AB 2449, as introduced, Bocanegra. Pupil nutrition: free or reduced-price meals: adequate time to eat.
(1) Existing law requires each school district or county superintendent of schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to provide one nutritionally adequate free or reduced-price meal for each needy pupil during each schoolday, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a school district or county office of education to use funds made available through any applicable federal or state program or to use its own funds to provide the required meals.
This bill would express legislative intent that schools provide pupils with adequate time to eat lunch during the schoolday. The bill would require school districts and county offices of education, in addition to providing a nutritionally adequate free or reduced-price meal for each needy pupil each schoolday, to ensure that there is adequate time to eat the meal after it is served. To the extent this requirement would create new duties for school districts and county offices of education, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to this provision.
(2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(1) Healthy eating is vital to learning and cognitive development.
4When children miss out on nutritious meals, they cannot learn,
5grow, or achieve at their full potential.
6(2) Because children spend at least 175 days per year at school,
7school meal programs can help ensure that children have access
8to adequate nutrients and develop healthy eating behaviors.
9(3) Mealtimes are an essential part of the schoolday, supporting
10childrens’ academic success along with their physical, social, and
11emotional well-being.
12(4) The federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
13substantially improved the nutritional standards of the National
14School Lunch Program. California has invested significant
15resources to effectively implement these standards. These
16investments are wasted if pupils do not eat lunch during the
17schoolday.
18(5) There are pupils across California--in elementary, middle,
19and high schools--who do not have enough time to eat lunch
20during the schoolday. When pressed for time, pupils often throw
21away portions of their lunches, buy less nutritious snacks instead
22of lunch, or skip lunch entirely, even when they are hungry.
23(6) Pupils who face long lines or short lunch periods are less
24likely to participate in the school lunch program at all.
25(b) Since California
requires that a nutritious free or
26reduced-price meal be made available to all low-income pupils
27enrolled in traditional K-12 public schools, and since pupils need
28enough time to eat lunch in order to reap the health and academic
29benefits of school meals, it is therefore the intent of the Legislature
30that schools provide pupils with adequate time to eat lunch during
31the schoolday.
Section 49550 of the Education Code is amended to
2read:
(a) Notwithstanding any otherbegin delete provision ofend delete law,begin delete eachend delete
4begin insert aend insert school district or countybegin delete superintendent of schoolsend deletebegin insert office of
5educationend insert maintainingbegin delete anyend delete
kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12,
6inclusive, shall provide for each needy pupil one nutritionally
7adequate free or reduced-price meal during each schooldaybegin insert and
8ensure that there is adequate time to eat the meal after it is servedend insert,
9except for family day care homes that shall be reimbursed for 75
10percent of the meals served.
11(b) In order to comply with subdivision (a), a school district or
12county office of education may use funds made available through
13any federal or state program the purpose of which includes the
14provision of meals to a pupil, including the federal School
15Breakfast Program, the federal National School Lunch Program,
16the federal Summer Food Service Program, the federal Seamless
17Summer Option, or the state meal program, or may do so at the
18expense of the school district or county office of
education.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
20this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
21local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
22pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
234 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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