An Act To Address Student Hunger with a "Breakfast after the Bell" Program

Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §6602, sub-§1, ¶D  is enacted to read:

Sec. 2. Rulemaking regarding alternative breakfast delivery service. The Department of Education shall adopt rules to develop an application process and to adopt standards to address evaluation criteria based on need for the funding of alternative breakfast delivery services in school administrative units pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 6602, subsection 1, paragraph D. The department shall adopt procedures to track health and academic outcomes through evaluation and data collection of students and schools that participate in alternative breakfast delivery services. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.

EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF

Initiative: Provides ongoing funding to school administrative units that operate alternative breakfast delivery services that provide breakfast after the start of the school day. A school administrative unit with a public school in which at least 50% of students qualified for a free or reduced-price lunch during the preceding school year qualifies for funding.

GENERAL FUND	2019-20	2020-21
All Other	$500,000	$500,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$500,000	$500,000

SUMMARY

This bill requires a school administrative unit with a public school in which at least 50% of students qualified for a free or reduced-price lunch during the preceding school year to operate an alternative breakfast delivery service that provides breakfast after the start of the school day for students at that public school. It also provides a process for a school administrative unit to opt out of the alternative breakfast delivery service. This bill requires the Department of Education to adopt rules to develop an application process and to adopt standards to address evaluation criteria based on need for funding assistance for alternative breakfast delivery services in school administrative units. It also requires the department to develop a means to track health and academic outcomes of students and schools that participate in alternative breakfast delivery services.