By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Unpaid school lunch bills across New York City public schools are racking up millions of dollars in debt for the Department of Education that the city wants to collect from parents.
Officials extended a payment deadline Monday but were still looking to collect outstanding balances, which totaled $2.5 million in the first three months of the 2010 school year alone, the New York Daily News reported.
"We know we have a lot of families going through tough economic times, and we certainly do not want the children penalized," Natalie Ravitz, a DOE spokeswoman told the News.
"But we really need everyone to cooperate with us in this effort," Ravitz said.
The department warned principals that lunch fees could be deducted from schools' budgets last spring but extended the deadline after administrators protested, the News reported.
About 75 percent of public school students qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to the paper. To meet the reduced lunch criteria, students must live in a household of four that makes less than $28,665 a year.
