New Jersey pupils with $75 lunch debt banned from prom and field trip

A US school district has banned students who have more than $75 (£58) in lunch debt from attending the prom and other extra-curricular activities.

The school board president of Cherry Hill in New Jersey said the plan struck a "balance of compassion" while "holding people accountable".

A businessman said he would settle the debts but the board rejected his offer.

The prom ban was brought in after previous measures taken by the district were condemned as "lunch-shaming".

In August, Cherry Hill had announced that students behind on payments would only be given tuna sandwiches rather than a full meal.

Following a public outcry, the board withdrew the policy, replacing it with the ban on indebted students taking part in extra-curricular activities.

The district has 19 schools with a total of about 11,350 students, of whom about 20% are eligible for reduced-price or free meals, The Inquirer reports.

A meal at Cherry Hill costs $3, rising to $3.10 for high school students.

Why was the donation rejected?

Steve Ravitz, who runs a Cherry Hill supermarket chain, posted on Facebook earlier in September that he would be "happy to solve this issue".

But a later post from Mr Ravitz said: "I understand that the board has decided to NOT accept any significant donation to help with the 'lunch' issue. Strange." 

Eric Goodwin, the school board president, said a one-time charitable donation would not help families address underlying problems, the Courier Post reports.