SPONSOR: Proudie
This bill requires schools to provide to any student who requests one, a reimbursable meal which has been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture regardless of whether the student can pay for a meal or owes money for earlier meals, unless the student's parent or guardian has provided written permission to withhold a meal.
As specified in the bill, schools may not:
(1) Require a student to throw a meal away because of inability to pay for the meal or because of a meal debt;
(2) Publicly identify or stigmatize a student who cannot pay for a meal or owes a meal debt; or
(3) Require a student who cannot pay for a meal or owes a meal debt to do chores or additional work not required of other students.
The bill specifies that if a student owes money for five or more meals, the school must determine if the student is eligible for free meals, attempt to have the student's parent or guardian fill out a meal application, and contact the student's parent or guardian to offer assistance with a meal application.
The bill also requires schools to direct communication about a student's meal debt to a parent or guardian, not the student. Schools may not require a parent or guardian to pay fees or costs from collection agencies hired to collect meal debts.
This bill is the same as HB 1939 (2018) and HB 618 from (2019).
Statutes affected: