A blogger has said he is willing to pay outstanding debts of parents at a school where the headmaster has threatened to not feed pupils unless their accounts are cleared.
Simon Harris, who is an established blogger, told the school via a tweet that he can pay the £1,800 that is owed.
Harris’ offer came as a result of the school’s headteacher Neil Foden communicated in a controversial letter that the cook at the school had been told not to give food to any child “if their debt has not been cleared.”
The school’s letter was leaked onto social media and has since prompted Marcus Rashford, Manchester United footballer, to criticise the position of the school.
He tweeted yesterday: “Has the pandemic not taught us anything? Can we not be understanding? Come on now…”
The footballer has been a campaigning against child poverty for a number of years but gained widespread praise when he lobbied the government to extend free school meals to children during the pandemic.
Now dad of three Simon Harris who has tens of thousands of Facebook and Twitter followers said: “I’ve just made this genuine offer to the management of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle school in Penygroes, Gwynedd on Twitter.
“I will absolutely cover their catering deficit if it stops this madness of kids potentially going hungry.
“We could all sit here and argue about ‘parents who can afford it but won’t pay’ and ‘parents spending the cash on whatever else instead’ until the cows come home. All I’m interested in is putting this rubbish to bed and getting the kids fed. One problem at a time.”
Headmaster Mr Foden has since defended his stance, saying: “We don’t want to tar everyone with the same brush, but realistically, those parents who can pay but won’t pay, something has to be done.”
A deadline of November 19 has been set for parents to get their children’s accounts up to date but Man Behaving Dadly blogger Simon Harris has stepped up to pay the cash, North Wales Live reports.
Mr Foden said yesterday just a “handful of pupils” had run up debts totalling close to £2,000.
North Wales Live has asked Gwynedd Council if the school would accept Mr Harris’ offer to clear the debt.
The council previously said: “As a council, we do not operate a blanket policy of refusing meals to pupils, and will discuss this matter directly with the school.”
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