(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop and implement a plan to increase the number of schools participating in the United States department of agriculture community eligibility provision for the 2018-19 school year and subsequent years. The office shall work jointly with community-based organizations and national experts focused on hunger and nutrition and familiar with the community eligibility provision, at least two school representatives who have successfully implemented community eligibility, and the state agency responsible for medicaid direct certification. The plan must describe how the office of the superintendent of public instruction will:
(a) Identify and recruit eligible schools to implement the community eligibility provision, with the goal of increasing the participation rate of eligible schools to at least the national average;
(b) Provide comprehensive outreach and technical assistance to school districts and schools to implement the community eligibility provision;
(c) Support breakfast after the bell programs authorized by the legislature to adopt the community eligibility provision;
(d) Work with school districts to group schools in order to maximize the number of schools implementing the community eligibility provision; and
(e) Determine the maximum percentage of students eligible for free meals where participation in the community eligibility provision provides the most support for a school, school district, or group of schools.
(2) Until June 30, 2021, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall convene the organizations working jointly on the plan monthly to report on the status of the plan and coordinate outreach and technical assistance efforts to schools and school districts. In completing the duties required by this subsection (2), the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the organizations working jointly on the plan shall also, by December 1, 2020, examine the impacts to schools and districts that can result from participation in the community eligibility provision and identify approaches to addressing those impacts.
(3) Beginning in 2018, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall report annually the number of schools that have implemented the community eligibility provision to the legislature by December 1st of each year. The report shall identify:
(a) Any barriers to implementation;
(b) Recommendations on policy and legislative solutions to overcome barriers to implementation;
(c) Reasons potentially eligible schools and school districts decide not to adopt the community eligibility provision; and
(d) Approaches in other states to adopting the community eligibility provision.
[ 2020 c 288 § 2; 2019 c 208 § 2; 2018 c 271 § 6.]
NOTES:
Short title—2020 c 288: See note following RCW 28A.235.300.
Short title—2018 c 271: See note following RCW 28A.235.250.