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SB 102

Establishing Summer Feeding for All Program

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Charles Clements and 3 co-sponsors

Establishes a framework for counties to assess non-school food needs, share resources, and encourage local summer/holiday feeding programs under state supervision.

To Finance
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Bill Summary · SB 102

SB 102 (2026) – Establishing Summer Feeding for All Program (West Virginia)

Purpose and intent

  • Establishes the Summer Feeding for All initiative within the West Virginia Feed to Achieve Act.
  • Aims to improve access to nutritious food for students when school is not in session (summer and other non-school days), by encouraging counties to assess needs, identify resources, and implement innovative feeding programs without mandating a specific statewide solution.
  • Seeks to foster innovation and community partnerships, leveraging school resources and local providers to reduce child food insecurity.

Key provisions and changes

  • Section (§18-5D-6) renames/frames the initiative as the West Virginia Emergency School Food Act, under the broader Feed to Achieve framework.
  • Annual countywide survey (mandatory for all county public school systems):
    • Each county public school system must conduct an annual survey of public school students to determine non-school eating patterns and the availability of nutritious food when schools are closed.
    • The West Virginia Office of Child Nutrition will assist in facilitating the survey.
  • Inventory and information dissemination:
    • Each county board must collect and compile information on the availability of food resources in the county during non-school days.
    • The compiled information must be distributed to all students and should include resources from public, private, religious groups, or charitable organizations that provide food to children in need.
  • Encouragement of programs and innovation:
    • Counties may explore and implement programs to facilitate feeding, including entrepreneurship, positive discipline opportunities through participation in programs, mentorships, and other non-school feeding initiatives.
  • Training and capacity building:
    • Counties may provide annual training opportunities (coordinated regionally or nationally) with assistance from the Office of Child Nutrition to ensure eligible feeding sites know how to operate.
  • Reporting to state office:
    • Each county board must provide its survey results, a summary of activities, and any findings or recommendations to the Office of Child Nutrition, on a date set by the office each year.
  • Crisis response plan alignment (public schools):
    • Public schools may include in their crisis response plans (per §18-9F-9) an assessment and plan to feed students during noninstructional or nontraditional remote learning days, including public virtual school students, and considering emergency situations that require innovative food delivery to homes.
    • Emphasizes leveraging community support and resources in plan development.
  • State-level coordination and monitoring:
    • The Office of Child Nutrition will monitor county activities and promote the sharing of innovative and successful programs statewide to advance the Summer Feeding for All initiative.

Who is affected

  • County public school systems (all counties) are required to conduct surveys, gather data on non-school food resources, and coordinate local feeding efforts.
  • The Office of Child Nutrition (state level) is positioned to assist, coordinate, monitor, and disseminate information about successful programs.
  • Students and families: gain access to information about available food resources during non-school days; may benefit from new or expanded feeding programs.
  • Community partners (public, private, religious groups, and charities) that provide meals may participate as feeding sites or resource providers.
  • Local school staff and administrators: responsible for implementing surveys, distributing information, and potentially integrating feeding plans into crisis response planning.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislative path: Introduced Jan 14, 2026; referred to Education, then Finance; reported do pass with recommendation to be placed in Finance (Jan 28, 2026).
  • Annual cycle:
    • Counties must conduct and submit an annual survey and accompanying information summary to the Office of Child Nutrition according to a date set annually by the office.
    • The Office of Child Nutrition will assist with the survey and share information about statewide initiatives.
  • Reporting and coordination:
    • County boards must compile and distribute information about local food resources to all students and report findings/recommendations to the Office of Child Nutrition.
  • Optional enhancements:
    • Counties may develop and implement various programs and training opportunities to support summer and non-school-day feeding, with guidance and facilitation from the Office of Child Nutrition.
  • No mandatory statewide feeding site expansion; instead, authorization and encouragement for counties to explore innovative local solutions within their means.

Potential impact and key considerations

  • Pros:
    • Increases visibility and assessment of student food insecurity during summers or non-school days.
    • Encourages local collaboration and innovative approaches to feeding, potentially expanding access beyond traditional school-based meals.
    • Creates a structured data collection and information-sharing framework to help align resources with need.
  • Cons/Considerations:
    • Effectiveness depends on local implementation, funding, and community partnerships.
    • Requires ongoing administrative effort from county boards and compliance with reporting timelines.
    • The bill creates authorization rather than a mandate for specific programs, relying on county discretion and resources.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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