Section 72B: Unpaid student meal debt; determination of whether student is categorically-eligible for free or reduced-price meals
[ Section effective until July 1, 2023. Deleted by 2023, 28, Sec. 37. See 2023, 28, Sec. 115.]
Section 72B. (a) A school district superintendent or their designee shall notify a parent or guardian of a student's unpaid meal debt that remains unresolved. Within 30 days of notifying a family of the unpaid meal debt, the school district shall determine if the student is categorically-eligible for free or reduced-price meals. During the 30-day period, while the school district determines the student's eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, the student shall not be denied access to a school meal until the district has made a determination that the family is ineligible for free or reduced-price meals. The department shall establish the protocol that a school district superintendent or their designee shall use when notifying a parent or guardian or a student's unpaid meal debt.
(b) No employee, agent or volunteer of a school or school district shall:
(i) take any action that would publicly identify a student when payment has not been received for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student;
(ii) serve a student with unpaid meal debt an alternative meal that is not also available to all students at the cafeteria; provided, however, that the alternative meal shall comply with the pattern for a federally-reimbursable meal;
(iii) deny a student a meal as a form of behavioral discipline or punishment;
(iv) dispose of an already served meal because of the student's lack of funds to pay for the meal or because of unresolved meal debt;
(v) prohibit a student or a sibling of a student from attending or participating in non-fee based extracurricular activities, field trips or school events solely because of the student's unresolved meal debt;
(vi) prohibit a student from receiving grades, official transcripts, report cards or from graduating or attending graduation events solely because of unresolved meal debt; or
(vii) require a parent or guardian to pay fees or costs in excess of the actual amounts owed for meals previously served to the student.