Parents, Eateries Sue Ridgewood Schools Over Lunch Delivery Ban

A group of parents and local food vendors have sued the Ridgewood school district over a ban on delivering lunches to the high school, NorthJersey.com reported.

The suit claims that stopping the delivery of about 400 lunches to the school everyday limits parent choices and helps bolster school cafeteria revenues, the report said. The suit was filed by five parents and the owners of Hawthorne’s Love of Lunch, Ridgewood’s Westside Bagels and Deli, Midland Park’s Parkwood Delicatessen, it said. 

The suit claims that the delivery ban has led to a hardship for parents “due to lack of satisfactory lunch choices,” and calls for the district to reinstate its previous policy, NorthJersey.com reported.

In January, the district disallowed deliveries to the school, saying they disrupted the school day, and that they were a security concern. Officials have also said the ban puts the district in compliance with a non-compete clause it has with the school cafeteria’s food vendor, the report said.

According to the report, Ridgewood Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said last week that the district hadn’t yet formally been served with the lawsuit, but defended the district’s decision.