Florida Senate - 2018                                    SB 1732
       
       
        
       By Senator Torres
       
       
       
       
       
       15-01675-18                                           20181732__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to school garden programs; creating s.
    3         1003.483, F.S.; requiring the Department of Education,
    4         in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture
    5         and Consumer Services, to annually provide to school
    6         districts certain information relating to school
    7         garden programs; authorizing schools that establish a
    8         school garden program to allow certain students to
    9         select and receive produce from the garden on a
   10         specified day each week; authorizing school garden
   11         programs to establish procedures; exempting
   12         participating schools from certain statutes and rules;
   13         providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 1003.483, Florida Statutes, is created
   18  to read:
   19         1003.483 School garden programs.—
   20         (1) The Department of Education, in collaboration with the
   21  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, shall annually
   22  provide information to each school district related to
   23  establishing a school garden program at schools within the
   24  district. The information must include, but need not be limited
   25  to, requirements for establishing a school garden program, state
   26  grants available for school garden programs, and other available
   27  resources.
   28         (2) A school that establishes a school garden program may
   29  specify one day each week on which students who qualify for free
   30  or reduced-price school lunches may select and receive produce
   31  from the school garden. Each program may establish procedures
   32  for the distribution of the produce.
   33         (3) A school that establishes a school garden program is
   34  exempt from provisions of law or rule that prohibit a student
   35  from receiving produce from, or consuming produce grown in, a
   36  garden on school grounds.
   37         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.