THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

423

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 1

 

C.D. 1

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO STUDENT MEALS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Section 302A-404, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§302A-404  School meals.  (a)  School meals shall be made available under the school meals program in every school where the students are required to eat meals at school.

     (b)  No student shall be denied a meal solely for failure to pay:

     (1)  Within the first twenty-one days of the first semester of a school year while the student's application for free or reduced lunch is being processed; or

     (2)  Within seven days after a student's meal fund account reaches a zero or negative balance.

     (c)  The department may adopt rules or policies governing the collection of funds for student meal accounts with a negative fund balance; provided that no rule or policy shall prohibit feeding a student as required pursuant to subsection (b)."

     SECTION 2.  The department of education shall submit a report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2018 on the prevalence of students being denied a school meal solely for failure to pay and any actions taken by the department of education or individual schools to address this issue.  The report shall include:

     (1)  The number of meals that have been denied because of a zero or negative balance in a student's meal fund account;

     (2)  The number of students who have been denied a meal because of a zero or negative balance;

     (3)  The reasons for the zero or negative balance and subsequent meal denial;

     (4)  Steps the department is taking to make the process of paying for meals easier;

     (5)  Procedures for notifying parents of low or negative balances, including when and how they are notified; and

     (6)  The standard operating procedure for low or negative balance notification and subsequent meal denial.

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2017.


 


 

Report Title:

Department of Education; Meals; Students

 

Description:

Prohibits denying a student a meal for failure to pay within:  (1)  The first 21 days of the first semester of a school year while the student's application for free or reduced lunch is being processed; or (2)  7 days after the student's meal fund account balance is zero or negative.  Authorizes the Department of Education to adopt rules or policies for the collection of funds for negative student meal balances.  Requires a report to the Legislature.  (CD1)

 

 

 

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