| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to children's summer nutrition programs; |
| 3 | providing a popular name; requiring each district school |
| 4 | board to develop a plan to sponsor a summer nutrition |
| 5 | program; providing criteria for operating summer nutrition |
| 6 | program sites; authorizing exemption from sponsoring a |
| 7 | summer nutrition program and providing procedures |
| 8 | therefor; requiring a district school board to annually |
| 9 | reconsider its decision to be exempt; authorizing district |
| 10 | school boards to encourage not-for-profit entities to |
| 11 | sponsor a summer nutrition program under certain |
| 12 | circumstances; authorizing a superintendent of schools to |
| 13 | collaborate with specified agencies and private, not-for- |
| 14 | profit leaders to implement a summer nutrition program; |
| 15 | providing for reporting; directing the Department of |
| 16 | Education to provide each district school board with a |
| 17 | list of organizations intending to participate; providing |
| 18 | an effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. Children's summer nutrition program.-- |
| 23 | (1) This section may be cited as the "Ms. Willie Ann Glenn |
| 24 | Act." |
| 25 | (2) Each district school board shall develop a plan by May |
| 26 | 1, 2006, to sponsor a summer nutrition program beginning the |
| 27 | summer of 2006 to operate sites in the school district as |
| 28 | follows: |
| 29 | (a) Within 5 miles of at least one elementary school at |
| 30 | which 50 percent or more of the students are eligible for free |
| 31 | or reduced-price school meals and for the duration of 35 |
| 32 | consecutive days; and |
| 33 | (b) Except as operated pursuant to paragraph (a), within |
| 34 | 10 miles of each elementary school at which 50 percent or more |
| 35 | of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price school |
| 36 | meals. |
| 37 | (3)(a) District school boards may be exempt from |
| 38 | sponsoring a summer nutrition program pursuant to this section. |
| 39 | A district school board seeking such exemption must include the |
| 40 | issue on an agenda at a regular or special district school board |
| 41 | meeting that is publicly noticed, provide residents an |
| 42 | opportunity to participate in the discussion, and vote on |
| 43 | whether to be exempt from this section. The district school |
| 44 | board shall notify the Commissioner of Education within 10 days |
| 45 | after it decides to become exempt from this section. |
| 46 | (b) Each year the district school board shall reconsider |
| 47 | its decision to be exempt from the provisions of this section |
| 48 | and shall vote on whether to continue the exemption from |
| 49 | sponsoring a summer nutrition program. The district school board |
| 50 | shall notify the Commissioner of Education within 10 days after |
| 51 | each subsequent year's decision to continue the exemption. |
| 52 | (c) If a district school board elects to be exempt from |
| 53 | sponsoring a summer nutrition program under this section, the |
| 54 | district school board may encourage not-for-profit entities to |
| 55 | sponsor the program. If a not-for-profit entity chooses to |
| 56 | sponsor the summer nutrition program but fails to perform with |
| 57 | regard to the program, the district school board, the school |
| 58 | district, and the Department of Education are not required to |
| 59 | continue the program and shall be held harmless from any |
| 60 | liability arising from the discontinuation of the summer |
| 61 | nutrition program. |
| 62 | (4) The superintendent of schools may collaborate with |
| 63 | municipal and county governmental agencies and private, not-for- |
| 64 | profit leaders in implementing the plan. Although schools have |
| 65 | proven to be the optimal site for a summer nutrition program, |
| 66 | any not-for-profit entity may serve as a site or sponsor. By |
| 67 | April 15 of each year, each school district with a summer |
| 68 | nutrition program shall report to the department the district's |
| 69 | summer nutrition program sites in compliance with this section. |
| 70 | (5) The department shall provide to each district school |
| 71 | board by February 15 of each year a list of local organizations |
| 72 | that have filed letters of intent to participate in the summer |
| 73 | nutrition program in order that a district school board is able |
| 74 | to determine how many sites are needed to serve the children and |
| 75 | where to place each site. |
| 76 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |