California Assembly Bill AB1819 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1819INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Ammiano FEBRUARY 21, 2012 An act to amend Section 49557 of the Education Code, relating to school meals. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1819, as introduced, Ammiano. School meals: free or reduced-priced meals. Existing law requires each school district and county superintendent of schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to provide for each needy pupil one nutritionally adequate free or reduced-price meal during each schoolday. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district and the county superintendent of schools to make applications for free or reduced-price meals available to students at all times during each regular schoolday. Existing law also requires the governing board of each school district and county superintendent of schools to formulate a plan that, among other things, will ensure that children eligible to receive free or reduced-priced meals and milk shall not be treated differently than other children. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to these 2 latter provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 49557 of the Education Code is amended to read: 49557. (a)  (1)    The governing board of a school district and the county superintendent of schools shall make applications for free or  reduced price   reduced-   price  meals available to  students   pupils  at all times during each regular schoolday. The application shall contain, in at least 8-point boldface type, each of the following statements:  (1)   (A)  Applications for free and  reduced price   reduced-   price  meals may be submitted at any time during a schoolday.  (2)   (B)  Children participating in the National School Lunch Program will not be overtly identified by the use of special tokens, special tickets, special serving lines, separate entrances, separate dining areas, or by any other means.  A   (2)     A  school district and the county superintendent of schools shall use all other applications it has for free or  reduced price   reduced-   price  meals before utilizing the applications pursuant to this subdivision. (b) The governing board of each school district and each county superintendent of schools shall formulate a plan, which shall be mailed to the  State Department of Education   department  for its approval, that will ensure that children eligible to receive free or  reduced priced  reduced   -price  meals and milk shall not be treated differently from other children. These plans shall ensure each of the following: (1) Unless otherwise specified, the names of the children shall not be published, posted, or announced in any manner, or used for any other purpose other than the National School Lunch Program. (2) There shall be no overt identification of any of the children by the use of special tokens or tickets or by any other means. (3) The children shall not be required to work for their meals or milk. (4) The children shall not be required to use a separate dining area, go through a separate serving line, enter the dining area through a separate entrance, or consume their meals or milk at a different time. (c) When more than one lunch or breakfast or type of milk is offered pursuant to this article, the children shall have the same choice of meals or milk that is available to those children who pay the full price for their meal or milk.