Requires all elementary and secondary schools and boards of cooperative educational services to establish school meal charge policies in order to ensure a consistent and transparent approach is applied in instances of unpaid meal charges and the collection of delinquent debt.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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6036--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 10, 2017
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Introduced by Sens. BROOKS, BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education --
recommitted to the Committee on Education in accordance with Senate
Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to school meal charge
policies
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 57 to read as follows:
3 57. The commissioner is authorized and directed to promulgate rules
4 and regulations requiring all elementary and secondary schools and
5 boards of cooperative educational services to establish school meal
6 charge policies in order to ensure a consistent and transparent approach
7 is applied in instances of unpaid meal charges and the collection of
8 delinquent debt. Such policies shall include, but not be limited to,
9 information for parents or persons in parental relation and relevant
10 school staff on available meal options for students who have insuffi-
11 cient funds to purchase a meal at time of service, how delinquent meal
12 charge debt is collected, and available payment options. When developing
13 meal charge policies, schools and boards of cooperative educational
14 services shall ensure that such policies do not have a negative impact
15 on children who do not have sufficient funds, and that the identifica-
16 tion of students with insufficient funds to pay for school meals is
17 minimal. Such policies shall prohibit the use of alternate meals as an
18 option when students do not have sufficient funds to pay for a meal at
19 time of service. Such policies must be provided in writing to all
20 students at the start of each school year, to students who transfer to
21 the school during the school year, and, at the discretion of the school
22 or board of cooperative educational services, throughout the school
23 year. Such policies shall also be posted on the school's internet
24 website, if one exists.
25 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11478-02-8
