Bill > H585

This bill aims to promote student nutrition by encouraging school districts to adopt policies that (i) increase access to healthy meals for all students, (ii) maximize federal reimbursement for meals, and (iii) reduce school meal debt. Key provisions include: 1. Allowing school districts to waive reduced-price meal fees and receive reimbursement from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), while offering assistance to families to apply for federal nutrition assistance. 2. Requiring school districts to qualify certain students (e.g., under grandparent's custody, with disabilities, or formerly in foster care) for free meal status, with DESE reimbursing the costs. 3. Mandating high-poverty school districts to implement the federal Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 to provide universal free meals, unless the district can justify financial hardship. 4. Requiring school districts to notify parents/guardians when a student's meal account reaches a negative balance, provide information on applying for free/reduced-price meals, and not inform the Department of Children and Families about unpaid meal debt. 5. Requiring school districts to take steps to directly certify students for free/reduced-price meals and not deny students meals or penalize them for unpaid debt.