2020 Vermont Statutes
Title 16 - Education
Chapter 27 - Transportation and Board
§ 1264. Food program
§ 1264. Food program
(a)(1) Each school board operating a public school shall cause to operate within the school district a food program that makes available a school lunch, as provided in the National School Lunch Act as amended, and a school breakfast, as provided in the National Child Nutrition Act as amended, to each attending student every school day.
(2) Each school board operating a public school shall offer a summer snack or meals program funded by the Summer Food Service program or the National School Lunch Program for participants in a summer educational or recreational program or camp if:
(A) at least 50 percent of the students in a school in the district were eligible for free or reduced-price meals under subdivision (1) of this subsection for at least one month in the preceding academic year;
(B) the district operates or funds the summer educational or recreational program or camp; and
(C) the summer educational or recreational program or camp is offered 15 or more hours per week.
(b) In the event of an emergency, the school board may apply to the Secretary for a temporary waiver of the requirements in subsection (a) of this section. The Secretary shall grant the requested waiver if he or she finds that it is unduly difficult for the school district to provide a school lunch, breakfast, or summer meals program, or any combination of the three, and if he or she finds that the school district and supervisory union have exercised due diligence to avoid the emergency situation that gives rise to the need for the requested waiver. In no event shall the waiver extend for a period to exceed 20 school days or, in the case of a summer meals program, the remainder of the summer vacation.
(c) The State shall be responsible for the student share of the cost of breakfasts provided to all students eligible for a reduced-price breakfast under the federal school breakfast program and for the student share of the cost of lunches provided to all students eligible for a reduced-price lunch under the federal school lunch program.
(d) It is a goal of the State that by the year 2022 school boards operating a school lunch, breakfast, or summer meals program shall purchase at least 20 percent of all food for those programs from local producers.
(e)(1) On or before December 31, 2020 and annually thereafter, a school board operating a school lunch, breakfast, or summer meals program shall submit to the Agency of Education an estimate of the percentage of locally produced foods that were purchased by the school board for those programs.
(2) On or before January 31, 2021 and annually thereafter, the Agency of Education shall submit to the Senate Committees on Agriculture and on Education and the House Committees on Agriculture and Forestry and on Education in an aggregated form the information received from school boards regarding the percentage of locally produced foods that are purchased as part of a school lunch, breakfast, or summer meals program. The provisions of 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) regarding expiration of required reports shall not apply to the report required by this subdivision. (Added 1973, No. 252 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; amended 2003, No. 22, § 1; 2007, No. 192 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.028; 2009, No. 87 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. April 28, 2010; 2011, No. 58, § 22, eff. May 31, 2011; 2013, No. 50, § E.501.2; 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 132, Feb. 14, 2014; 2019, No. 34, § 4.)
