Florida 2022 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1275 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	HB 1275 2022
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
8	8	hb1275-00
9	9	Page 1 of 4
10	10	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
11	11
12	12
13	13
14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to school meals; providing a short 2
16	16	title; creating s. 1002.24, F.S.; providing 3
17	17	definitions; requiring schools to provide certain 4
18	18	information relating to free and reduced -price meals 5
19	19	in specified formats; requiring schools to complete an 6
20	20	application for free or reduced -price meals on a 7
21	21	student's behalf under certain circumstances; 8
22	22	providing an exemption to such requirements; requirin g 9
23	23	a certain liaison to work with the Department of 10
24	24	Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure certain 11
25	25	students receive meals; providing applicability; 12
26	26	providing duties and responsibilities of schools 13
27	27	relating to the provision of meals and contacting and 14
28	28	assisting a student's parent; prohibiting a school 15
29	29	from taking specified actions relating to a student 16
30	30	who cannot pay for a meal or who owes a meal debt; 17
31	31	prohibiting parents from paying specified fees or 18
32	32	costs relating to meal debts; authorizing the State 19
33	33	Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an 20
34	34	effective date. 21
35	35	22
36	36	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 23
37	37	24
38	38	Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Hunger -Free 25
39	39
40	40	HB 1275 2022
41	41
42	42
43	43
44	44	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
45	45	hb1275-00
46	46	Page 2 of 4
47	47	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
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	Students' Bill of Rights Act." 26
52	52	Section 2. Section 1002.24, Florida S tatutes, is created 27
53	53	to read: 28
54	54	1002.24 Student access to school meals. — 29
55	55	(1) For purposes of this section the term: 30
56	56	(a) "Meal application" means an application for free or 31
57	57	reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program or 32
58	58	the School Breakfast Program. 33
59	59	(b) "School" means a public school or nonprofit private 34
60	60	school approved to participate in the National School Lunch 35
61	61	Program or the School Breakfast Program. 36
62	62	(2)(a) Each school must provide: 37
63	63	1. A free, printed meal application in every sch ool 38
64	64	enrollment packet or, if the school chooses to use an electronic 39
65	65	meal application, an explanation of the electronic meal 40
66	66	application process and instructions for how a parent may 41
67	67	request a printed meal application at no cost. 42
68	68	2. A meal application an d instructions in a language the 43
69	69	parent understands. If a parent cannot read or understand a meal 44
70	70	application, the school must offer assistance in completing the 45
71	71	application. 46
72	72	(b) If a school becomes aware that a student who has not 47
73	73	submitted a meal appli cation is eligible for free or reduced -48
74	74	price meals, the school shall complete and file a meal 49
75	75	application for the student pursuant Title 7, s. 245.6(d) of the 50
76	76
77	77	HB 1275 2022
78	78
79	79
80	80
81	81	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
82	82	hb1275-00
83	83	Page 3 of 4
84	84	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
85	85
86	86
87	87
88	88	Code of Federal Regulations. 51
89	89	(c) Paragraphs (a) and (b) do not apply to a school that 52
90	90	provides free meals to all students for an entire school year 53
91	91	and does not collect meal applications. 54
92	92	(3) A school district's liaison for homeless children and 55
93	93	youths, required under the McKinney -Vento Homeless Assistance 56
94	94	Act, 42 U.S.C. s. 11432, shall coordinate with the Department of 57
95	95	Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure that homeless 58
96	96	children and youths receive free and reduced -price meals. This 59
97	97	subsection does not apply to nonprofit private schools. 60
98	98	(4) Regardless of whether or not a student has money to 61
99	99	pay for a meal or owes money for earlier meals, a school shall: 62
100	100	(a) Provide a United State Department of Agriculture 63
101	101	reimbursable meal to a student who requests one, unless a parent 64
102	102	has specifically provided written permission for the school to 65
103	103	withhold a meal. 66
104	104	(b) If the student owes money for five or more meals: 67
105	105	1. Check the state list of students categorically eligible 68
106	106	for free meals to determine if the student is categorically 69
107	107	eligible. 70
108	108	2. Make at least two attempts, not including the meal 71
109	109	application or instructions included in the enrollment packet, 72
110	110	to reach the student's parent and to request the parent complete 73
111	111	a meal application. 74
112	112	3. Require the principal, an assistant principal, or a 75
113	113
114	114	HB 1275 2022
115	115
116	116
117	117
118	118	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
119	119	hb1275-00
120	120	Page 4 of 4
121	121	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
122	122
123	123
124	124
125	125	counselor to contact the parent to offer assistance with the 76
126	126	meal application, determine if there are other issues within the 77
127	127	household that have caused the student to have insufficient 78
128	128	funds to purchase a school meal, and offer any other appropriate 79
129	129	assistance. 80
130	130	(c) Direct all communications regarding a student's meal 81
131	131	debt to his or her parent. However, a school may send a letter 82
132	132	home with the student that is addressed to the parent. 83
133	133	(5) A school may not: 84
134	134	(a) Require a student to throw a meal away af ter it has 85
135	135	been served because of the student's inability to pay for the 86
136	136	meal or because money is owed for earlier meals. 87
137	137	(b) Publicly identify or stigmatize a student who cannot 88
138	138	pay for a meal or who owes a meal debt, including, but not 89
139	139	limited to, requiring a student to wear a wristband or hand 90
140	140	stamp. 91
141	141	(c) Require a student who cannot pay for a meal or who 92
142	142	owes a meal debt to do chores or other work to pay for meals. 93
143	143	This does not include chores or work required of all students 94
144	144	regardless of a meal deb t. 95
145	145	(d) Require a parent to pay fees or costs from a 96
146	146	collection agency hired to collect a meal debt. 97
147	147	(6) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 98
148	148	administer this section. 99
149	149	Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 100