SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2473

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

SECTION 1. Section 1C of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the third paragraph the following paragraph:-

A public elementary, secondary or vocational school that is required to serve breakfast under this section and at which not less than 60 per cent of the students at the school are eligible for free or reduced price meals under federal income eligibility guidelines shall offer all students a school breakfast after the beginning of the instructional day. A school subject to this paragraph may use the breakfast service model that best suits its students in accordance with this section and the department’s guidelines including, but not limited to: (i) breakfast in the classroom, (ii) grab-and-go breakfast; or (iii) second chance breakfast. The department shall annually collect information about availability and participation rates of students who are offered a school breakfast after the beginning of the instructional day under this paragraph at each school and make the information publicly available on its website not later than July 1. The department may promulgate regulations to implement this paragraph and may consult with nonprofit organizations with experience regarding equity, the opportunity gap, hunger and food security issues and best practices for improving student access to school breakfast.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of elementary and secondary education shall submit an accounting of the cost of providing school breakfast after the beginning of the instructional day, including a breakdown of state and federal funds and additional funding sources made available to provide school breakfast after the beginning of the instructional day, to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives and the joint committee on education not later than December 31, 2020.

SECTION 3. Not later than August 1, 2020, the department of elementary and secondary education shall develop and distribute a schedule for districts to begin implementing the breakfast after the beginning of the instructional day program established in section 1C of chapter 69 of the General Laws.

Not later than December 31, 2020, the department shall review all schools at which not less than 60 per cent of students are eligible for free or reduced price meals under federal income eligibility guidelines. The department shall ensure full implementation of the breakfast after the beginning of the instructional day program established in said section 1C of said chapter 69 at all such schools not later than the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

SECTION 4. Section 1 shall take effect on July 1, 2020.