. Cummings says he found the short supply of food this week was due to school district staff and will take action later on Thursday. His statement said, "Dr. Cummings has found that the short supply of food earlier this week was due either to the incompetence or negligence of the SBCSC food and nutrition staff, and he plans to take appropriate action later today."

The superintendent asked the new food vendor, Chartwells, to visit each school, check their pantries and report their findings. Every school principal has been asked to request kitchen managers also conduct an inventory of the pantries.

“There is no excuse for our students to have gone without food earlier this week. This debacle further validates the decision to hire an outside vendor to manage the district’s food, since the current, internally run department isn’t doing its job.” Dr. Cummings said in his statement.

Earlier this week, Washington High, Riley High and Dickinson Fine Arts Academy, ran out of food and left some students without a meal for the day.

As a result, the superintendent hired a new food vendor.

“It is appalling that some schools ran out of food for students. This is a prime example of why the Board and I have taken the initiative to hire a new food service vendor for the entire district who will begin in October. Our students deserve better—reliable service and more nutritious food. Parents and students spoke, and we listened," Dr. Cummings said in a statement on Wednesday.