2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 18A - Education
Section 18A:33-21b1 - Information provided to parent, guardian.

18A:33-21b1 Information provided to parent, guardian.

16. a. At the beginning of each school year, or upon initial enrollment, in the case of a student who enrolls during the school year, a school district shall provide each student's parent or guardian with:

(1) information on the National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program, including, but not limited to, information on the availability of free or reduced price meals for eligible students, information on the application and determination processes that are used to certify eligible students for subsidized school meals, and information on the rights that are available to students and their families under this section and section 1 of P.L.2015, c.15 (C.18A:33-21); and

(2) a school meals application form, as well as instructions for completing the application, and, as necessary, assistance in completing the application.

b. The school meals information and application provided to parents and guardians, pursuant to subsection a. of this section, shall:

(1) be communicated in a language that the parent or guardian understands;

(2) specify the limited purposes for which collected personal data may be used, as provided by subsection c. of this section; and

(3) be submitted to the parent or guardian either in writing or electronically. In the latter case, the school district shall use the usual means by which it communicates with parents and guardians electronically.

c. A school meals application that is completed by a parent or guardian shall be confidential, and shall not be used or shared by the student's school or school district, except as may be necessary to:

(1) determine whether a student identified in the application is eligible for free or reduced price school meals;

(2) determine whether the school or school district is required, by section 2 of P.L.2018, c.25 (C.18A:33-11.3) or by section 1 of P.L.2018, c.28 (C.18A:33-24), to establish a breakfast after the bell program, or to participate as a sponsor or site in the federal Summer Meals Service Program;

(3) ensure that the school receives appropriate reimbursement, from the State and federal governments, for meals provided to eligible students, free of charge, through a school lunch program, a school breakfast program, a breakfast after the bell program, a summer meals program, or an emergency meals distribution program; and

(4) facilitate school aid determinations under the "School Funding Reform Act of 2008," P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-43 et seq.).

L.2022, c.104, s.16.