2018 Maryland Code
Education
Division II - Elementary and Secondary Education
Title 7 - Public Schools
Subtitle 7 - Breakfast Program
§ 7-704. Maryland Meals for Achievement In-Classroom Breakfast Program
(a) "Program" defined. --
(1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.
(2) "Program" means the Maryland Meals for Achievement In-Classroom Breakfast Program.
(3) "Secondary schools" includes middle schools and high schools.
(b) Established. --
(1) There is a school breakfast program in the State, known as the Maryland Meals for Achievement In-Classroom Breakfast Program.
(2) The Program is a joint effort of the Department and the county boards or sponsoring agencies for eligible nonpublic schools.
(c) Purpose. --
(1) The purpose of the Program is to provide funding for a school that makes an in-classroom breakfast available to all students in the school.
(2) The funding is intended to complement the funding received by a school from the federal government for a school breakfast program.
(d) Application; participation. -- The Department shall:
(1) Develop an application form for a school that desires to participate in the Program;
(2) Ensure that the schools that participate in the Program represent geographic and socioeconomic balance statewide;
(3) Subject to subsection (e) of this section, ensure that a school that participates in the Program is a school at which at least 40% of the registered students are eligible for the federal free or reduced price meal program;
(4) Select schools to participate in the Program, ensuring that an annual evaluation of the Program is conducted by the Department;
(5) Annually review and set the meal reimbursement rate for schools that participate in the Program to complement the federal meal reimbursement rate determined under ยง 7-703 of this subtitle; and
(6) Disburse the Program funds to the county board or the sponsoring agency.
(e) Continuance to participate in Program if school has less than 40% of eligible students. --
(1) If a school that participates in the Program has less than 40% of the registered students eligible for the federal free or reduced price meal plan, the school shall remain eligible to participate in the Program for 1 year.
(2) If, after 1 year, the school's percent of registered students eligible for the federal free or reduced price meal plan is less than 40%, the school is no longer eligible to participate in the Program.
(f) Sponsoring agency. -- A county board or a sponsoring agency for an eligible nonpublic school shall:
(1) Apply to the Department for funds for schools within the jurisdiction of the board or for schools that are under the sponsoring agency that:
(i) Are eligible to participate in the Program; and
(ii) Apply to the board or to the sponsoring agency to participate in the Program; and
(2) Submit an annual report to the Department on the Program, including the manner in which the funds have been expended.
(g) Rules for serving student participants. -- A school that participates in the Program shall:
(1) Implement an in-classroom breakfast program in which all students in the school may participate regardless of family income;
(2) Serve a breakfast that meets the guidelines of the Department and the nutritional standards of the United States Department of Agriculture for schools that participate in the federal school breakfast program;
(3) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, serve the breakfast in the classroom after the arrival of students to the school;
(4) Collect the data that the county board or the sponsoring agency and the Department require from participants in the Program; and
(5) Submit an annual report to the county board or the sponsoring agency.
(h) Service in any part of school, including use of carts. -- Secondary schools may serve breakfast in any part of the school, including from "Grab and Go" carts after the arrival of students to the school.
(i) Negotiating terms of participation. -- The employee organization that is the exclusive representative of the certificated public school employees of a county board and the employee organization that is the exclusive representative of the noncertificated employees of a county board and the county board shall negotiate the terms of the participation of the employees in the Program.
(j) Annual appropriation. -- The Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $ 7,550,000 to the Program.