High School Fined $15,000 For Accidentally Selling Soda During Lunch

Are the school lunch police at it again? Trace Gallagher reported that a high school in Salt Lake City, Utah was fined $15,000 by the government for selling soda in a school vending machine. Federal law mandates that during the 47-minute lunch hour schools must turn off the soda vending machines. Davis high school turned off the machines in the cafeteria but forgot about the one in the bookstore. The fine was calculated by charging 75 cents per student times the number of days the soda machine was left on.

Principal Dee Burton calls the law “disingenuous” because the school is allowed to sell candy bars, ice cream, and sports drinks that are loaded with sugar. In addition, students can buy soda before lunch

and then proceed to drink it during lunch, though Gallagher reported that the cafeteria is losing money because students are going off campus in order to make their own lunch decisions. To pay for the $15,000 fine the school says they will have to cut back on some of their art programs.