RICHMOND, Mo. – A Missouri school district is retreating from a plan to sell ice cream only to kids who eat school-prepared lunches.

In an attempt to boost lunch sales, the Richmond R-XVI School District began offering ice cream to students who bought a lunch from the school – and excluded students who brought a home-packed lunch.

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“It just made me really upset, mad, disappointed in our school district,” one mother tells Fox 4. She requested anonymity to protect her son.

“It irritated me that they weren’t giving a fair opportunity to everybody.”

The school sent a note home to parents announcing “Frozen Friday.”

“This will be a treat for the kids participating in our school lunch program,” the note reads.

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“We will not be offering this to the kids who bring their lunch from home because we are trying to get them to eat our school lunch, and to also help our school lunch program, which also helps our school district,” it continues.

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“Parents all over town are outraged by this letter. Most of our children take their lunch due to food preference or medical/allergy reasons and should not be ‘bribed’ to eat school lunch,” another parent says.

After parents exposed the letter, the school district retreated, blaming “miscommunication” and saying the letter was sent out “without permission” by a contractor.

“It’s unfortunate,” superintendent Dr. Mike Aytes tells the news station.

“Good people were well-intended, probably made some mistakes in what went out and it didn’t get the proper level of review and we are taking the steps needed to make that right.”

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Aytes says he reversed the policy and the school will now allow all children to purchase ice cream.

But that may be a violation of the federal rules.

Last week, EAGnews reported on an Iowa school district that sold its ice cream machine because the treat violated the strict lunch regulations championed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

“It could no longer be used because of the healthy kids act,” Anamosa Superintendent Lisa Beames told the Journal-Eureka.

According to a letter posted on the Richmond district’s website, it participates in the National School Lunch Program and thus must follow the federal rules.