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Nyack Middle School, along with its supplier, Aramark, came out with a formal apology because of an offensive lunch served to students on the first day of Black History Month.
On February 1, a middle-class student in New York walked into a cafeteria with a menu consisting of chicken and waffles for the main course and watermelon for dessert.
David Johnson, high school principal, noticed regretting that “offering chicken and waffles as an entree with watermelon for dessert on the first day of Black History Month was inexcusably insensitive and reflected a lack of understanding of our district’s vision to combat racial bias.”
Many students were confused by the food choices, mainly because the menu initially stated that lunch for the day was Chili Cheesesteaks. Johnson said the school was unaware of the menu changes and would not have given the go-ahead to feed the students, saying they “reinforce negative stereotypes about the African-American community.”
This was announced by interim superintendent of Nayak Public Schools, James Montesano CNN, “We hope that this February 1st incident will be an opportunity to expand our collective knowledge—beyond ‘sensitivity training’—about the racial systems in which we all live; and ultimately work to eliminate the negative impact these systems have on our students, staff and school community.”
Some parents asked that the high school end its contract with Aramark.
Aramark issued a statement saying the menu was not changed on purpose because of Black History Month.
“We apologize for the unintentional insensitivity shown on February 1st, the first day of Black History Month. Although our menu was not intended to be cultural food, we recognize that the timing was not right and our team should have been more attentive to the service. This was a mistake and does not reflect the values of our company, and we strive to do better in the future. We will work with the district to ensure that school-based staff members participate in training that aligns with the Nyack School District’s vision and commitment to equity. We believe this will provide a good learning opportunity to deepen our understanding of the impact of systemic biases and negative stereotypes regarding the African-American community.”
However, this isn’t the first time Aramark has come under fire for offending people in the black community. NYU students complained to the college in 2018 after they served students a black history-themed meal consisting of ribs, collard greens, cornbread, crushed yams, mac and cheese and two drinks: red Kool-Aid and flavored water watermelon.
After the incident, NYU ended its business with Aramark.
