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By any stretch of the imagination, "KKK Chicken Tenders" does not sound like an appetizing menu offering.
The unfortunate typing error on a Methuen school menu caused a minor uproar when a parent notified a Boston television station of the mistake.
But rest assured, Methuen schools are not feeding children "Ku Klux Klan" chicken. There is no racist intent here — just a simple typing mistake. The menu was supposed to read "KK Chicken Tenders" — KK for "Krispy Krunchy", which apparently is a brand name of chicken tenders.
The mistaken menu went out Monday to about 6,500 grammar school students, all of whom later received replacement menus.
Methuen Schools Superintendent Judith Scannell called it an unfortunate typo by a longtime, "exemplary employee."
"As she was typing it, she hit a third 'K.' It was an oversight," Scannell told reporter Mark E. Vogler. "I apologize for the School District if we offended anybody. This was cleaned up immediately and a new menu sent out."
So far, the school system seems to have handled this well. They acknowledged the mistake, explained how it happened and apologized if it offended anyone.
But Scannell, from her comments, seems to be on the verge of going into overreaction overdrive.
"Apparently this mom called the food service director and spoke to the office. One parent called the food service director," Scannell told Vogler. "Not one single parent had called me, my office or any of my administrators. I checked with my School Committee people and they have not received one call. The School Committee was not aware of any of this. But now, this is totally out of control."
Scannell said she planned to meet with her staff this morning to see if any additional steps need to be taken to deal with any fallout from the "KKK" reference.
Just let it go. This is a minor incident of little importance. It's a curiosity. Let it go and the media interest will soon pass.
With chicken tender planted firmly in cheek, we wonder if the greater offense is the intended spelling of "Krispy Krunchy Chicken Tenders." Kids are poor enough spellers these days without bombarding them with intentionally misspelled corporate trademarks.
