No Blame, No Shame Act 2018-09-28 Introduced in House No Blame, No Shame Act

This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish requirements for the treatment of a child who is a student at a school participating in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program and is unable to pay for a meal at the school.

The bill applies to a child who either does not have funds to pay for a meal or has outstanding credit that was extended by a school food authority.

A local educational agency may not permit:

  • the public identification of the child, such as by requiring a wristband or hand stamp;
  • the stigmatization of the child, such as by preventing participation in school events; or
  • requirements for the child to perform chores or activities that are not required of students generally or dispose of food after it has been served to the child.

Any communication related to outstanding credit must be directed to the child's parent or guardian.

The bill sets forth reporting and disclosure requirements regarding school meal collection policies, violations of this bill, and the amount of student meal debt.

The bill also: (1) establishes penalties for violations, and (2) prohibits the use of collection agencies to collect an outstanding debt if the agency charges the child or the child's family fees that are in addition to the debt.

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