School meal debt; each school board to annually report., the official text

CHAPTER 54
An Act to amend and reenact § 22.1-79.7 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school meal debt; annual report.
[H 210]
Approved April 2, 2026

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 22.1-79.7 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 22.1-79.7. School meal policies; donations.
A. Each local school board shall adopt policies that:
1. Prohibit school board employees from requiring a student who cannot pay for a meal at school or who owes a school meal debt to throw away or discard a meal after it has been served to him, do chores or other work to pay for such meals, or wear a wristband or hand stamp;
2. Require school board employees to direct any communication relating to a school meal debt to the student's parent. Such policy may permit such communication to be made by a letter addressed to the parent to be sent home with the student;
3. Prohibit the school board from filing a lawsuit against a student or the student's parent because the student cannot pay for a meal at school or owes a school meal debt; and
4. Prohibit the school board or any school board employee from denying a student the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular school activity because the student cannot pay for a meal at school or owes a school meal debt.
B. Any school board may solicit and receive any donation or other funds for the purpose of eliminating or offsetting any school meal debt at any time and shall use any such funds solely for such purpose.
C. Each school board shall annually report to the Department the amount of school meal debt in the local school division. The Department shall annually aggregate and submit such reports to the General Assembly. No such report shall contain any personally identifiable student information.