Marcus Rashford has responded after a headteacher told parents that pupils whose school meal accounts were more than a penny in debt would not be fed.
Secondary school headteacher Neil Foden sent a letter to parents informing them that the school cook had been instructed not to serve lunch to any child "if their debt has not been cleared" or if their account does not "have enough money" to cover the meal.
The letter sent to parents of pupils at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle in Gwynedd, Wales, has been met with fury.
Now, food campaigner and footballer Rashford has spoken out about the controversial policy.
Taking to Twitter, he reposted an image of the letter and said: "Has the pandemic not taught us anything? Can we not be understanding? Come on now…"
He later added: "For many children, lunch at school is the only meal they’ll get…"
The 24-year-old was awarded an MBE by the Duke of Cambridge this week for his campaign to support vulnerable children.
Mr Foden's letter gave parents a deadline of November 19 to ensure that school lunch accounts are up to date before the change comes in, according to North Wales Live.
The school has around 450 pupils aged between 11 and 18.
He said the new policy was due to a deficit in the school meals budget at the end of the last half term.
Mr Foden explained: "Closer inspection revealed that this was because a handful of pupils had run up debts totalling more than £1,800. Unfortunately, this means that I have had to take the following steps."
He said: "All debts over £10 will be transferred to the authority and parents will be invoiced by the council.
"All debts of over £0.01 will receive a message from the school to clear debts and credit the system by Friday, November 19th."
The email then states what further steps will be taken, including refusing to serve children.
Mr Foden apologised for the approach but said the "scale of the default means that something clearly has to be done".
What do you think of the school's new policy? Have your say in the comments below.
The email letter has been shared widely on social media and has attracted criticism from parents.
Darren Owen wrote: "Absolutely shocking. What the hell’s wrong with system, the child might not know mam and dad are struggling to pay, it might be the only food that child eats that day."
Carolyn Roberts, who lives in Caernarfon, said: "I would suggest that the head himself tells the kids they can't eat, don't put that on the kitchen staff!
"We've gone from giving children free breakfasts to this. Think of the damage this is doing!"
A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “We would urge any parent or guardian who are having difficulty in paying for their child’s school meals to contact the education department or school directly. Their child may be entitled to free school meals.
“In terms of payment of school meals, an online system has been introduced on which parents should ensure that sufficient funds are in place to pay for their child’s school meals.
"The payment system offers some flexibility for parents who may for whatever reason not be able to make payment for a short period of time.
"Reminder messages are sent as required to ensure that no significant debts are incurred.
“As a council, we do not operate a blanket policy of refusing meals to pupils, and will discuss this matter directly with the school.”
