Montevarchi, only bread and oil for children whose families do not pay the school canteen

The measure is not new, but the controversy returns. TO Montevarchiin the province of Arezzo, the Bruschetta case returns, as in 2017. Only bread and oil, i.e. the bruschetta or slicing, with a local term, for children of kindergartens and elementary schools, whose families do not pay the Municipality what is due for the School canteen service.

For years the Municipality has applied this system. In 2017, the regulation that has the suspension of the meal to the children of those who delay payments for more than a month entered into force. First alerts come via email or sms. The recent application in some schools made the method and reports of some parents return to the foreground were told by the Democratic Party in a press release. “This method, already in the past subject to controversy and criticism by families and citizens”, explain the city councilors Elisa Bertini, Letizia Baldetti, Samuele Cuzzoni and Luciano Rossetti, and the secretary Sara Brogi, “represents an unacceptable, unjust practice and deeply skimpy for the children involved, for the class group and for the staff who must perform these actions ».

The bruschetta cannot be considered, according to those who protest, a replacement meal, but becomes a point of social marginalization and discrimination. “It is inadmissible that the municipal administration, with the competent councilor Sandra Nocentini in the front line, has not yet changed a regulation that in fact discriminates against the little ones in a place responsible for education and the formation of the men and women of tomorrow . A civil and solidarity community cannot accept that discriminatory measures are applied to minors ». For the managers of the Democratic Party, the rule must be abolished and create alternative solutions also through the tools for supporting families in difficulty that already exist and with means of recovery of concrete and right arrears.

The rule had been wanted in 2017 by the mayor Silvia Chiassai Martini, then to the first term, and is confirmed. These are his words reported by Corriere della Sera. «I am surprised that you wonder, the canteens regulation has been in force for seven years. Maybe someone discovered it now? Before, at the time of the center -left, it was even worse, because the suspension of meals for the children of the defaulted families was expected, now at least we give him the sliced». For the mayor there is no alternative to this system. «If someone knows how to give me a credible alternative, I am ready to receive it here. Meanwhile, we waited to apply the replacement meal to bread and oil from September to now, instead of the month expected. And then I know that with this system, which will also be hurry up, we have recovered almost all the arrears that fell from 85 thousand to 6 thousand euros. The arrears come almost all from the slybets, those who are convinced that to pay nobody then tells you anything. The real need are the first who pay regularly. And whoever falls within the limits of poverty has the free service ».