Washington § 28A.235.270 Free or reduced-price meals—School prohibitions.

Washington Statutes

§ 28A.235.270 — Free or reduced-price meals—School prohibitions.

Washington § 28A.235.270

Title 28ACOMMON SCHOOL PROVISIONS

Ch. 28A.235FOOD SERVICES

This text of Washington § 28A.235.270 (Free or reduced-price meals—School prohibitions.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Wash. Rev. Code § 28A.235.270 (2026).

Text

(1)No school or school district personnel or school volunteer may:

(a)Take any action that would publicly identify a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student, including but not limited to requiring the student to wear a wristband, hand stamp, or other identifying marker, or by serving the student an alternative meal;

(b)Require a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student to perform chores or other actions in exchange for a meal or for the reduction or elimination of a school meal debt, unless all students perform similar chores or work;

(c)Require a student to dispose of an already served meal because of the student's inability to pay for the meal or because of money owed for meals previously

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(1) No school or school district personnel or school volunteer may:

(a) Take any action that would publicly identify a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student, including but not limited to requiring the student to wear a wristband, hand stamp, or other identifying marker, or by serving the student an alternative meal;

(b) Require a student who cannot pay for a school meal or for meals previously served to the student to perform chores or other actions in exchange for a meal or for the reduction or elimination of a school meal debt, unless all students perform similar chores or work;

(c) Require a student to dispose of an already served meal because of the student's inability to pay for the meal or because of money owed for meals previously served to the student;

(d) Allow any disciplinary action that is taken against a student to result in the denial or delay of a nutritionally adequate meal to the student; or

(e) Require a parent or guardian to pay fees or costs in excess of the actual amounts owed for meals previously served to the student.

(2) Communications from a school or school district about amounts owed for meals previously served to a student under the age of fifteen may only be directed to the student's parent or guardian. Nothing in this subsection prohibits a school or school district from sending a student home with a notification that is addressed to the student's parent or guardian.

(3)(a) A school district shall notify a parent or guardian of the negative balance of a student's school meal account no later than ten days after the student's school meal account has reached a negative balance. Within thirty days of sending this notification, the school district shall exhaust all options to directly certify the student for free or reduced-price meals. Within these thirty days, while the school district is attempting to certify the student for free or reduced-price meals, the student may not be denied access to a school meal unless the school district determines that the student is ineligible for free or reduced-price meals.

(b) If the school district is unable to directly certify the student for free or reduced-price meals, the school district shall provide the parent or guardian with a paper copy of or an electronic link to an application for free or reduced-price meals with the notification required by (a) of this subsection and encourage the parent or guardian to submit the application.

Short title — 2018 c 271: See note following RCW 28A.235.250 .