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SF 777

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 08/17/2021 03:16pm

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Current Version - as introduced

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A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying school meal provisions; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2020, section 124D.111.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 124D.111, is amended to read:


124D.111 new text begin SCHOOL MEALS POLICIES; new text end LUNCH AID; FOOD SERVICE
ACCOUNTING.

Subdivision 1.

School deleted text begin lunch aid computationdeleted text end new text begin meals policiesnew text end .

new text begin (a) Each Minnesota
participant in the national school lunch program must adopt and post to its website, or the
website of the organization where the meal is served, a school meals policy.
new text end

new text begin (b) The policy must be in writing and clearly communicate student meal charges when
payment cannot be collected at the point of service. The policy must be reasonable and
well-defined and maintain the dignity of students by prohibiting lunch shaming or otherwise
ostracizing the student.
new text end

new text begin (c) The policy must address whether the participant uses a collections agency to collect
unpaid school meals debt.
new text end

new text begin (d) The policy must ensure that once a participant has placed a meal on a tray or otherwise
served the meal to a student, the meal may not be subsequently withdrawn from the student
by the cashier or other school official, whether or not the student has an outstanding meals
balance.
new text end

new text begin (e) The policy must ensure that a student who has been determined eligible for free and
reduced-price lunch must always be served a reimbursable meal even if the student has an
outstanding debt.
new text end

new text begin (f) If a school contracts with a third party for its meal services, it must provide the vendor
with its school meals policy. Any contract between the school and a third-party provider
entered into or modified after July 1, 2021, must ensure that the third-party provider adheres
to the participant's school meals policy.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 1a. new text end

new text begin School lunch aid amounts. new text end

Each school year, the state must pay participants
in the national school lunch program the amount of 12.5 cents for each full paid and free
student lunch and 52.5 cents for each reduced-price lunch served to students.

Subd. 2.

Application.

A school district, charter school, nonpublic school, or other
participant in the national school lunch program shall apply to the department for this
payment on forms provided by the department.

Subd. 2a.

Federal child and adult care food program; criteria and notice.

The
commissioner must post on the department's website eligibility criteria and application
information for nonprofit organizations interested in applying to the commissioner for
approval as a multisite sponsoring organization under the federal child and adult care food
program. The posted criteria and information must inform interested nonprofit organizations
about:

(1) the criteria the commissioner uses to approve or disapprove an application, including
how an applicant demonstrates financial viability for the Minnesota program, among other
criteria;

(2) the commissioner's process and time line for notifying an applicant when its
application is approved or disapproved and, if the application is disapproved, the explanation
the commissioner provides to the applicant; and

(3) any appeal or other recourse available to a disapproved applicant.

Subd. 3.

School food service fund.

(a) The expenses described in this subdivision must
be recorded as provided in this subdivision.

(b) In each district, the expenses for a school food service program for pupils must be
attributed to a school food service fund. Under a food service program, the school food
service may prepare or serve milk, meals, or snacks in connection with school or community
service activities.

(c) Revenues and expenditures for food service activities must be recorded in the food
service fund. The costs of processing applications, accounting for meals, preparing and
serving food, providing kitchen custodial services, and other expenses involving the preparing
of meals or the kitchen section of the lunchroom may be charged to the food service fund
or to the general fund of the district. The costs of lunchroom supervision, lunchroom custodial
services, lunchroom utilities, and other administrative costs of the food service program
must be charged to the general fund.

That portion of superintendent and fiscal manager costs that can be documented as
attributable to the food service program may be charged to the food service fund provided
that the school district does not employ or contract with a food service director or other
individual who manages the food service program, or food service management company.
If the cost of the superintendent or fiscal manager is charged to the food service fund, the
charge must be at a wage rate not to exceed the statewide average for food service directors
as determined by the department.

(d) Capital expenditures for the purchase of food service equipment must be made from
the general fund and not the food service fund, unless the restricted balance in the food
service fund at the end of the last fiscal year is greater than the cost of the equipment to be
purchased.

(e) If the condition set out in paragraph (d) applies, the equipment may be purchased
from the food service fund.

(f) If a deficit in the food service fund exists at the end of a fiscal year, and the deficit
is not eliminated by revenues from food service operations in the next fiscal year, then the
deficit must be eliminated by a permanent fund transfer from the general fund at the end of
that second fiscal year. However, if a district contracts with a food service management
company during the period in which the deficit has accrued, the deficit must be eliminated
by a payment from the food service management company.

(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (f), a district may incur a deficit in the food service fund
for up to three years without making the permanent transfer if the district submits to the
commissioner by January 1 of the second fiscal year a plan for eliminating that deficit at
the end of the third fiscal year.

(h) If a surplus in the food service fund exists at the end of a fiscal year for three
successive years, a district may recode for that fiscal year the costs of lunchroom supervision,
lunchroom custodial services, lunchroom utilities, and other administrative costs of the food
service program charged to the general fund according to paragraph (c) and charge those
costs to the food service fund in a total amount not to exceed the amount of surplus in the
food service fund.

Subd. 4.

No fees.

A participant that receives school lunch aid under this section must
make lunch available without chargenew text begin and must not deny a school lunchnew text end to all participating
students who qualify for free or reduced-price mealsnew text begin , whether or not that student has an
outstanding balance in the student's meals account attributable to a la carte purchases or for
any other reason
new text end .

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Respectful treatment. new text end

new text begin (a) new text end The participant must also new text begin provide meals to students
in a respectful manner according to the policy adopted under subdivision 1. The participant
must
new text end ensure that any reminders for payment of outstanding student meal balances do not
demean or stigmatize any child participating in the school lunch programdeleted text begin .deleted text end new text begin , including but
not limited to dumping meals, withdrawing a meal that has been served, announcing or
listing students names publicly, or affixing stickers, stamps, or pins. The participant must
not impose any other restriction prohibited under section 123B.37 due to unpaid student
meal balances. The participant must not limit a student's participation in any school activities,
graduation ceremonies, field trips, athletics, activity clubs, or other extracurricular activities
or access to materials, technology, or other items provided to students due to an unpaid
student meal balance.
new text end

new text begin (b) If the commissioner or the commissioner's designee determines a participant has
violated the requirement to provide meals to participating students in a respectful manner,
the commissioner or the commissioner's designee must send a letter of noncompliance to
the participant. The participant is required to respond and, if applicable, remedy the practice
within 60 days.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2021.
new text end