ASSEMBLY, No. 1822
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS -JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman RALPH R. CAPUTO
District 28 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Jasey, Assemblyman Danielsen , Assemblywoman
McKnight, Assemblyman Benson, Assemblywomen Timberlake, Speight,
Mosquera, Murphy, Lopez, Jimenez, Assemblymen Mejia, Moen,
Assemblywoman Swain and Assemblyman Tully
SYNOPSIS
Requires school district to establish “School Meal Fund” to assist students
with school meal bill in arrears.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Education Committee with technical review.
A1822 LAMPITT, REYNOLDS-JACKSON
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AN ACT concerning school meals and supplementing chapter 33 of 1
Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. 2
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BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 4
of New Jersey: 5
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1. a. A board of education shall accept monetary donations 7
from any person or entity for the purposes of assisting students with 8
the purchase of school breakfast or school lunch and satisfying any 9
arrears of school breakfast or school lunch bills of students enrolled 10
in the school district, unless the donation is otherwise precluded by 11
law or regulation. A board of education shall place the donations in 12
a “School Meal Fund”, which shall be established by the board of 13
education for the sole purpose of accepting donations to assist 14
students enrolled in the district with the purchase of school 15
breakfast or school lunch and to satisfy any arrears of school 16
breakfast or school lunch bills. The School Meal Fund shall be 17
established through the adoption of a resolution by the board of 18
education. The fund shall be maintained under the jurisdiction of 19
the board of education and the supervision of the school business 20
administrator. 21
School Meal Fund moneys shall be maintained in a separate bank 22
account. The fund shall be credited with any donations made to the 23
fund, any moneys allocated to the fund by the school district, and 24
any interest income that may be earned on the investment of 25
moneys in the fund. The fund shall be reduced by all costs related 26
to the operation of the fund, including bank service fees and direct 27
administrative costs for the oversight and management of the fund. 28
Any funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year shall be carried 29
forward into subsequent fiscal years and utilized solely for the 30
purposes of this subsection. 31
b. The board of education shall ensure, through the adoption of 32
a board policy, that all financial and bookkeeping controls are 33
adequate to ensure appropriate fiscal accountability of the fund. 34
The board policy shall also outline the standards that shall be 35
applied in making a determination to disburse funds from the 36
School Meal Fund. The policy shall ensure equitable distribution of 37
the funds that are disbursed. Disbursements from the fund shall be 38
recorded showing the date, purpose, and amount of the 39
disbursement. The fund shall be subject to audit as part of the 40
school district’s annual audit conducted pursuant to N.J.S.18A:23-1. 41
c. The board of education shall provide, through written and 42
electronic means, information to the parents and guardians of 43
students enrolled in the school district and to other residents of the 44
school district and community organizations regarding the board of 45
education’s obligation to accept donated funds for the purposes 46
established pursuant to subsection a. of this section and the 47
procedures to be followed to make a donation to the fund. The 48
A1822 LAMPITT, REYNOLDS-JACKSON
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information shall also be posted in a prominent location on the 1
school district’s Internet website. The notification requirement 2
shall not apply to school districts in which all schools within the 3
district have adopted the Community Eligibility Provision, as that 4
term is defined in subsection c. of P.L.2018, c.26 (C.18A:33-14.1), 5
and provide free school meals to all students enrolled in the district. 6
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2. This act shall take effect immediately. 8