 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          1762
 
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                    January 16, 2019
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  Sen.  BROOKS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  school  meal  charge
          policies
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 57 to read as follows:
     3    57. The commissioner is authorized and directed  to  promulgate  rules
     4  and  regulations  requiring  all  elementary  and  secondary schools and
     5  boards of cooperative educational  services  to  establish  school  meal
     6  charge policies in order to ensure a consistent and transparent approach
     7  is  applied  in  instances  of unpaid meal charges and the collection of
     8  delinquent debt.  Such policies shall include, but not  be  limited  to,
     9  information  for  parents  or  persons in parental relation and relevant
    10  school staff on available meal options for students  who  have  insuffi-
    11  cient  funds  to purchase a meal at time of service, how delinquent meal
    12  charge debt is collected, and available payment options. When developing
    13  meal charge policies, schools  and  boards  of  cooperative  educational
    14  services  shall  ensure that such policies do not have a negative impact
    15  on children who do not have sufficient funds, and that  the  identifica-
    16  tion  of  students  with  insufficient  funds to pay for school meals is
    17  minimal. Such policies shall prohibit the use of alternate meals  as  an
    18  option  when  students do not have sufficient funds to pay for a meal at
    19  time of service. Such policies  must  be  provided  in  writing  to  all
    20  students  at  the start of each school year, to students who transfer to
    21  the school during the school year, and, at the discretion of the  school
    22  or  board  of  cooperative  educational  services, throughout the school
    23  year. Such policies shall  also  be  posted  on  the  school's  internet
    24  website, if one exists.
    25    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06850-01-9
Relates to school meal charge policies

What's Happening

Why It Matters
