NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1526

Senate Bill S1526

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires that parents of students at student orientations, back to school nights, or other beginning of year events receive notification of eligibility for free or reduced price meals for students

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 10, 2025	referred to education

2025-S1526 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §908-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S6358

2025-S1526 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that parents of students at student orientations, back to school nights, or other beginning of year events, at schools that participate in the national school lunch program or school breakfast program, receive notification of eligibility, and access to application, for free or reduced price meals for students.

2025-S1526 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1526

SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring that parents
of students at student orientations, back to school nights, or other
beginning of year events receive notification of eligibility for free or
reduced price meals for students

 
PURPOSE:

To require school districts to distribute information on free or reduced
meal programs to the parents of students at the earliest available times
in the educational year. To allow families that are eligible to be aware
of the meal applications and enroll students as soon as possible.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the Education Law to require school districts to
distribute information on free or reduced meal programs to the parents
of students at the earliest available times in the educational year, in

order to allow families that are eligible to be aware of the meal appli-
cations and enroll students as soon as possible.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Organized meal programs are crucial for academic and personal success of
students in need; however, they can only be efficient if the parents of
students are aware of these programs and enroll their children in a
timely manner. An in-person event offering program information to
parents at the beginning of the year will prove to be much more effec-
tive than depending on electronic or paper mailers.  These events will
ensure that school districts are providing necessary information and
applications at the beginning of the year so that less students will
experience the negative effects of hunger.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024 - S.6358 (May) / A.6850 (Sayegh)

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S1526 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1526
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring that parents
   of students at student orientations, back to school nights,  or  other
   beginning  of year events receive notification of eligibility for free
   or reduced price meals for students
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 908-a
 to read as follows:
   § 908-A. NOTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR FREE OR REDUCED PRICE  MEALS.
 EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, CHARTER SCHOOL AND NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE
 STATE  THAT  PARTICIPATES IN THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM OR SCHOOL
 BREAKFAST PROGRAM SHALL ENSURE THAT, AT  ANY  NEW  STUDENT  ORIENTATION,
 BACK  TO  SCHOOL  NIGHT, OR OTHER BEGINNING OF YEAR EVENT AT A SCHOOL IN
 SUCH SCHOOL DISTRICT, OR AT SUCH CHARTER SCHOOL OR NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL, TO
 WHICH THE PARENTS OF ENROLLED STUDENTS ARE INVITED, EACH SUCH PARENT  IN
 ATTENDANCE  RECEIVES  PROMINENT  NOTIFICATION OF AND ACCESS, IN PAPER OR
 ELECTRONIC FORM, OR BOTH, TO INFORMATION ABOUT APPLICATION AND ELIGIBIL-
 ITY FOR FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS FOR STUDENTS AND A FILLABLE FREE  OR
 REDUCED  PRICE  MEALS APPLICATION THAT MAY BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED ON
 SITE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04360-01-5

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