Schoolboy told he can't buy lunch – because he owed 40p

A schoolboy was denied usage of the canteen due to a minimal debt.

Matthew Williams, 12, said he was left "just confused" after he queued up for his lunch, only to be told he wasn't allowed any food.

A dinner assistant at James Bowie Middle School, in Richmond, Texas, told Matthew that he owed 50 cents (just under 40p), and would have to pay the debt off before he would be allowed food.

"I was hungry and my head hurted [sic]," Matthew told local news channel Katu. "I felt kinda dizzy".

Matthew's mum said the situation "upset her a lot" and she was "not happy" her son had been told he would have to go hungry over such a small amount of money.

The incident happened just before Christmas. Matthew had gone to get a bag of crisps and a drink from the cafeteria, and it was then he found out about his predicament.

"They said 'we're sorry, but you don't have any more money'," Matthew explained.

Matthew and his mum thought the whole thing a little unfair and drastic, especially when on other occasions students who owed a small amount of money were able to get food and pay it off later.

The top-end for lunch at the school, according to the report, is around $18. The same rule applies to teachers, who use accounts to top up lunch money and pay off various sums.

The headteacher at James Bowie Middle School has since contacted Matthew's mum to apologise and assure her that the same thing won't happen again.

Still, many have noted that Matthew was provided a solid life lesson for later life: "There's no such as a free lunch".