Bill Text: IA HF2467 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Enrolled

Iowa House Bill 2467 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to school meal debt and to school meal programs offered by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools, authorizing the establishment of unpaid student meals accounts, and authorizing the transfer and expenditure of certain funds, and including retroactive applicability provisions. (Formerly HSB 660.) Effective 7-1-18.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2018-04-17 - Signed by Governor. H.J. 802. [HF2467 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF2467-Enrolled.html

House File 2467 - Enrolled

HOUSE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 660)
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A BILL FOR
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House File 2467

AN ACT
RELATING TO SCHOOL MEAL DEBT AND TO SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMS
OFFERED BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND ACCREDITED NONPUBLIC
SCHOOLS, AUTHORIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF UNPAID STUDENT
MEALS ACCOUNTS, AND AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER AND EXPENDITURE
OF CERTAIN FUNDS, AND INCLUDING RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY
PROVISIONS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
Section 1. Section 8A.504, subsection 2, Code 2018, is
amended by adding the following new paragraph:
NEW PARAGRAPH. l. If the alleged liability is owing and
payable to a school district for school meals and the school
district has made reasonable efforts to collect the debt,
setoff pursuant to this section may be sought by the school
district. However, this paragraph shall not be interpreted
to limit any other options for school meal debt collection
available to the school district by law.
Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 283A.11 Participation by students ====
school prohibitions and responsibilities.
1. For purposes of this section, unless the context
otherwise requires, "school" includes a school district, a
school district attendance center, or an accredited nonpublic
school.
2. A school shall provide notice, at least twice annually,
to the parents or guardians of all enrolled students regarding
the availability of applications for free or reduced=fee meals
for categorically eligible students under the federal National
School Lunch Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. {1751 et seq., and the
federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. {1771 et seq.
Notice may be provided via letter or electronic communication.
3. If a student owes money for five or more meals, school
personnel may contact the student's parent or guardian to
provide information regarding the application for free or
reduced=fee meals pursuant to the federal National School Lunch
Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. {1751 et seq., and the federal Child
Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. {1771 et seq., or to provide
information on other options or assistance available.
4. A school is encouraged to provide a reimbursable meal, as
specified under regulations promulgated by the United States
department of agriculture pursuant to the federal Healthy,
Hunger=Free Kids Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111=296, to a student
who requests a reimbursable meal unless the student's parent
or guardian has specifically provided written direction to the
school to withhold a meal from the student.
5. a. A school is prohibited from posting a list of
students who owe money for school meals and from engaging in
any of the following acts directed toward a student because the
student cannot pay for a meal or owes a meal debt:
(1) Publicly identifying or stigmatizing the student,
including but not limited to requiring the student to consume
the meal at a table set aside for such purpose or to discard a
meal after the meal has been served.
(2) Requiring the student to wear a wristband, hand stamp,
or identification marks, or to do chores or other work to pay
for meals.
(3) Denying participation in an afterschool program or
other extracurricular activity to the student.
(4) Providing an alternative meal that is only offered to
a student who has accrued meal debt. A school that offers the
option of an alternative meal shall present the meal in the
same manner to any student requesting an alternative meal so as
not to identify a student as having accrued meal debt.
b. A school shall direct communications about a student's
meal debt to a parent or guardian and may discreetly provide
information about the student's meal account to the student as
long as the communication with the student does not violate
paragraph "a". This paragraph does not prohibit a school from
sending a letter home with a student addressed to the student's
parent or guardian, or from contacting the parent or guardian
via phone or other electronic means.
6. A school district may establish an unpaid student meals
account in a school nutrition fund established by the school
district under section 298A.11 and may deposit in the account
moneys received from private sources for purposes of paying
student meal debt accrued by individual students as well as
amounts designated for the account from the school district's
flexibility account under section 298A.2, subsection 2. Moneys
deposited in the unpaid student meals fund shall be used by the
school district only to pay individual student meal debt. The
school district shall set fair and equitable procedures for
such expenditures.
Sec. 3. Section 298A.2, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code
2018, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph:
NEW SUBPARAGRAPH. (06) For deposit in the unpaid student
meals account to be used for purposes of paying student meal
debt accrued by individual students in accordance with section
283A.11, subsection 6.
Sec. 4. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. The following applies
retroactively to July 1, 2017, for a school district seeking
to use setoff for school meal debt collection under section
8A.504, subsection 2, paragraph "l", as enacted by this Act:
The section of this Act enacting section 8A.504, subsection
2, paragraph "l".

LINDA UPMEYER

CHARLES SCHNEIDE

CARMINE BOAL

KIM REYNOLDS

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