New York school, Nyack Middle School, issues apology after students were served chicken, waffles, and watermelon for Black History Month KossyDerrickBlog KossyDerrickEnt

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Sunday, February 5, 2023

New York school, Nyack Middle School, issues apology after students were served chicken, waffles, and watermelon for Black History Month

New York school issues apology after students were served chicken, waffles, and watermelon for Black History Month.

A food vendor in Rockland County, just outside of New York City, has apologized after it provided lunch for children at a school celebrating Black History Month that was deemed to be insensitive. 

Students at Nyack Middle School were offered chicken and waffles with watermelon for dessert on February 1st, the first day of the month that honors the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history.

The school's menu even stated that the day's meal was to be Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit but for some reason the menu was changed at the last minute.

When Santiago got home and told her mother they were both outraged by the message they believe it sends to the school's black students.

'Didn't think the company was capable of making us feel bad...especially the kids my color,' Santiago said.

'If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,' said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP to CBS News. The school district expressed disappointment with the vendor Aramark's 'lack of cultural sensitivity'. 

The school's principal said the menu was changed without the school's knowledge and noted the food items chosen, 'reinforce negative stereotypes concerning the African-American community.'

'The offering of chicken & waffles as an entree with watermelon as a dessert on the first day of Black History Month was inexcusably insensitive and reflected a lack of understanding of our district's vision to address racial bias,' the school wrote in a letter sent home to parents.

Aramark has explained the menu was not intended as a cultural meal, but rather a mistake that does not align with the company's values. 

Interim School Superintendent James Montesano says he was told by the food provider that the change happened in part because the food director died earlier this year and someone else stepped in.

'We apologize for the unintentional insensitivity. While our menu was not intended as a cultural meal, we acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service. 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,' food vendor, Aramark, said in a statement. Principal David Johnson called the contested school lunch an "unfortunate situation" in a statement to WABC, but ultimately blamed Aramark. Aramark works with schools to organize school menus and provide lunch. 

"The offering of chicken & waffles as an entree with watermelon as a dessert on the first day of Black History Month was inexcusably insensitive and reflected a lack of understanding of our district's vision to address racial bias," Johnson told the outlet. 

Johnson added that the administration contacted Aramark to discuss initiatives to prevent a similar situation from cropping up again. Aramark also released a statement to WABC that the chicken, waffle, and watermelon were not meant to be "a cultural meal."

"We apologize for the unintentional insensitivity shown on February 1, the first day of Black History Month. While our menu was not intended as a cultural meal, we acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service," a statement from Aramrak read. 

The statement continued that serving the school lunch on the first day of Black History Month was a "mistake," adding that Aramark will partner with the district to provide school employees with "training that aligns to the Nyack School District's vision and commitment to equity-driven work."

"This was a mistake and does not represent the values of our company, and we are committed to doing better in the future," the statement read. "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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