SAN ANTONIO -- A concerned mom says she was shocked to learn her daughter went an entire school day without eating because she didn't have enough money for lunch.
The mother who didn't want to be identified said her 14-year-old daughter attended Stevens High School, in the Northside Independent School District.
She says her daughter was in a lunch line getting ready to pay for a tray a food, but she ran into a problem. Her daughter only had $1.05 in her lunch account, but the tray was $1.75.
"My daughter didn't get to eat food, and they threw it in the trash over 70 cents.
The mom told News 4 when her daughter’s lunch account is empty the money automatically transfers from her checking account. But, in this case there was a one-day delay.
Northside ISD Spokesman Pascual Gonzalez says the district’s cafeteria policy is very clear and is included in the student handbook and on its website.
Elementary students can charge lunch up to five times, middle school students are allowed one charge, and high school students are not allowed to charge food.
"The policy says that there is no charge account that's built in, either have the money to pay for your food or you're not going to eat, " said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez went on to say the district has to throw the food away. "I know it sounds terrible, I totally get that, but the law states we cannot take that same food and put it back in the for sale line, " added Gonzalez.
Northside ISD says even though they don't allow high school students to charge a meal, and elementary students can, if parents don't pay those charges by the end of the school year taxpayers have to. Gonzales says last school year the district's unpaid charges totaled almost $27,000.
We asked other school districts if they allow high school students to charge food. The San Antonio Independent School District says high school students can charge up to $10.
North East Independent School District says a high school student can charge a meal, if it's approved by a school administrator.
