Saugus legislator supports student-nutrition bill

The invoice, “An act selling scholar diet,” has additionally handed within the Senate and is pending approval from Gov. Charlie Baker, who has to signal the laws into regulation. 

The laws would make it necessary for particular person colleges and faculty districts with no less than 50 % of its college students falling right into a low-income bracket to take part in a federal program that gives free breakfast and lunch to all college students. Wong mentioned the invoice permits college districts to use for a waiver if collaborating in this system will lead to monetary hardship. 

Faculty districts collaborating within the nationwide school-lunch program are directed by the invoice to maximise federal revenues whereas minimizing debt on college students’ households. The invoice additionally requires that the state Division of Elementary and Secondary Training (DESE) set up protocols to assist college districts towards assembly these targets. 

The invoice additionally requires that DESE information college superintendents on the right way to notify mother and father or guardians a couple of scholar’s unpaid meal debt. Faculty districts can be given 30 days from the date the notification is issued to find out if the coed is eligible without spending a dime or reduced-price meals. In the course of the 30 days, college students can’t be denied entry to a faculty meal, Wong mentioned.

The invoice gives sturdy protections to make sure that college students will not be punished if they’re unable to pay for a faculty meal or owe cash for a previously-served meal. The invoice prohibits colleges from taking any motion that publicly identifies a scholar who owes cash for meals. It additionally stops colleges from serving a scholar with unpaid meal debt, another meal that isn’t out there to all college students. 

College students is not going to be denied a meal as a type of behavioral self-discipline or punishment. The invoice additionally prohibits the disposal of an already-served meal on account of a scholar’s incapability to pay or previous unresolved meal debt. Faculties is not going to be allowed to dam a scholar or their siblings from collaborating in extracurricular actions, subject journeys, or college occasions due to the coed’s unresolved meal debt. 

Stopping a scholar from graduating or blocking the discharge of a scholar’s grades, official transcripts, or report playing cards solely due to unresolved meal debt just isn’t allowed. Faculties are additionally prohibited from requiring a dad or mum or guardian to pay charges or prices for meals beforehand served to the coed over the precise quantities owed, Wong mentioned. 

Hannah Chadwick may be reached at hannah@itemlive.com.

 

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