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Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Big Mother is watching
Source: Newsweek
Photo from Fazoom via Flickr
This fall an estimated 1.5 million kids will face MealpayPlus and ParentOnline.net at the cafeteria cash register. Parents prepay for the food and go online to track their kid's purchases. Schools love it because lunch lines move quickly and, for some, they're free. MealpayPlus doesn't charge for its system; it makes money on fees when parents put money on kids' accounts. Parents love having a watchful eye and not scrounging for lunch money in the morning. Kids? They'll probably do what they've always done. 73 percent of 8- to 12-year-olds throw out part of their lunches at least once a week and 36 percent trade them. MealpayPlus is used in Barnstable, Stoughton, Westwood and Whitman-Hanson public schools.
