Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Act of 2021
Bill: S.1421 | Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. (D-NJ)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Act of 2021
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Pilot Program to award grants to local educational agencies for (1) projects that hire qualified, full-time food and nutrition educators to carry out programs in schools that have the goal of improving student health and nutrition; and (2) projects that fund school gardens or other evidence-based interventions relating to student health and nutrition, aligned with the latest school nutrition standards, to create hands-on learning opportunities for students.
In awarding grants under the program, USDA must prioritize projects that serve schools or districts (1) in which not less than 40% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, or (2) that include neighborhoods with high rates of childhood obesity or other diet-related diseases. Additionally, it must give priority to projects that provide programming in summer months and those that are joint partnership projects.

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish 
  the Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Pilot Program, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Food and Nutrition Education in 
Schools Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FOOD AND NUTRITION EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS PILOT PROGRAM.

    Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1769) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(l) Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) Purpose.--The purpose of this subsection is to 
        provide local educational agencies with personnel dedicated to 
        implementing integrated, hands-on food and nutrition education 
        in schools with the goal of increasing acceptance and 
        consumption of healthy, high-quality meals and snacks by 
        students.
            ``(2) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        establish a pilot program, to be known as the `Food and 
        Nutrition Education in Schools Pilot Program' (referred to in 
        this subsection as the `pilot program'), under which the 
        Secretary shall award grants to local educational agencies 
        for--
                    ``(A) projects that hire qualified, full-time food 
                and nutrition educators to carry out programs in 
                schools that have the goal of improving student health 
                and nutrition; and
                    ``(B) projects that fund school gardens or other 
                evidence-based interventions relating to student health 
                and nutrition, aligned with the latest school nutrition 
                standards, to create hands-on learning opportunities 
                for students.
            ``(3) Joint partnerships.--The Secretary shall encourage, 
        to the maximum extent practicable, joint partnership projects 
        under the pilot program among--
                    ``(A) local educational agencies;
                    ``(B) nonprofit organizations, including out-of-
                school-time youth development providers;
                    ``(C) postsecondary institutions that offer 
                programs on nutrition, food preparation, or 
                agricultural science;
                    ``(D) food-service businesses (such as local farms, 
                restaurants, and food distributors);
                    ``(E) beginning farmers and ranchers (as defined in 
                section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 
                and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a)));
                    ``(F) veteran farmers and ranchers (as defined in 
                that section);
                    ``(G) socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers 
                (as defined in section 355(e) of the Consolidated Farm 
                and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2003(e))); and
                    ``(H) State and local government agencies.
            ``(4) Coordination.--In establishing the pilot program, the 
        Secretary shall consult and ensure coordination with the heads 
        of other appropriate Federal agencies and programs that deliver 
        nutrition education.
            ``(5) Project proposals.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall annually 
                solicit from local educational agencies the submission 
                of project proposals for grants under the pilot 
                program.
                    ``(B) Required elements for project proposal.--A 
                project proposal submitted under subparagraph (A) shall 
                include--
                            ``(i) a statement of the purposes of the 
                        project;
                            ``(ii) a description of--
                                    ``(I) the entity or individual with 
                                overall responsibility for the project;
                                    ``(II) the qualifications of that 
                                entity or individual;
                                    ``(III) community stakeholder 
                                engagement for the project;
                                    ``(IV) the logistics of the 
                                project; and
                                    ``(V) the methods to be used to 
                                evaluate student learning, such as 
                                through a project, presentation, or 
                                other form of assessment;
                            ``(iii) a proposed budget for the funds and 
                        time required to carry out the project;
                            ``(iv) information regarding the source and 
                        amount of any matching funding available for 
                        the project;
                            ``(v) an implementation plan, including 
                        efforts by the school food authority associated 
                        with the local educational agency to integrate 
                        activities carried out under the project with 
                        other efforts by schools to promote student 
                        health and nutrition;
                            ``(vi) information that demonstrates the 
                        clear potential of the project to contribute to 
                        implementing integrated, hands-on food and 
                        nutrition education in schools, aligned with 
                        the latest school nutrition standards, with the 
                        goal of increasing acceptance and consumption 
                        of healthy, high-quality meals and snacks;
                            ``(vii) a description of a mechanism that 
                        will be used to broadly share project results 
                        and implementation strategies; and
                            ``(viii) any other information that the 
                        Secretary considers necessary.
