Parents of children at a northern Kentucky elementary school were outraged after a 10-year-old girl's lunch was dumped in the trash in front of all her classmates because her account had no money.

The student's hot food at Bedford Elementary School was thrown out and replaced with a cheese sandwich, even though she did not know she had a negative balance.

The girl, who was described as shy, began crying in the embarrassment, despite the fact that her family could foot the bill but just didn't know about the situation.

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A girl at Bedford Elementary School in northern Kentucky had her lunch dumped in a cafeteria trash can because her account balance was negative

The girl began crying during the embarrassing incident, which her relatives have described as the school 'bullying' its student

'I think it's all bullying... They kick kids out for bullying, they need to kick grown-ups out for bullying,' Doug Joyce, the girl's grandpa, told WAVE3.

'If the schools can't figure out a better way of doing it than that, they don't need to be running the schools'.

The girl's aunt was present at the school for the May 20 incident and said it was 'awful' thinking about her young loved one being forced to tears while watching her food slide away.

One parent, Kim Wright, started a petition to change the school policy that has already received more than 1,000 signatures.

The Trimble County School Board later said the incident will be discussed at a special meeting on June 17.

'If the schools can't figure out a better way of doing it than that, they don't need to be running the schools,' the girl's grandpa Doug Joyce (pictured) said