Administrative Regulation

AR 3553

Business and Noninstructional Operations

Free And Reduced Price Meals

The district's plan for students receiving free or reduced price meals shall set forth the following conditions: (Education Code 49557)

1. The names of the students shall not be published, posted or announced in any manner, or used for any other purpose other than the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

2. There shall be no overt identification of any of the students by the use of special tokens or tickets or by any other means.

3. The students shall not be required to work for their meals or milk.

4. The students shall not be required to use a separate dining area, go through a separate entrance, or consume their meals or milk at a different time.

5. When more than one lunch, breakfast or type of milk is offered, the students shall have the same choice of meals or milk as is available to those students who pay the full price.

This plan shall be submitted to the California Department of Education for approval. (Education Code 49557)

Applications and Records

An application form for free or reduced price meals shall be distributed to all parents/guardians at the beginning of each school year, together with information about eligibility standards, application procedures and appeal procedures. This form and information shall also be provided whenever a new student is enrolled. (Education Code 49520, 48980)

(cf. 5145.6 - Parental Notifications)

Applications for free or reduced price meal programs shall be available to students at all times during the regular school day and shall contain the following statements: (Education Code 49557)

1. Applications for free or reduced price meals may be submitted at any time during a school day.

2. Children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs will not be overtly identified by the use of special tokens, special tickets, special serving lines, separate entrances, separate dining areas, or by any other means.

All applications and records related to eligibility for the free or reduced price meal program shall be confidential. They shall be open to examination only for purposes of this program or for any investigation, prosecution, or criminal or civil proceeding conducted in connection with the administration of any free and reduced price meal program. (Education Code 49558)

The Board of Education designates the following district employees to use individual records pertaining to student participation in the free or reduced price meal program solely for the purpose of disaggregation of academic achievement data:

Director of Technology

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

In using these records for that purpose, the following conditions shall be satisfied: (Education Code 49558)

1. No individual indicators of participation in the free or reduced price meal program shall be maintained in the permanent records of any students if not otherwise allowed by law.

(cf. 5125 - Student Records)

2. Information regarding individual student participation in the free or reduced price meal program shall not be publicly released.

(cf. 4119.23/4219.23/4319.23 - Unauthorized Release of Confidential/Privileged Information)

3. All other confidentiality provisions required by law shall be met.

Regulation PALOS VERDES PENINSULA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

approved: March 22, 2001 Palos Verdes Estates, California