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Bill > A3249


NJ A3249

NJ A3249
Expands school breakfast program to all schools with five percent or more of students eligible for free or reduced price meals.


summary

Introduced
03/07/2022
In Committee
03/07/2022
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
01/08/2024

Introduced Session

2022-2023 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill requires a public school operated by a local or regional school district of the State in which five percent or more of the students enrolled in the school on or before the last school day before October 16 of the preceding school year were eligible for free or reduced price meals under the federal School Lunch Program or the federal School Breakfast Program to establish a school breakfast program in the school. Under existing State statutes, a school with five percent or more of such eligible students must have a school lunch program; however a school is only required to have a school breakfast program if it has 20 percent or more of such eligible students. The new requirements established by the bill are modeled on the State's existing breakfast program planning and implementation requirements. Specifically, the bill would provide for a school breakfast program to be implemented, by September 1, 2023, in covered schools that provide instruction in Kindergarten through sixth grades, and by September 1, 2024, in covered schools that provide instruction in other grades. An initial program plan for each school is to be submitted to the Department of Agriculture for approval. If a school district fails to submit a plan by the date specified in the bill, the school district will be required to establish a school breakfast program, in each covered school, based on a model plan provided by the department. The bill would authorize a school district to seek and obtain, from the Department of Agriculture, a one-year waiver of the bill's requirements in certain cases. The bill would additionally provide for the State to annually appropriate necessary funds, to the Department of Agriculture, to finance the State's share of costs for the school breakfast programs being established under the bill.

AI Summary

This bill requires public schools in New Jersey with 5% or more of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals to establish a school breakfast program by September 1, 2023 for schools with grades K-6, and by September 1, 2024 for other schools. The schools must submit a plan for the breakfast program to the Department of Agriculture for approval. If a school district fails to submit a plan, the district must establish the program based on a model plan provided by the Department. The Department can grant a one-year waiver to schools that lack the necessary staff, facilities, or equipment to offer the breakfast program. The state will appropriate funds to the Department of Agriculture to cover the state's share of the costs for these new school breakfast programs.

Committee Categories

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Sponsors (2)

Last Action

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Food Security Committee (on 03/07/2022)

bill text


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