Pupil meals: Child Hunger Prevention and Fair Treatment Act of 2017.

The Child Hunger Prevention and Fair Treatment Act of 2017, among other things, requires certain local educational agencies, as defined, that provide school meals through the federal National School Lunch Program or the federal School Breakfast Program to ensure that a pupil whose parent or guardian has unpaid school meal fees is not shamed, treated differently, or served a meal that differs from what a pupil whose parent or guardian does not have unpaid school meal fees would receive under that local educational agency's policy. This bill instead would require those local educational agencies to ensure that a pupil whose parent or guardian has unpaid school meal fees is not denied a reimbursable meal of the pupil's choice because of the fact that the pupil's parent or guardian has unpaid meal fees and ensure that the pupil is not shamed or treated differently from other pupils. To the extent the bill would impose a higher level of service on school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.