OH HB408

Each school district must provide a meal to any student who requests one, regardless of ability to pay or existing meal debt.

Districts are prohibited from discarding meals due to non-payment, requiring students to do chores to pay for meals, refusing meals as discipline, or publicly identifying students with meal debt.

All communications about student meal debt must be directed to parents or guardians rather than students, except when students inquire directly.

The Department of Education shall provide guidance to districts on meal debt collection practices and best practices for creating online payment systems, to be posted on the department's public website.

Sections 3314.03, 3326.11, and 3328.24 are amended to require community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools to comply with the new meal provision requirements in section 3313.819.