A. A school shall provide:

(1) a free, printed meal application in every school enrollment packet, or if the school chooses to use an electronic meal application, provide in school enrollment packets an explanation of the electronic meal application process and instructions for how parents or guardians may request a paper application at no cost; and

(2) meal applications and instructions in a language that parents and guardians understand. If a parent or guardian cannot read or understand a meal application, the school shall offer assistance in completing the application.

B. If a school becomes aware that a student who has not submitted a meal application is eligible for free or reduced-fee meals, the school shall complete and file an application for the student under the authority granted by Title 7, Section 245.6(d) of the Code of Federal Regulations.

C. Subsections A and B of this section do not apply to a school that provides free meals to all students in a year in which the school does not collect meal applications from students.

D. The liaison required of a school pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act shall coordinate with the nutrition department to make sure that a homeless student receives free school meals and shall be appropriately coded and entered in the student-teacher accountability reporting system. The requirements of this subsection do not apply to a private or religious school.

History: Laws 2017, ch. 117, § 3.

Effective dates. — Laws 2017, ch. 117 contained no effective date provision, but, pursuant to N.M. Const., art. IV, § 23, was effective June 16, 2017, 90 days after the adjournment of the legislature.