HB 1275 2022
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hb1275-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to school meals; providing a short 2
title; creating s. 1002.24, F.S.; providing 3
definitions; requiring schools to provide certain 4
information relating to free and reduced -price meals 5
in specified formats; requiring schools to complete an 6
application for free or reduced -price meals on a 7
student's behalf under certain circumstances; 8
providing an exemption to such requirements; requirin g 9
a certain liaison to work with the Department of 10
Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure certain 11
students receive meals; providing applicability; 12
providing duties and responsibilities of schools 13
relating to the provision of meals and contacting and 14
assisting a student's parent; prohibiting a school 15
from taking specified actions relating to a student 16
who cannot pay for a meal or who owes a meal debt; 17
prohibiting parents from paying specified fees or 18
costs relating to meal debts; authorizing the State 19
Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an 20
effective date. 21
22
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 23
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Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Hunger -Free 25
HB 1275 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Students' Bill of Rights Act." 26
Section 2. Section 1002.24, Florida S tatutes, is created 27
to read: 28
1002.24 Student access to school meals. — 29
(1) For purposes of this section the term: 30
(a) "Meal application" means an application for free or 31
reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program or 32
the School Breakfast Program. 33
(b) "School" means a public school or nonprofit private 34
school approved to participate in the National School Lunch 35
Program or the School Breakfast Program. 36
(2)(a) Each school must provide: 37
1. A free, printed meal application in every sch ool 38
enrollment packet or, if the school chooses to use an electronic 39
meal application, an explanation of the electronic meal 40
application process and instructions for how a parent may 41
request a printed meal application at no cost. 42
2. A meal application an d instructions in a language the 43
parent understands. If a parent cannot read or understand a meal 44
application, the school must offer assistance in completing the 45
application. 46
(b) If a school becomes aware that a student who has not 47
submitted a meal appli cation is eligible for free or reduced -48
price meals, the school shall complete and file a meal 49
application for the student pursuant Title 7, s. 245.6(d) of the 50
HB 1275 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Code of Federal Regulations. 51
(c) Paragraphs (a) and (b) do not apply to a school that 52
provides free meals to all students for an entire school year 53
and does not collect meal applications. 54
(3) A school district's liaison for homeless children and 55
youths, required under the McKinney -Vento Homeless Assistance 56
Act, 42 U.S.C. s. 11432, shall coordinate with the Department of 57
Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure that homeless 58
children and youths receive free and reduced -price meals. This 59
subsection does not apply to nonprofit private schools. 60
(4) Regardless of whether or not a student has money to 61
pay for a meal or owes money for earlier meals, a school shall: 62
(a) Provide a United State Department of Agriculture 63
reimbursable meal to a student who requests one, unless a parent 64
has specifically provided written permission for the school to 65
withhold a meal. 66
(b) If the student owes money for five or more meals: 67
1. Check the state list of students categorically eligible 68
for free meals to determine if the student is categorically 69
eligible. 70
2. Make at least two attempts, not including the meal 71
application or instructions included in the enrollment packet, 72
to reach the student's parent and to request the parent complete 73
a meal application. 74
3. Require the principal, an assistant principal, or a 75
HB 1275 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
counselor to contact the parent to offer assistance with the 76
meal application, determine if there are other issues within the 77
household that have caused the student to have insufficient 78
funds to purchase a school meal, and offer any other appropriate 79
assistance. 80
(c) Direct all communications regarding a student's meal 81
debt to his or her parent. However, a school may send a letter 82
home with the student that is addressed to the parent. 83
(5) A school may not: 84
(a) Require a student to throw a meal away af ter it has 85
been served because of the student's inability to pay for the 86
meal or because money is owed for earlier meals. 87
(b) Publicly identify or stigmatize a student who cannot 88
pay for a meal or who owes a meal debt, including, but not 89
limited to, requiring a student to wear a wristband or hand 90
stamp. 91
(c) Require a student who cannot pay for a meal or who 92
owes a meal debt to do chores or other work to pay for meals. 93
This does not include chores or work required of all students 94
regardless of a meal deb t. 95
(d) Require a parent to pay fees or costs from a 96
collection agency hired to collect a meal debt. 97
(6) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 98
administer this section. 99
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 100