Yikes! A New York middle school is apologizing after catching major heat for serving its students watermelon and chicken & waffles on the first day of Black History Month.
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New York Middle School Apologizes After Serving Watermelon And Chicken & Waffles For 1st Day Of Black History Month
The school has been identified as Nyack Middle School, which sits in Nyack, a New York City suburb in Rockland County. Earlier this week, the school was under serious heat after students were offered a chicken & waffles lunch with a side of watermelon.
The school’s principal, David Johnson, pointed the finger at the district’s food serve vendor, Aramark. Johnson claimed that the company had changed the hot lunch menu without notifying any school official.
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The district claimed that the original menu for February 1st was a Philly cheesesteak, with a side of broccoli and fresh fruit.
Johnson added, “We are extremely disappointed by this regrettable situation and apologize to the entire Nyack community for the cultural insensitivity displayed by our food service provider. I am disappointed that Aramark would serve items that differed from the published monthly menu. Especially items that reinforce negative stereotypes concerning the African-American Community.”
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According to reports, this is not the first time that the food service vendor Aramark has been under fire for perpetuating racial stereotypes.
Apparently, back in 2018, New York University severed its ties with the company after they came up with another special menu for Black History Month; it included: ribs, collard greens and for the bev: Kool-Aid.
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In the recent incident with Nyack Middle School, Aramark has also since apologized for the not intending to offer such a “cultural meal.”
The company said, “We apologize for the unintentional insensitivity shown on February 1, the first day of Black History Month. … We acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service.”
The company added, “This was a mistake and does not represent the values of our company, and we are committed to doing better in the future. We will be partnering with the District so employees who work in the schools participate in training that aligns to the Nyack School District’s vision and commitment to equity-driven work. We believe this will provide a good learning opportunity to deepen understanding on the impact of systemic biases and negative stereotypes concerning the African-American Community.”
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