UPDATE: Pocatello Superintendent: No student ever goes hungry - East Idaho News
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UPDATE: Pocatello Superintendent: No student ever goes hungry

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POCATELLO — The interim superintendent of Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 says policies are in place to make sure students don’t go hungry.

Douglas Howell held a news conference the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 5, to address the situation regarding Dalene Bowden, a food service worker at Irving Middle School who says she was fired last month because she gave a free meal to a hungry student.

During the conference, Howell didn’t address the Bowden’s situation directly, citing Idaho privacy laws. Instead he referred to a nonspecified “fired employee” and spoke in generalities about district policy.

With regards to staff disciplinary actions, Howell told reporters the district does not have a sequential discipline policy. But in the case of the fired employee, Howell implied there was a series of progressive warnings about behavior. When asked directly how often Bowden had been disciplined for giving away free meals, Howell said he was unaware of the number.

The Idaho State Journal previously reported that Bowden said she’s never been written up or reprimanded, but she was verbally warned once when she gave a student a free cookie.

Howell also spoke about the free and reduced lunch program and reiterated that food is never withheld from students who can’t afford a meal. He also said workers would not be fired for simply providing a meal to a hungry child.

“Food was not taken from the child who received a free meal from our worker. We thoroughly investigated the incident,” Howell said. “One, by interviewing adults who were present in the cafeteria and two, by reviewing video footage also from the cafeteria. Food was never taken from any child.”

Howell said the employee was offered a similar job with the same hours and pay at the district’s central kitchen, but she has not responded to the offer.

The Idaho State Journal reported Tuesday that Bowden is refusing the job.

“I’m afraid they will make my life miserable and then set me up or find some other way to get rid of me,” Bowden told the newspaper. “Basically, they said I wouldn’t be tempted to do the same thing again if I was in the central kitchen.”

There is a GoFundMe account set up in her name with $21,600 that has been donated. Additionally, Aegis Living founder and CEO Dwayne Clark contacted Bowden on Christmas Eve and donated $15,000.

“I plan on using some of the money to put towards some of my kids’ accounts that’s if (school officials) will let me … and any left will help my family and me tell I can figure out what to do next,” Bowden said on the GoFundMe page.

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