Signed by Governor Susana Martinez

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that enacts the Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act, which prohibits identifying or stigmatizing students who cannot pay for meals.

Highlights:

•  Enacts the Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights Act (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits schools from publicly identifying or stigmatizing a student who cannot pay for a meal or who owes a meal debt by, for example, requiring them to wear a wristband or hand stamp or requiring them to do chores or other work to pay for meals (Sec. 5).

• Prohibits requiring a student to throw away a meal after it has been served because of the student’s inability to pay for the meal or because money is owed for earlier meals (Sec. 4).

• Requires schools to provide meals from, and ensure that eligible students are enrolled in, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reimbursable meal program, regardless of the student’s ability to pay for a meal or how much money a student owes for previous meals (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits schools from directing communications about a student’s meal debt to the student, but authorizes schools to send a student home with a letter addressed to their parent or guardian discussing the issue (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that this bill applies to any public school district, public school, private school, or religious school that participates in the national school lunch program or school breakfast program (Sec. 7).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that enacts the Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act, which prohibits identifying or stigmatizing students who cannot pay for meals.

Highlights:

•  Enacts the Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights Act (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits schools from publicly identifying or stigmatizing a student who cannot pay for a meal or who owes a meal debt by, for example, requiring them to wear a wristband or hand stamp or requiring them to do chores or other work to pay for meals (Sec. 5).

• Prohibits requiring a student to throw away a meal after it has been served because of the student’s inability to pay for the meal or because money is owed for earlier meals (Sec. 4).

• Requires schools to provide meals from, and ensure that eligible students are enrolled in, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reimbursable meal program, regardless of the student’s ability to pay for a meal or how much money a student owes for previous meals (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits schools from directing communications about a student’s meal debt to the student, but authorizes schools to send a student home with a letter addressed to their parent or guardian discussing the issue (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that this bill applies to any public school district, public school, private school, or religious school that participates in the national school lunch program or school breakfast program (Sec. 7).

Full Bill Text