The Arizona Republic's politics team looks at the most impactful stories that they worked on in 2017 and share predictions for 2018. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
Rep. Trent Franks steps down from Congress amid sex harassment allegations, the Goldwater Institute controls Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and Arizona leaders want to increase sales tax to increase school funding. Hayley Sanchez/azcentral.com
The Republic's politics team talks Jeff Flake's controversial endorsement check, the state's child welfare agency and how the Republican tax plan will impact Arizonans. Carly Henry/azcentral
The Republic's politics teams talks Rep. Grijalva's settlement after an employee accused him of working drunk, the race for State Treasurer and Mesa Mayor John Giles' comment to Jeff Flake insulting Trump on Nov. 29, 2017. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's politics team talks on Nov. 22, 2017, about the "awkward" Senate race and an unusual decision made by the Arizona Court of Appeals to restore parental rights to a mother who had her rights previously stripped. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's politics team talks about the Don Shooter sexual-harassment scandal, how Foster Care Review Boards do not reflect their communities, and how Rep. Tom O'Halleran's office isn't in his district. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
The Republic's political team discusses Rep. Martha McSally entering the 2018 Senate race and more sexual harassment allegations in Arizona's Legislature on Nov. 8, 2017. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's politics team talks Bisbees's plastic bag ban, KidsCare funds drying up and Martha McSally and Paul Gosar entering Arizona's Senate race on Nov. 1, 2017. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's political team discusses Sen. Jeff Flake not running for re-election amidst a changing Republican Party and the allegations of sexual harassment in Arizona's Legislature. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
The Republic's political team discusses Governor Doug Ducey giving raises to the members of his inner circle instead of prioritizing teacher raises as promised. Steve Bannon visits Arizona and Paul Gosar's family feud. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
The Republic's politics team discusses the most recent developments in the race for City Hall, Congressman Paul Gosar's view of the Charlottesville white supremacists rally and the upset after the release of school letter grades on Oct. 11, 2017.
The Republic's political team on Oct. 4, 2017, discusses the class-action lawsuit against the Department of Child Safety, the development of the U.S. Senate race in Arizona and Vice President Mike Pence's visit. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
The Republic's political team talks about President DonalTrump blaming Sen. John McCain for another failed attempt to repeal "Obamacare" and Homeland Security makes an official statement on a hack of voter-registration data. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's political team discusses the cost of President Trump's rally to the city of Phoenix, the Arizona Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex couple's rights and Gov. Doug Ducey trying to repeal 'Obamacare.' Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's political team discusses Mark Brnovich suing Arizona Regents over high tuition costs, Trump cutting a deal with Democrats and the Constitutional Planning Convention on Sept. 13, 2017. Carly Henry and Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's political team on Sep. 6, 2017, discusses Arizona's school-voucher program potentially reaching the ballot, the future of DACA and the recent House vote on Hurricane Harvey relief. Johanna Huckeba and Carly Henry/azcentral
The Republic's political team on Aug. 30, 2017, talk about Arpaio's pardon, the future of DACA and Jeff Flake's re-election campaign. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral
The Republic's political team on Aug. 23, 2017, talks President Trump's visit to Arizona and if the school voucher referendum will make the ballot. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
The Republic's political team talks on Aug. 15, 2017, about Rep. Kyrsten Sinema's likely Senate run, the drop in investigations into reports of child neglect, and Trump's scheduled visit to Phoenix. Sean Logan/azcentral.com
Sen. Jeff Flake's new book defends Reagan-style conservatism and critiques the Republican Party. Gov. Doug Ducey plays a role in Sen. John McCain's health-care vote. U.S. Rep. Martha McSally helps craft a bipartisan plan for the insurance system. Thomas Hawthorne/The Republic
The Republic's political team on July 26, 2017, talks about Sen. John McCain's dramatic health-bill appearance, the ALEC conference and the saga of Mesa Councilman Ryan Winkle. Hannah Gaber/azcentral.com
In the July 19 episode, the Republic's politics team talks about Sen. McCain's health scare and the health care bill that wasn't, Rep. Martha McSally's big spending, and what's to become of the school voucher petition. Hannah Gaber/azcentral.com
In this week's episode, reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Dan Nowicki and Rob Hansen discuss the health-care bill, and how it might affect Arizonans, along with the state's school-voucher program. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
The Republic's political team discusses Arizona's congress support of President Trump's agenda, the disconnect between foster families and the Department of Child Safety and a recent request for voter information. Johanna Huckeba/azcentral.com
The Gaggle: The year in stories
The Gaggle: Trent Franks, ESAs, school funding increases
The Gaggle: DCS disbands review panels, tax plan
The Gaggle: Rep. Grijalva's settlement, Mesa's mayor faces backlash
The Gaggle: AZ's memorable delegation, voter registration numbers
The Gaggle: Shooter's harassment scandal, foster-care boards
The Gaggle: Sex harassment in AZ's Legislature
The Gaggle: Senate race, Bisbee bag ban, KidsCare
The Gaggle: Flake out; Legislature harassment
The Gaggle: Ducey shows us the money, Bannon's visit, Gosar's family feud
The Gaggle: Arizona elections, school letter grades, Paul Gosar on Charlottesville
The Gaggle: DCS lawsuit, Senate race
The Gaggle: Russia hack, another ACA repeal
The Gaggle: Trump rally costs, gay couple's rights
The Gaggle: Mark Brnovich sues Arizona Regents, Constitutional Planning Convention
The Gaggle: State school vouchers, DACA and Hurricane Harvey relief
The Gaggle: Arpaio pardon, future of DACA and Flake's re-election campaign
The Gaggle: Trump's visit, school voucher referendum update
The Gaggle: Trump's Phoenix rally, Arpaio pardon and Sinema's run
The Gaggle: Flake's new book, health care and bipartiship
The Gaggle: McCain's return to the Senate and more
The Gaggle: School voucher petition, health care and McSally
The Gaggle: Health bill, school-voucher program
The Gaggle: Foster families, Trump's agenda and voter information
Students who can't pay for school lunch shouldn't be forced to eat something different from the other kids or have to work off the expense, an Arizona lawmaker says.
Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Phoenix, has introduced legislation to ban what he calls "school lunch shaming."
Senate Bill 1036 sets forth seven stipulations regarding how schools must address unpaid meal fees.
The Arizona Department of Education already offers similar guidelines to schools, but Quezada wanted to "take it a step further."
He acknowledged public shaming of students is not a "widespread problem," but he said his bill takes action against bad actors and solidifies the guidelines.
"I really just wanted to codify it into law," said Quezada, who also serves as the vice president of the Pendergast Elementary School District Governing Board.
If it passes, Arizona would be the second state in the nation to ban lunch shaming.
In April, New Mexico passed the "Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights." It directed any school that receives federal subsidies to prohibit actions that might call attention to a student that can't pay for a school meal.
In May, Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., introduced the Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2017 in Congress, which would establish similar requirements for treatment of children unable to pay for lunch. It hasn't progressed any further as of December.
The details
The bill's seven requirements would push districts to re-evaluate their handling of students' outstanding lunch fees, Quezada said.
His bill would:
- Prohibit shaming, different treatment or the serving of an alternative meal to students with unpaid fees.
- Forbid any disciplinary treatment that results in the denial or delay of a meal.
- Forbid schools from requiring a student to do chores or other work to pay off meal fees.
- Require schools to notify parents or guardians of a negative school meal account within 10 days. But first, schools must try to enroll a needy student in the federal free or reduced-price meal program or try to help the parent or guardian enroll in the program.
- Allow schools to try to collect unpaid school meal fees, but would forbid them from using a debt collector.
- Forbid the indefinite accrual of unpaid fees.
- Allow schools to set up a fund and collect donations to help pay students' unpaid meal fees.
Quezada said the first stipulation was included to combat hand stamps or bills pinned to clothing when students can't pay their debts. He said alternative meals also serve as signifiers to other students of a child's unpaid fees.
"A school should be able to discipline appropriately" — but never to affect a student's meal, Quezada said. He wanted to "play it safe" when it comes to students working off fees but hasn't "heard anything specifically."
Quezada said the requirements that schools help families in need sign up for the federal assistance program are intended to educate.
"A lot of parents are unaware that they are eligible" for free or reduced lunch, the senator said.
As for debt collection and letting unpaid fees build up, Quezada said he isn't trying to let lunches go free indefinitely.
"We're not prohibiting schools from trying to collect debt," he said. "I didn't want to create a process that allowed parents to take advantage of the system."
But he said sending an official debt collector would push economically distressed people into a further "spiral of debt."
Quezada said districts already are able to fundraise, but he said he wanted to allow them to do targeted fundraising for this specific purpose.
Chances of success
Heidi Vega, spokeswoman for the Arizona School Boards Association, said it's too early to speculate about the impact of the bill.
But she did point out the Department of Education's similar guidelines.
"A lot of school districts are already doing that," Vega said.
She did note, however, the specificity of the 10-day window in which schools must notify parents of unpaid fees.
"That would probably be the only thing we'd like to look deeper at," Vega said.
Otherwise, she said, the bill seems to align with the association's goal of creating "an equitable environment." Vega said the enforcement of these rules would require a little bit more manpower but wouldn't negatively affect districts too much.
Quezada said he understands the bill would make it more difficult for schools to collect unpaid debt, but he thinks the result is worth the effort.
"I think any fiscal impact would be minimal," he said.
The Arizona legislative session begins in January. Quezada said he hopes Republican leadership will grant the bill the required public hearings and votes.
"I'm optimistic because I'm not proposing any radical changes here," he said.
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