Expanded school breakfast options could be coming to most Delaware public school students as early as next year.
State lawmakers are considering the move to help reduce the stigma surrounding kids who receive free or reduced meals at school.
Under the bill, public schools – except for charter schools – would have to start serving breakfast during first period, allow an à la carte option or let students eat before second period.
They also say it’ll have the added effect of helping to increase alertness in students and reduce disruptions in classrooms.
Chief House sponsor, Rep. Ed Osienski (D-Newark), says the current system is inefficient and could be improved with these changes.
“It’s been disruptive," said Osienski. "The schools that have switched to this alternative plan where everybody goes through the line has seen a reduction in the disruption in the mornings when you have wandering back when everybody else is already in the classroom."
More than 100 schools in the state offered free breakfast and lunch to their entire student body at the beginning of the 2015-16 school year.
High poverty schools would have to work in the new changes beginning this coming fall. All other public schools – aside from charters – will choose a system by the 2017-2018 school year.
The changes, Osienski says, won’t be much of an extra burden on school districts.
“They can go from a very low budget, almost no additional startup costs by just putting tables out there and milk carton crates with the food in there," said Osienski. "Some schools with their local funding may choose to go to more of a Cadillac thing with refrigerated kiosks and what not.”
Osienski claims it’ll cost less than $50,000 to implement, but it’s unknown where the money will come from, since work on the budget wrapped up last week.
He says he’s hoping for a last-minute windfall in state revenue projections coming later this month.
The state’s largest teachers union, the Delaware State Education Association, the state Department of Education and the Food Bank of Delaware all collaborated on the bill.
It’ll be heard in committee later this afternoon.
Also in the House, a bill that claims to bring transparency to the state fund that spends money collected through its civil asset forfeiture program, while simultaneously carving out loopholes, passed easily.
Cash collected through the program sits in the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund, or SLEAF, and is currently exempt from public disclosure laws.
The bill from Rep. Larry Mitchell (D-Elsmere) says it would make it subject to sunshine laws, but cops would simultaneously be able to apply for money in secret and withdraw their applications without disclosure if they are later considered public records.
Mitchell says some secrecy is necessary to not tip off criminals under investigation.
“All of these applications that are being submitted, they’re active investigations so you certainly don’t want to disclose information," said Mitchell.
The bill passed 36-4 with no discussion and now needs Senate approval.
A bill from Sen. Colin Bonini (R-Dover South) would completely erase civil asset forfeiture and SLEAF from state law, but it’s been lingering in a committee for months.
Leg Hall’s upper chamber also voted to allow Sunday hunting at certain points throughout the October and January deer seasons.
Hunting can take place on private land and hearings will be held before allowing any hunting on public land.
Gov. Jack Markell (D-Delaware) is currently considering the bill, which needs his signature to become law.
