House File 2467 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2467 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 660) A BILL FOR An Act relating to school meal debt and to school meal programs 1 offered by school districts and accredited nonpublic 2 schools, authorizing the establishment of unpaid student 3 meals accounts, and authorizing the transfer and expenditure 4 of certain funds. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 5528HV (2) 87 kh/jh

H.F. 2467 Section 1. Section 8A.504, subsection 2, Code 2018, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . l. If the alleged liability is owing and 3 payable to a school district for school meal debt, the school 4 district has made reasonable efforts to collect the debt for 5 at least two years, and the amount of the debt owed by a person 6 to the school district is five hundred dollars or more, setoff 7 pursuant to this section may be sought by the school district. 8 However, this paragraph shall not be interpreted to limit any 9 other options for school meal debt collection available to the 10 school district by law. 11 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 283A.11 Participation by students —— 12 school prohibitions and responsibilities. 13 1. For purposes of this section, unless the context 14 otherwise requires, “school” includes a school district, a 15 school district attendance center, or an accredited nonpublic 16 school. 17 2. A school shall provide notice, at least twice annually, 18 to the parents or guardians of all enrolled students regarding 19 the availability of applications for free or reduced-fee meals 20 for categorically eligible students under the federal National 21 School Lunch Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §1751 et seq., and the 22 federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §1771 et seq. 23 Notice may be provided via letter or electronic communication. 24 3. If a student owes money for five or more meals, a school 25 principal, assistant principal, or designated meal program 26 staff person may contact the student’s parent or guardian to 27 provide information regarding the application for free or 28 reduced-fee meals pursuant to the federal National School Lunch 29 Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §1751 et seq., and the federal Child 30 Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §1771 et seq., or to provide 31 information on other options or assistance available. 32 4. A school shall provide a reimbursable meal, as specified 33 under regulations promulgated by the United States department 34 of agriculture pursuant to the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free 35 -1- LSB 5528HV (2) 87 kh/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 2467 Kids Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-296, to a student who 1 requests a reimbursable meal unless the student’s parent or 2 guardian has specifically provided written direction to the 3 school to withhold a meal from the student. 4 5. If practicable, a school shall position the point of 5 service at the beginning of a lunch line to provide options 6 other than meal disposal or replacement. 7 6. a. A school is prohibited from posting a list of 8 students who owe money for school meals and from engaging in 9 any of the following acts directed toward a student because the 10 student cannot pay for a meal or owes a meal debt: 11 (1) Publicly identifying or stigmatizing the student, 12 including but not limited to requiring the student to consume 13 the meal at a table set aside for such purpose or to discard a 14 meal after the meal has been served. 15 (2) Requiring the student to wear a wristband, hand stamp, 16 or identification marks, or to do chores or other work to pay 17 for meals. 18 (3) Denying participation in an afterschool program or 19 other extracurricular activity to the student. 20 b. A school shall direct communications about a student’s 21 meal debt to a parent or guardian and not to the student. This 22 paragraph does not prohibit a school from sending a letter home 23 with a student addressed to the student’s parent or guardian, 24 or from contacting the parent or guardian via phone or other 25 electronic means. 26 7. The department of education shall, in consultation with 27 schools, develop and establish best practices, guidance, and 28 policies to assist schools to reach the goal of ensuring that 29 all students have access, at a minimum, to reimbursable meals, 30 in accordance with subsection 4. 31 8. A school district may establish an unpaid student meals 32 account in a school nutrition fund established by the school 33 district under section 298A.11 and may deposit in the account 34 moneys received from private sources for purposes of paying 35 -2- LSB 5528HV (2) 87 kh/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 2467 student meal debt accrued by individual students as well as 1 amounts designated for the account from the school district’s 2 flexibility account under section 298A.2, subsection 2. Moneys 3 deposited in the unpaid student meals fund shall be used by the 4 school district only to pay individual student meal debt. The 5 school district shall set fair and equitable procedures for 6 such expenditures. 7 Sec. 3. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 8 2018, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 9 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (06) For deposit in the unpaid student 10 meals account to be used for purposes of paying student meal 11 debt accrued by individual students in accordance with section 12 283A.11, subsection 8. 13 EXPLANATION 14 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 15 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 16 This bill relates to school meal programs offered by school 17 districts and accredited nonpublic schools, allows school 18 districts to seek to use the setoff procedures administered by 19 the department of administrative services, and allows a school 20 district to deposit moneys from its flexibility account into 21 an unpaid student meals account to be used only to pay student 22 meal debt accrued by individuals. 23 The bill defines “school” to include a school district, a 24 school district attendance center, or an accredited nonpublic 25 school. 26 At least twice a year, the school must notify a parent or 27 guardian about the availability of applications for federal 28 assistance for free or reduced-fee meals. If the student owes 29 moneys for five or more meals, the school must notify the 30 parent or guardian of the availability of federal assistance 31 applications or provide information on other options or 32 assistance available, and the notice must go to the parent or 33 guardian directly, not the student. However, the school is not 34 prohibited from sending a letter home with a student addressed 35 -3- LSB 5528HV (2) 87 kh/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 2467 to the parent or guardian. 1 A school must provide a reimbursable meal, as specified 2 by the United States department of agriculture, to a student 3 who requests one unless the student’s parent or guardian has 4 specifically provided written permission to the school to 5 withhold a meal from the student. The department of education 6 is directed to develop and establish best practices, guidance, 7 and policies to assist schools to reach the goal of ensuring 8 that all students have access, at a minimum, to reimbursable 9 meals. 10 If practicable, the school must position the point of 11 service at the beginning of a lunch line to provide options 12 other than meal disposal or replacement. 13 A school is prohibited from posting a list of students 14 who owe money for school meals; publicly identifying or 15 stigmatizing a student who cannot pay for a meal or who owes a 16 meal debt; from requiring the student to consume the meal at 17 a table set aside for such purpose, to discard a meal after 18 the meal has been served, or to do chores or other work to pay 19 for meals; or from denying the student participation in an 20 afterschool program or other extracurricular activity. 21 The school district must set fair and equitable procedures 22 for the use of moneys in the unpaid student meals account. 23 The setoff procedures administered by the department of 24 administrative services can be sought by a school district if 25 the alleged school meal debt owed to the district is over $500 26 and the district has tried to collect the debt for at least 27 two years. However, the provision does not limit any other 28 option for school meal debt collection available to the school 29 district. 30 -4- LSB 5528HV (2) 87 kh/jh 4/ 4