Legislative Briefs
Meals for students
What they do: The Community Eligibility Provisions is a federal program that allows districts, schools or groups of schools to provide breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge based on student population eligibility. Legislation in 2015 required that school districts provide lunch at no charge to students eligible for reduced priced lunch benefits. House Bill 2760 establishes a Universal School Meals Account to reimburse school districts for USDA-reimbursable meals, and meals not reimbursed by state, federal, or other sources, and prioritizes the distribution of funds. This bill will correct the unintended consequences of HB 3454 (2017) that prohibited schools from publicly identifying students who owe meal money (such as with a stamp or sticker) and prohibited requiring students to do work to pay off meal debts. HB 2765 requires that school districts make breakfast available at school sites after the school day has started and allows up to 15 minutes of time spent consuming breakfast to count as instructional time when consumed in classroom and instruction is provided.
What's next: These bills are currently not scheduled for further action. OSBA will remain engaged in the conversations as they move forward.