AN ACT Relating to a hunger-free students' bill of rights; adding new sections to chapter 28A.235 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.235 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) Except as provided otherwise in subsection (2) of this section, each school that participates in the national school lunch program, the school breakfast program, or both, shall annually distribute and collect an application for all households of children in kindergarten through grade twelve to determine student eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. If a parent or guardian of a student needs assistance with application materials in a language other than English, the school shall offer appropriate assistance to the parent or guardian.

(b) If a student who, based on information available to the school, is likely eligible for free or reduced-price meals but has not submitted an application to determine eligibility, the school shall, in accordance with the authority granted under 7 C.F.R. Sec. 245.6(d), complete and submit the application for the student.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section does not apply to a school that provides free meals to all students in a year in which the school does not collect applications to determine student eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.235 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Local liaisons for homeless children and youths designated by districts in accordance with the federal McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act 42 U.S.C. Sec. 11431 et seq. must improve systems to identify homeless students and coordinate with the applicable school nutrition program to ensure that each homeless student has proper access to free school meals and that applicable accountability and reporting requirements are satisfied.

(2) Schools and school districts shall improve systems to identify students in foster care, runaway students, and migrant students to ensure that each student has proper access to free school meals and that applicable accountability and reporting requirements are satisfied.

(3) At least monthly, schools and school districts shall directly certify students for free school meals if the students qualify because of enrollment in assistance programs, including but not limited to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, the temporary assistance for needy families, and medicaid.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.235 RCW to read as follows:

If a student has not paid for five or more previous meals, the school shall:

(1) Determine whether the student is categorically eligible for free meals;

(2) If no application has been submitted for the student to determine his or her eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, make no fewer than two attempts to contact the student's parent or guardian to have him or her submit an application; and

(3) Have a principal, assistant principal, or school counselor contact the parent or guardian for the purpose of: (a) Offering assistance with completing an application to determine the student's eligibility for free or reduced-price meals; (b) determining whether there are any household issues that may prevent the student from having sufficient funds for school meals; and (c) offering any appropriate assistance.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.235 RCW to read as follows:

(1) No school or district personnel or school volunteer may:

(a) Take any action directed at a student under the age of fifteen to collect unpaid school meal fees;

(b) Stigmatize, or take any action that would likely stigmatize, a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student, including but not limited to requiring the student wear a wristband, hand stamp, or other identifying marker, or by serving the student an alternative meal;

(c) Require a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student to perform chores or other actions in exchange for a meal or for the reduction or elimination of a school meal debt, unless all students perform similar chores or work;

(d) Require a student dispose of a served meal because of the student's inability to pay for the meal or because of money owed for meals previously served to the student;

(e) Allow any disciplinary action that is taken against a student to result in the denial or delay of a nutritionally adequate meal to the student; or

(f) Require a parent or guardian to pay fees or costs in excess of the actual amounts owed for meals previously served to the student.

(2) Communications from a school or district about amounts owed for meals previously served to a student under the age of fifteen may only be directed to the student's parent or guardian. Nothing in this subsection prohibits a school or district from sending a student home with a notification that is addressed to the student's parent or guardian.

(3)(a) A school district shall notify a parent or guardian of the negative balance of a student's school meal account no later than ten days after the student's school meal account has reached a negative balance. Before sending this notification, the district must exhaust all options to directly certify the student for free or reduced-price meals.

(b) If the school district is unable to directly certify the student for free or reduced-price meals, the school district shall provide the parent or guardian with a paper copy of or an electronic link to an application for free or reduced-price meals with the notification required by (a) of this subsection (3) and encourage the parent or guardian to submit the application.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall collect, analyze, and promote to school districts and applicable community-based organizations best practices in local meal charge policies that are required by the United States department of agriculture in memorandum SP 46-2016.

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