The Jersey City school board was wise this week to hold off on a proposed policy that would have resulted in students being singled out on the cafeteria line and told they could only have certain foods if their parents owe lunch money.

Under the proposal that would make Mr. Bumble from Dickens’ “Oliver Twist’’ proud, the school district would implement the “basic lunch’’ option after two payment-due notices were sent to delinquent parents.

As outgoing board President Sudhan Thomas rightly observed, the idea is downright draconian.

It’s all-the-more cruel and ill-advised when you take into consideration that two-thirds of the district’s 30,000 students already qualify for free or reduced-fee lunches and that the grand total our parents are in arrears is $65,000.

That’s too small to even be considered a pittance of the district’s $650 million annual budget and a laughable item to hone in on when the district faces a potential deficit next year of $150 million.

According to parents, the system works like a Starbucks or Dunkin’ card, but you don’t have to link a credit card to it. So, unless you check your account regularly, the child’s card won’t refill and you may be unaware that he or she has spent a few dollars beyond your last balance. There’s no text message alert that you’ve got a balance due, they say.

While the district should certainly try to work with parents who owe lunch fees, saner heads must prevail. No child should be shamed or denied a certain lunch, and maybe a comprehensive assessment of the system is the place to start.

The policy was put forward by trustee Gerald Lyons in an attempt to show the state that the district is aware of the teeny budget hole and is working on a plan to address it. But, it’s a terrible idea that should be tossed out with last week’s lettuce.

With the recent elections, a new school board president will be chosen by the nine-member team in January. If this children-last, punitive policy is a view into Lyons’ thought process, it should serve as a warning bell and reminder that the leadership is made up of equal parts forward-thinking, pragmatism and compassion.

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