--- title: School Lunch - Safe? date: 2005-02-16T20:01:00-08:00 author: admin canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/school-lunch-safe1" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Press Releases](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/press-releases) / # School Lunch - Safe? Beaver County, PA —At least twenty fourth grade students became ill after eating undercooked chicken served at the New Brighton school cafeteria on Tuesday. Reports indicate that at least thirty servings of undercooked chicken were served at the school on Tuesday, and that the children became ill shortly after eating their lunch. While the National School Lunch Program was created to provide the opportunity for children across the United States to receive at least one healthy meal every school day, a recent study published by the federal General Accounting Office \[1\] pointed to the fact that this is not the case, and our children are becoming ill because of the food they are served at school. “In the last ten years, I’ve represented children who became ill with E. coli and ammonia poisoning after eating contaminated school lunches,” said William Marler, a Seattle attorney who has dedicated his practice to representing victims of foodborne illness. “We know that cooks and cafeteria workers are not intentionally poisoning our children, but food safety must be more of a priority in our school lunchrooms.” Marler’s firm, Marler Clark, has represented children who became ill in the following school-related outbreaks: 1998 – Finley Elementary School E. coli Outbreak (Washington State) 1998 – Danielsville Elementary School E. coli Outbreak (Georgia) 2001 – Robeson Schools E. coli Outbreak (North Carolina) 2002 – Laraway Elementary School Anhydrous Ammonia Poisoning (Illinois) 2003 – Gold Coast Produce Lettuce E. coli Outbreak (California) “The bottom line is that children are more vulnerable to foodborne illness than healthy adults, and their parents trust schools to put wholesome, nutritious food in front of them every school day,” Marler continued. “The training, certification, and promoting of key food service personnel may be expensive, but the cost is a lot less than the risk of ill children potential legal action.” Marler Clark has compiled extensive research on school-related outbreaks. BACKGROUND: Marler Clark has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness outbreaks across the country since the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. The firm represented over 75 individuals who contracted hepatitis A after eating at the Beaver Valley Mall Chi Chi’s restaurant in 2003. Marler Clark represents over 90 individuals who suffered from Salmonella infections after eating at Sheetz convenience stores in 2004. William Marler, Bruce Clark, and Denis Stearns spend several days a month speaking to health departments, environmental health associations, and corporations about various issues surrounding foodborne illness outbreaks. \[1\] [School Meal Programs: Few Instances of Foodborne Outbreaks Reported, but Opportunities Exist to Enhance Outbreak Data and Food Safety Practices](http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03530.pdf "School Meal Programs: Few Instances of Foodborne Outbreaks Reported, but Opportunities Exist to Enhance Outbreak Data and Food Safety Practices"). ### Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses [Reactive Arthritis Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=reactive-arthritis&year=all) [E. coli Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=e-coli&year=all) [Guillain-Barre Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=guillain-barre-syndrome&year=all) [Salmonella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=salmonella&year=all) [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hemolytic-uremic-syndrome&year=all) [Listeria Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=listeria&year=all) [Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=irritable-bowel-syndrome&year=all) [Hepatitis A Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hepatitis-a&year=all) [Norovirus Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=norovirus&year=all) [Botulism Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=botulism&year=all) [Campylobacter Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=campylobacter&year=all) [Shigella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=shigella&year=all) [Cyclospora Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=cyclospora&year=all) ### Lawsuits updates by year [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1998) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1999) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2000) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2001) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2002) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2003) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2004) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2005) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2006) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2008) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026) ##### Get Help #### Affected by an outbreak or recall? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)