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Nanticoke man charged with sending genital pictures to child

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Walls begin to rise for new W-B Area high school

<p>A letter to the editor submitted to the Times Leader on Monday and signed by Philadelphia-based coffee roaster La Colombe CEO Todd Carmichael claims he offered to pay all outstanding Wyoming Valley West lunch money debts, no strings attached, but that the offer was turned down by School Board President Joe Mazur.</p><p>The letter was confirmed by Aren Platt, a consultant who works for Cycle Strategy in Philadelphia and who said he worked on the offer on behalf of Carmichael, who was not available to talk Monday.</p><p>According to the letter, Carmichael said &#8220;I was horrified when I read that the Wyoming Valley West School Board sent letters threatening to put kids in foster care over unpaid lunch bills,&#8221;and that he &#8220;worked with my team to reach out to the school district to let them know we were eager to donate the full amount outstanding, reported as $22,467.76.</p><p>&#8220;On Monday, we talked to School Board President Joseph Mazur to determine the best way to transfer the funds in order to wipe the slate clean and restore dignity to the 1,000 families who received these threatening letters. Shockingly, Mr. Mazur turned us down. I can&#8217;t explain or justify his actions. Let me be clear: we offered over $22,000 with no strings attached. And he said &#8216;no&#8217;.&#8221;</p><p>Reached late Monday afternoon, Mazur declined comment. Solicitor Charles Coslett, who has defended sending the letter &#8212; which warned that parents could end up in dependency court and risk having children placed in foster care &#8212; did not return a call.</p><p>The story has been grabbed by numerous large-market and national news outlets, including National Public Radio, ABC, NBC, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri sent a letter to the district demanding it stop making a threat the county would not fulfill, and U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey, D-Scranton, weighed in with a statement criticizing the threat of a child &#8220;being ripped away from their parents because their family is struggling economically.&#8221;</p><p>Federal Programs Director Joseph Muth took the blame for the tone of the letter, apologizing last Friday for sending it without running it past Superintendent Irv DeRemer, Mazur or other School Board members. But he also said numerous efforts to get parents to contact the district and make arrangements regarding overdue bills failed.</p><p>Muth also noted that four of the district&#8217;s seven schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal free and reduced school lunch program. Qualifying schools offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students in exchange for reimbursement payments from the government based on the number of eligible students rather than on the number of meals served. The program, introduced in 2014, was designed to eliminate red tape and paperwork costs for high-poverty schools.</p><p>Muth said the issue of owed lunch money will be moot this fall when the district switches all schools to CEP, an indication that the number of low-income students has increased.</p><p>Carmichael&#8217;s letter encourages Mazur &#8220;to reconsider&#8221; his offer, and warns &#8220;by saying no, you are not just shaming families who elected you, but your are placing this burden on WVW taxpayers, and that is completely unfair.&#8221;</p><p>While Mazur has conceded the letter was harsh, he also noted the district had a responsibility to taxpayers to get those who could afford to pay their bills to do so.</p><p>The school board&#8217;s next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 14, but when asked about the letter last week, Vice President Dave Usavage &#8212; who called for a letter of apology to parents who received the threatening letter &#8212; suggested a meeting may happens sooner as a result of the outcry.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Mazur </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_TTL092117WVWschoolboard2-cmyk-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mazur </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>According to letter, WVW board president rejects money from donor</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Letter: WVW board president rejects $22K offer to pay lunch money