Bill Text: HI SB2264 | 2020 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To School Lunch Reform.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-05-11 - Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Thielen excused (1). [SB2264 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2020-SB2264-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2264 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO SCHOOL LUNCH REFORM.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that proper nutrition is an important part of a student's healthy learning environment. As such, the removal or refusal of a student's lunch due to the inability to pay creates an unhealthy learning environment for the student.
The purpose of this Act is to minimize the situations where a student may be denied a school meal because of the student's inability to pay.
SECTION 2. Section 302A-404, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§302A-404 School meals[.]; report.
(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 or served an alternative meal solely for failure to pay:
(1) Within the first [twenty-one]
thirty 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]
thirty days after a student's meal fund account reaches a zero or
negative balance.
(c) A school may not permit public identification or
stigmatization of the student due to inability to pay for a school meal, such as
by:
(1) Requiring the student to wear a wristband or
hand stamp;
(2) Requiring the student to perform chores or activities
that are not required of students generally; or
(3) Depriving the student of food after it has been
served.
[(c)] (d) 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).
(e) Any communication related to outstanding credit
must be directed to the student's parent or guardian. A student may be required to deliver a letter regarding
outstanding credit that is addressed to a parent or guardian if the letter is not
distributed to the student in a manner that stigmatizes the student.
(f) 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 each year 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.
(g) The department of education shall use moneys in the special school lunch fund to provide school meals at no charge for children in kindergarten through twelfth grade who are participating in the school meals program and who would otherwise be required to pay a reduced price for meals."
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $800,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2020-2021 to be deposited to the credit of the special school lunch fund established pursuant to section 302A-405, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2020.
Report Title:
Department of Education; School Meals; Free or Reduced Lunch; Students; Appropriation
Description:
Increases the number of days by which students have to apply for free or reduced lunch and to replenish the student's meal fund. Requires the department of education to report to the legislature regarding the number of students who are denied meals based on the inability to pay. Prohibits serving an alternative meal to students who are unable to pay. Appropriates funds to the special school lunch fund. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
