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'This Is About Shaming People': La Colombe CEO Fires Back At Pa. School District That Rejected His Offer To Pay Unpaid Lunch Bills

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania school district that threatened to put students in foster care over unpaid lunch bills rejected a local CEO's offer to settle the debt. La Colombe Coffee's Chief Executive Todd Carmichael offered to give $22,000 to the Wyoming Valley School District.

But the school board president rejected the offer. Carmichael spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News.

Pennsylvania School District Denied My Offer To Pay Overdue Lunch Bills After Foster Care Warning, La Colombe CEO Says

"They didn't want a solution, which told me this isn't really about money, is it?" Carmichael said. "This is about something different. This is about shaming people who are struggling."

The school board president says he believes the money is owed by the parents, who he says can afford to pay themselves.

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