| Chapter 039 |
| 2026 -- S 2635 Enacted 06/10/2026 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID |
Introduced By: Senators Lawson, Gallo, Ciccone, Tikoian, LaMountain, Bissaillon, Murray, Urso, Britto, and Thompson |
| Date Introduced: February 13, 2026 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Chapter 16-8 of the General Laws entitled "Federal Aid [See Title 16 Chapter |
| 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto the |
| following section: |
| 16-8-9.1. School lunch program -- Fees, transparency, and payment protections. |
| (a) Prohibition and permitted fees by meal service collection providers. |
| (1) Meal service collection providers shall only impose fees that directly correspond to the |
| actual costs of collecting or processing payments for school meals and shall not generate profit or |
| revenue beyond those costs. |
| (2) Fees for any other purpose, including profit, convenience, or administrative gain, are |
| prohibited. |
| (3) Any fee permitted under this subsection shall be capped at a percentage of the |
| transaction amount, which shall not exceed two percent (2%) of the amount deposited into a student |
| meal account, or a lower percentage as may be established by the Rhode Island department of |
| education by regulation. |
| (4) All funds collected from families or provided by public agencies for school meals shall |
| be applied primarily to the cost of meal service and the limited allowable collection costs under |
| this subsection. |
| (5) For purposes of this section, “meal service collection provider” means any vendor, |
| contractor, payment processor, or entity engaged by a school, school district, or the Rhode Island |
| department of education to collect, process, or manage school meal payments. |
| (b) No-Fee payment options. |
| (1) The Rhode Island department of education (RIDE) shall ensure that all public schools |
| and school districts provide at least one no-fee payment method for parents, guardians, or students |
| to make payments for school meals and any other school-related fees managed through a payment |
| platform. |
| (2) No-fee options may include, but are not limited to, in-person payments, mailed |
| payments, electronic transfers without vendor-imposed fees, or any other method approved by |
| RIDE. |
| (3) RIDE shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing uniform statewide standards |
| for no-fee payment access. |
| (4) Local education agencies, under the guidance of RIDE, shall notify parents and |
| guardians of the available no-fee payment options and the procedures to use them. Notifications |
| shall be clear, timely, and accessible through multiple channels including, but not limited to, email, |
| school websites, and written communications. |
| (c) Fee disclosure requirements for payment platforms. |
| (1) Any payment processing platform, online portal, or digital collection system used by a |
| school or school district shall clearly and conspicuously disclose to users: |
| (i) Whether any user fees will be charged; |
| (ii) The amount and type of each fee; and |
| (iii) Whether a no-fee payment option is available and how to access it. |
| (2) Disclosure shall occur prior to the completion of any transaction and shall not be |
| obscured, minimized, or pre-checked. |
| (3) Districts shall ensure that contracts with vendors comply with these disclosure |
| requirements. Any contract entered into after the effective date of this section that fails to comply |
| shall be voidable at the option of the district. |
| (d) Rulemaking. RIDE shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement and |
| enforce the provisions of this section, including vendor compliance, accessibility standards, and |
| uniform disclosure requirements. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC004915 |
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