                    ``(C) Criteria for approval.--The Secretary may 
                award a grant for a project proposal submitted under 
                subparagraph (A) if the project--
                            ``(i) incorporates evidence-based practices 
                        proven to increase healthy food consumption by 
                        students;
                            ``(ii) includes hands-on, experiential 
                        learning;
                            ``(iii) implements school gardens, taste 
                        tests, student engagement, or other farm-to-
                        school practices;
                            ``(iv) demonstrates the commitment of the 
                        local educational agency--
                                    ``(I) to improving the nutritional 
                                value of school meals;
                                    ``(II) to carrying out innovative 
                                programs that improve the health and 
                                wellness of schoolchildren, such as 
                                farm-to-school programs; and
                                    ``(III) to accounting for the 
                                culture, input, and needs of the 
                                community;
                            ``(v) provides for project oversight by a 
                        qualified nutrition professional; and
                            ``(vi) meets any other requirement 
                        established by the Secretary.
                    ``(D) Priority.--To the maximum extent practicable, 
                in awarding grants under the pilot program, the 
                Secretary shall give priority to projects that--
                            ``(i) serve schools or districts--
                                    ``(I) in which not less than 40 
                                percent of students qualify for free or 
                                reduced-price meals under this Act or 
                                the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
                                U.S.C. 1771 et seq.); or
                                    ``(II) that include neighborhoods 
                                with high rates of childhood obesity or 
                                other diet-related diseases;
                            ``(ii) provide programming in summer 
                        months; and
                            ``(iii) are joint partnership projects as 
                        described in paragraph (3).
            ``(6) Administration.--
                    ``(A) Diversity.--In awarding grants under the 
                pilot program, the Secretary shall ensure that projects 
                are located in diverse demographic, geographic, rural, 
                urban, and suburban settings.
                    ``(B) Indian tribes.--The Secretary shall ensure 
                that not fewer than 1 project receiving a grant under 
                the pilot program--
                            ``(i) is located on an Indian reservation; 
                        or
                            ``(ii) serves a school in which the 
                        majority of the students are members of an 
                        Indian tribe.
            ``(7) Reports.--
                    ``(A) Reports to secretary.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A local educational 
                        agency that receives a grant under the pilot 
                        program shall periodically submit to the 
                        Secretary a report that includes any 
                        information that the Secretary determines is 
                        necessary to evaluate the progress and success 
                        of the project, including evidence of student 
                        learning under the project, to ensure positive 
                        results, assess problems, and foster 
                        improvements.
                            ``(ii) Availability to the public.--Reports 
                        under clause (i), and any other documents of 
                        the local educational agency relating to a 
                        project carried out using a grant awarded under 
                        the pilot program, shall be made available 
                        electronically to the public in a timely 
                        manner.
                    ``(B) Reports to congress.--Not later than 5 years 
                after the date of enactment of this subsection, and 
                annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 
                Congress a report that includes--
                            ``(i) a description of the results and 
                        effectiveness of each project carried out under 
                        the pilot program;
                            ``(ii) an examination of the impact of each 
                        project on--
                                    ``(I) student diet and dietary 
                                practices;
                                    ``(II) student performance and 
                                behavior;
                                    ``(III) food consumption;
                                    ``(IV) changes in cafeterias and 
                                the school food environment;
                                    ``(V) school meal participation by 
                                students; and
                                    ``(VI) other indicators as 
                                determined by the Secretary;
                            ``(iii) demographic data on the schools and 
                        communities served by the pilot program;
                            ``(iv) a summary of the activities 
                        conducted by each local educational agency 
                        after receiving a grant under the pilot program 
                        and the number of children served by that local 
                        educational agency; and
                            ``(v) recommendations on how the pilot 
                        program may be improved and whether funding for 
                        the pilot program should be continued.
            ``(8) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 
        2025.''.
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