Louisiana § RS 17:192.1 - Meals; denial to students; procedures

§ RS 17:192.1. Meals; denial to students; procedures

            A. If the governing authority of a public elementary school, for any reason, adopts a policy of denying a scheduled meal to a child who is an elementary school student, it shall implement the following procedures to provide for safeguards to the child's health and the child's ability to learn:

            (1) Prior to withholding a meal from the child, the school shall do each of the following:

NOTE: Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) eff. until Oct. 1, 2027. See Acts 2025, No. 477.

            (a) Provide actual notification to the child's parent or legal guardian as to the date and time after which meals may be denied, the reason for such denial, any action that may be taken by the parent or legal guardian to prevent further denial of meals, and the consequences of the failure to take appropriate actions to prevent such denial, including that the school governing authority shall contact the office of children and family services within the Department of Children and Family Services upon the third instance of such denial during a single school year as provided in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection.

NOTE: Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) eff. Oct. 1, 2027. See Acts 2025, No. 477.

            (a) Provide actual notification to the child's parent or legal guardian as to the date and time after which meals may be denied, the reason for such denial, any action that may be taken by the parent or legal guardian to prevent further denial of meals, and the consequences of the failure to take appropriate actions to prevent such denial, including that the school governing authority shall contact the office of child welfare, Department of Children and Family Services upon the third instance of such denial during a single school year as provided in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection.

            (b) Verify with appropriate school staff that the child does not have an Individual Education Plan that requires the child to receive meals provided by the school to ensure that neither the child's health nor learning ability will be negatively affected by denying the child meals during school hours.

            (2) If the school denies a scheduled meal to a child, the school shall provide a sandwich or a substantial and nutritious snack item to the child as a substitute for the meal denied.

NOTE: Paragraph (A)(3) eff. until Oct. 1, 2027. See Acts 2025, No. 477.

            (3) Upon the third instance during a single school year of the same elementary school child being denied a meal during school hours, the school governing authority shall contact the office of children and family services within the Department of Children and Family Services to report the failure of the parent or guardian to pay for meals which has resulted in repeated denials of meals during school hours.

NOTE: Paragraph (A)(3) eff. Oct. 1, 2027. See Acts 2025, No. 477.

            (3) Upon the third instance during a single school year of the same elementary school child being denied a meal during school hours, the school governing authority shall contact the office of child welfare, Department of Children and Family Services to report the failure of the parent or guardian to pay for meals which has resulted in repeated denials of meals during school hours.

            B. If the governing authority of a public elementary school adopts a policy of denying a scheduled meal to a child for the reason that the child's parent or guardian has failed to pay for the meal, or owes a debt to the governing authority for previously furnished meals, it shall implement additional procedures to ensure compliance with the nondiscrimination provisions of R.S. 17:195(A).

            C. If the governing authority of a public elementary school adopts a policy of denying a scheduled meal to a child, the governing authority shall document each instance that a child is denied a meal in the elementary school under its authority. Such documentation shall be provided upon request to the state superintendent of education, the secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, the House Committee on Education, or the Senate Committee on Education.

            D. No governing authority of a public elementary school shall implement a policy that bans the use of charitable funds donated by school employees or the use of other charitable funds to pay for a child's meal in the event that he is subject to the denial of a meal during school hours.

            Acts 2010, No. 737, §1; Acts 2010, No. 877, §3; Acts 2013, No. 329, §1; Acts 2025, No. 477, §8, eff. Oct. 1, 2027.