2020 -- H 7313

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LC003304

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION

     Introduced By: Representatives Ranglin-Vassell, Lyle, Lombardi, Hull, and McNamara

     Date Introduced: January 24, 2020

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 16-8 of the General Laws entitled "Federal Aid [See Title 16

Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto

the following section:

     16-8-10.2. Treatment of students receiving school meals assistance.

     (a) All public and secondary schools at which pupils are served breakfast and lunch under

§§ 16-8-10 and 16-8-10.1, shall ensure that a pupil whose parent or guardian has unpaid school

meal fees is not denied a reimbursable meal of the pupil's choice because of the fact that the

pupil's parent or guardian has unpaid meal fees and shall ensure that the pupil is not shamed or

treated differently from other pupils. This subsection does not prohibit a school from serving an

alternative reimbursable meal to a pupil who may need one for dietary or religious reasons, or as

a regular menu item.

     (b) School personnel and volunteers at a school that serves nutritionally adequate meals

to pupils during the instructional day shall not allow any disciplinary action that is taken against a

pupil to result in the denial or delay of a nutritionally adequate meal.

     (c) A school shall not take any action directed at a pupil to collect an unpaid school meal

fee. A school may attempt to collect unpaid school meal fees from a parent or guardian, but shall

not use a debt collector, as defined in Section 803 of the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act

(15 U.S.C. Sec. 1692a).

     (d) A school shall notify a parent or guardian of the negative balance of a pupil's school

meal account no later than ten (10) days after the pupil's school meal account has reached a

negative balance. Before sending this notification to the parent or guardian, the school shall

exhaust all options and methods to directly certify the pupil for free or reduced price meals. If the

school is not able to directly certify the pupil, the school shall provide the pupil's parent or

guardian with a paper copy or electronic link to an application with the notification and contact

the parent or guardian to encourage application submission.

     (e) Nothing in this section is intended to allow for the indefinite accrual of unpaid school

meal fees.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION

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     This act requires schools to ensure that a pupil whose parent or guardian has unpaid

school meal fees is not denied a meal of the pupil's choice because of the fact that the pupil's

parent or guardian has unpaid meal fees and ensure that the pupil is not shamed or treated

differently from other students.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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