TRENTON – Sen. Joe Pennacchio, (R-26), Montville, has sent a letter to the Budget committee chairman that calls for an investigation into the Elizabeth School Board’s handling of the National School Lunch program.
Pennacchio wants a probe into the program administered by the state Agriculture Department that has come under fire following a Star-Ledger story that reported instances of ineligible students being admitted.
“Unfortunately, some school officials have taken advantage of this valuable program and perverted it to serve their own needs,” Pennacchio said in a release. “School officials are either falsely inflating metrics for the school aid formula or enrolling their children in a program that they do not qualify for.”
He said that before the budget was adopted this year, he said he proposed a resolution that would have had the Education commissioner conduct an audit of the program.
“We must find solutions to the obvious problems that exist in this program while ensuring that the focus of the program remains on the school children,” Pennacchio said.
On Monday, other lawmakers called for investigations as well.
