| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to providing nutrition to children; |
| 3 | providing a popular name; requiring the Food and Nutrition |
| 4 | Management Office of the Department of Education to |
| 5 | develop a plan for providing, in each school district, |
| 6 | summer food programs that serve children who qualify for |
| 7 | free or reduced-price lunches during the school year; |
| 8 | providing requirements of the department and of the |
| 9 | superintendent of schools; requiring the school districts |
| 10 | to report to the department annually; providing an |
| 11 | effective date. |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Section 1. Children's Summer Nutrition Act.-- |
| 16 | (1) This section shall be known by the popular name the |
| 17 | "Children's Summer Nutrition Act." |
| 18 | (2) The Food and Nutrition Management Office of the |
| 19 | Department of Education shall develop a plan to ensure that, by |
| 20 | the summer of 2005, at least one summer food program shall |
| 21 | operate in each school district for at least 40 days during the |
| 22 | summer months within 5 miles of an elementary school at which 50 |
| 23 | percent or more of the students are eligible for free or |
| 24 | reduced-price school meals. The department shall designate a |
| 25 | person on its administrative staff who shall coordinate |
| 26 | activities to implement this subsection. |
| 27 | (3) The plan shall also require all school districts to |
| 28 | ensure that, by the summer of 2006, there is a summer food site |
| 29 | within 10 miles of each elementary school at which 50 percent or |
| 30 | more of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price |
| 31 | school meals. |
| 32 | (4) The department shall use the October school indicator |
| 33 | report on eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals to |
| 34 | determine which elementary schools in each school district meet |
| 35 | the criteria set forth in subsections (2) and (3). The |
| 36 | department shall provide such information to each superintendent |
| 37 | of schools by November 30 of each year. |
| 38 | (5) The superintendent of schools in each school district, |
| 39 | in collaboration with local county government and private, |
| 40 | nonprofit leaders, shall implement the plan to ensure access to |
| 41 | the Summer Food Service Program. Although schools have proven to |
| 42 | be the optimal sites for a summer food program, any nonprofit |
| 43 | organization may serve as a site or sponsor. By May 15 of each |
| 44 | year, each school district shall report to the department the |
| 45 | district's summer food sites in compliance with this act. |
| 46 | (6) The department shall provide to each school district |
| 47 | by February 15 of each year a list of local organizations that |
| 48 | have filed letters of intent to participate, so that the school |
| 49 | districts can determine adequate coverage of need and placement |
| 50 | of sites. |
| 51 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004. |