AB 84

This bill 1) requires certain schools to provide a school lunch or breakfast to a

pupil who requests such a meal; 2) prohibits those schools from taking certain actions

against a pupil who is unable to pay for those meals; and 3) requires those schools

to provide information and take certain actions related to applications for free or

reduced-price meals.

The bill defines “school” as a public school, private school, charter school, tribal

school, the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or the Wisconsin

Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, provided the school,

program, or center receives state aid for providing school lunches and breakfasts

(free or reduced-price meals).

Under the bill, the school board of a school district, governing body of a private

school, operator of an independent charter school, governing body of a tribal school,

director of the program, or director of the center (governing body) must provide a

meal that is of a similar quality to a free or reduced-price meal (quality meal) to a

pupil who requests such a meal, regardless of the pupil's ability to pay for the meal,

and prohibits the governing body from providing a meal of inferior quality in place

of a quality meal. If the pupil is homeless and is enrolled in a public school or

independent charter school, the governing body of the school must provide the

quality meal to the pupil at no cost to the pupil.

The bill prohibits the governing body of a school from doing any of the following:

1. Publicly identifying or stigmatizing a pupil who is unable to pay for a quality

meal or who has outstanding debt related to a quality meal.

2. Requiring a pupil who is unable to pay for a quality meal, as a condition of

receiving the quality meal, to do chores or other work not expected of a pupil who has

the ability to pay.

3. Requiring a pupil who has received a quality meal to relinquish or throw

away that quality meal because the pupil is unable to pay for the quality meal or has

outstanding debt related to a quality meal.

4. Communicating directly with a pupil concerning the pupil's inability to pay

for a quality meal or to pay outstanding debt related to a quality meal.

5. Requiring a pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian to pay fees or costs

charged by a collection agency retained by the governing body to collect outstanding

debt related to a quality meal.

Finally, the bill requires the governing body of a school annually to provide

certain information regarding the application process to receive free or

reduced-price meals to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school,

and, if the governing body determines that a pupil is eligible for free or reduced-price

meals but has not submitted an application, the governing body must submit an

application on the pupil's behalf.