LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. -- The school district solicitor who signed off on a letter sent to parents earlier this month threatening to place their children in foster care over unpaid lunch money debts is expected to resign today, according to WNEP-TV.
Charlie Coslett, District Solicitor at Wyoming Valley West, continued to defend that message after it sparked public outrage.
“Failure to properly provide for your minor child's nutritional needs certainly on the scale of relativity seems to be a more serious offense,” he said in subsequent reports.
But on Thursday, Coslett told WNEP he's been asked to step down, and would submit a letter of resignation Friday.
The news comes just one day after school officials decided to accept a Philadelphia businessman's offer to erase the $22,000 in school lunch debt owed by more than one thousand students.
The district initially declined the offer from Todd Carmichael, CEO of LA Colombe Coffee, but the school board reconsidered after the news became a national story.
Carmichael spoke with ABC News overnight via Skype about his donation that was at first rejected by the district.
“The ‘no’ was absolutely shocking to me," Carmichael said. "I could not see a scenario like that ever happening. Feeling wise, on the other end of that line, was that these were affluent enough people that they could take care of it. That these people are just I guess trying to run out on a bill for sloppy joes, they didn't see how anyone might need help."
The Wyoming Valley West school district posted a public apology on its website saying quote:
"It wasn't the intention of the district to harm or inconvenience any of the families of our school district."
