SB2428 EngrossedLRB100 16473 AXK 31602 b


  
1    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
3represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 
5Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definition. In this Act, "school" means any 
7public or private elementary or secondary school that 
8participates in a United States Department of Agriculture child 
9nutrition program. 
 
10    Section 10. Reimbursable meal or snack. 
11    (a) Every school in this State shall provide a federally 
12reimbursable meal or snack to a student of that school who 
13requests the meal or snack, regardless of whether the student 
14has the ability to pay for the meal or snack or owes money for 
15earlier meals or snacks. The school may not provide a student 
16requesting a meal or snack under this subsection (a) an 
17alternate meal or snack that is different from the other meals 
18or snacks provided to students in that school and may not 
19prohibit or prevent a student from accessing the school's meal 
20or snack services.
21    (b) If a student owes money for meals or snacks that is in 
22excess of the equivalent of the amount charged a student for 5 
 
 
SB2428 Engrossed- 2 -LRB100 16473 AXK 31602 b

1lunches, or a lower amount as determined by the student's  
2school district or private school, a school may reach out to 
3the parent or guardian of the student to attempt collection of 
4the owed money and to request that the parent or guardian apply 
5for meal benefits in a federal or State child nutrition 
6program. If the amount owed by a student for meals or snacks is 
7owed and payable to a school district in an amount that is no 
8less than $500 and the school district has made reasonable 
9efforts to collect the debt from the student's parent or 
10guardian for at least one year, the school district may seek a 
11setoff under the State Comptroller Act.
 
12    Section 15. Anti-stigmatization practices.  A school may 
13not publicly identify or stigmatize a student who cannot pay 
14for a meal or snack or who owes money for a meal or snack in a 
15manner that includes, but is not limited to: 
16        (1) requiring the student to wear a wristband;
17        (2) giving the student a hand stamp;
18        (3) requiring the student to throw away a meal or snack 
19    after being served;
20        (4) requiring the student to sit in a separate 
21    location;
22        (5) publicly posting the name of the student; or
23        (6) any other action that would stigmatize the student.
 
 
24    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
25becoming law.