New Jersey-2024-S2205-Introduced

An Act concerning school meals and supplementing chapter 33 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. A board of education shall accept monetary donations from any person or entity for the purposes of assisting students with the purchase of school breakfast or school lunch and satisfying any arrears of school breakfast or school lunch bills of students enrolled in the school district, unless the donation is otherwise precluded by law or regulation. A board of education shall place the donations in a "School Meal Fund", which shall be established by the board of education for the sole purpose of accepting donations to assist students enrolled in the district with the purchase of school breakfast or school lunch and to satisfy any arrears of school breakfast or school lunch bills. The School Meal Fund shall be established through the adoption of a resolution by the board of education. The fund shall be maintained under the jurisdiction of the board of education and the supervision of the school business administrator.

School Meal Fund moneys shall be maintained in a separate bank account. The fund shall be credited with any donations made to the fund, any moneys allocated to the fund by the school district, and any interest income that may be earned on the investment of moneys in the fund. The fund shall be reduced by all costs related to the operation of the fund, including bank service fees and direct administrative costs for the oversight and management of the fund. Any funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year shall be carried forward into subsequent fiscal years and utilized solely for the purposes of this subsection.

b. The board of education shall ensure, through the adoption of a board policy, that all financial and bookkeeping controls are adequate to ensure appropriate fiscal accountability of the fund. The board policy shall also outline the standards that shall be applied in making a determination to disburse funds from the School Meal Fund. The policy shall ensure equitable distribution of the funds that are disbursed. Disbursements from the fund shall be recorded showing the date, purpose, and amount of the disbursement. The fund shall be subject to audit as part of the school district's annual audit conducted pursuant to N.J.S.18A:23-1.

c. The board of education shall provide, through written and electronic means, information to the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school district and to other residents of the school district and community organizations regarding the board of education's obligation to accept donated funds for the purposes established pursuant to subsection a. of this section and the procedures to be followed to make a donation to the fund. The information shall also be posted in a prominent location on the school district's Internet website. The notification requirement shall not apply to school districts in which all schools within the district have adopted the Community Eligibility Provision, as that term is defined in subsection c. of P.L.2018, c.26 (C.18A:33-14.1), and provide free school meals to all students enrolled in the district.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires a board of education to accept monetary donations from any person or entity for the purposes of assisting students with the purchase of school breakfast or school lunch, and for the purposes of satisfying any arrears of school breakfast or school lunch bills of students enrolled in the district. The bill requires a board of education to establish a "School Meal Fund" and to place in the fund any donations received by a school district that are intended to assist students enrolled in the school district with purchasing school meals or satisfying arrears of school meal bills. The fund will be established through the adoption of a resolution by the board of education.

School Meal Fund moneys will be maintained in a separate bank account. The fund will be credited with any donations made to the fund, any moneys allocated to the fund by the school district, and any interest income that may be earned on the investment of moneys in the fund. The fund will be reduced by all costs related to the operation of the fund, including bank service fees and direct administrative costs for the oversight and management of the fund. Any funds remaining at the end of a fiscal year will be carried forward into subsequent fiscal years and utilized solely for the purposes of assisting students enrolled in the district with purchasing school meals and satisfying arrears of school meal bills.

The board will also adopt a policy that will ensure the fiscal accountability of the fund and will outline the standards that will be applied in making a determination to disburse moneys from the fund. The bill provides that the policy adopted by the board will ensure equitable distribution of the moneys that are disbursed from the fund. The fund will be subject to audit as part of the school district's annual audit required under current law.

The bill directs a board of education to provide, through written and electronic means, information to the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school district and to other residents of the school district and community organizations regarding the board of education's obligation to accept donated funds and the procedures to be followed to make a donation to the fund. The information will also be posted in a prominent location on the school district's Internet website. Finally, the bill provides that the requirement to provide information to parents and guardians will not apply to school districts in which all schools within the district have adopted the Community Eligibility Provision and provide free schools meals to all students enrolled in the district.