Bill Text: TX HB2159 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to school district grace period policies and the provision of meals to public school students with insufficient balances on prepaid meal cards or meal accounts.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-12 - Returned to Calendars Committee [HB2159 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB2159-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to school district grace period policies and the provision of meals to public school students with insufficient balances on prepaid meal cards or meal accounts.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-12 - Returned to Calendars Committee [HB2159 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB2159-Introduced.html
85R11807 KKA-D | ||
By: Giddings | H.B. No. 2159 |
|
||
|
||
relating to school district grace period policies and the | ||
provision of meals to public school students with insufficient | ||
balances on prepaid meal cards or meal accounts. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 33.908, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 33.908. GRACE PERIOD POLICY FOR EXHAUSTED OR | ||
INSUFFICIENT MEAL CARD OR ACCOUNT BALANCE. (a) In this section, | ||
"regular meal" means a meal for which a school district ordinarily | ||
receives reimbursement under the national free or reduced price | ||
lunch program established under 42 U.S.C. Section 1751 et seq. | ||
(b) A school district that allows students to use a prepaid | ||
meal card or account to purchase meals served at the school shall | ||
adopt a grace period policy regarding the use of the cards or | ||
accounts. The policy: | ||
(1) must allow a student whose meal card or account | ||
balance is exhausted or insufficient to continue, for a grace | ||
period determined by the district but of at least two weeks, to | ||
purchase regular meals by: | ||
(A) accumulating a negative balance on the | ||
student's card or account; or | ||
(B) otherwise receiving an extension of credit | ||
from the district; | ||
(2) must require the district to make at least three | ||
attempts by telephone or electronic mail during the grace period to | ||
privately: | ||
(A) notify the parent of or person standing in | ||
parental relation to the student that the student's meal card or | ||
account balance is exhausted; | ||
(B) make arrangements with the parent or other | ||
person for payment of negative balances or amounts otherwise due, | ||
including through use of a payment plan; and | ||
(C) assist the parent or other person in | ||
completing an application on behalf of the student for free or | ||
reduced price meals, if it is determined that the student may be | ||
eligible for free or reduced price meals; | ||
(3) must require the district to send home with the | ||
student in an unmarked white envelope a written notice of a negative | ||
balance or other amount due and an application for free or reduced | ||
price meals; | ||
(4) may not permit the district to charge a fee or | ||
interest in connection with meals purchased under Subdivision (1); | ||
and | ||
(5) [ |
||
for repayment on the account balance or other amount due if the | ||
district is unable to set a repayment schedule by agreement through | ||
efforts required under Subdivision (2) [ |
||
|
||
(c) After expiration of the grace period, the school | ||
district may: | ||
(1) permit the student to continue to purchase regular | ||
meals in the manner described by Subsection (b)(1); or | ||
(2) provide the student with alternate meals at no | ||
cost. | ||
(d) A school district that elects to provide alternate meals | ||
must: | ||
(1) privately notify the student's parent or person | ||
standing in parental relation of the district's action; and | ||
(2) provide those meals through the same serving line | ||
as regular meals. | ||
(e) If a school district provides regular meals to a student | ||
under Subsection (c)(1) and is unable at the end of the school year | ||
to obtain payment for the meals from the student's parent or person | ||
standing in parental relation, the district may pay the negative | ||
balance on the student's meal card or account using private | ||
donations solicited by the district from individuals and entities | ||
for that purpose and maintained in a separate district account. The | ||
amount of any private donations received under this subsection is | ||
in addition to any reimbursement to which the district is entitled | ||
under federal law. | ||
(f) A school district may not publicly identify a student | ||
with a negative balance on a meal card or account, and must | ||
implement any action authorized under this section in a manner that | ||
does not stigmatize a student or cause embarrassment. The | ||
district's policy must identify the manner in which the district | ||
will prevent stigmatizing a student or causing embarrassment. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 | ||
school year. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |