Should schools notify parents when foreign objects are found in food?

Anne Marie Frisch wanted answers after her son found a half inch piece of metal in his chicken patty at Susquenita Middle School.

But at the Susquenita School Board meeting Tuesday, both Frisch and school superintendent Kent Smith seemed visibly frustrated after a debate escalated between the two.

Frisch's main concern centered on the notification process for parents regarding two separate incidents where debris was found in cafeteria food — mainly that there was none.

Smith said that Frisch was informed, through a Right-to-Know request she filled out asking for photos of her son's chicken patty, among other information. PennLive made a similar Right-to-Know request.

Frisch didn't think that was a satisfactory method, however.

"As a mother, I feel like everyone needs to know and I find it hard to believe you're not on my side about this," she said.

The school system will send out an update when children have lice, why not when there's metal found in the food, Frisch asked, pointing to incidents the district has on record.

The first happened in 2014 where debris — Smith said it wasn't metal at the meeting, though it was provided to both Frisch's and PennLive's request for photos of metal found in cafeteria food  — was found in pizza. The second incident happened in May when Frisch's son found the piece of metal in his chicken.

Smith pointed to what the district has done: contacting the department of agriculture regarding the chicken patty, though the district has not heard a response back. And, according to documents provided by the school district through a Right-to-Know request, the pizza provider was also contacted last year.

Nutrition Incorporated, which runs the school district's cafeterias, was informed of the metal in the chicken; at this point, there's little the school district can do, Smith said. Nutrition Incorporated contracts with the food vendors the school district uses. The vendor that provided the pizza is no longer under contract with the district.