Obion County Board of Education
January 12, 2009

Background Information:

The amendment to Board Policy #6.502 – Foreign Exchange Students, is recommended by TSBA. The amendment addresses a foreign exchange student’s eligibility to participate in the school lunch program. Hosting an exchange student does not immediately disqualify the host family from eligibility for free or reduced lunch. 22 CFR §62.25 requires that eligible host families have sufficient financial resources to provide for the needs of the exchange student. An approved application may indicate that the host family has committed fraud that should be reported to the U.S. State Department.

Our current policy specifically states that foreign exchange students shall not be eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. The amendment aligns our policy with the Code of Federal Regulations. The underlined language is recommended for addition, while the struck-through language is recommended for deletion. Upon approval, these changes will be made to our current policy, which mirrors the policy recommended by TSBA.

Staff Recommendation:

I recommend approval of the amendment to Board Policy #6.502 – Foreign Exchange Students, on first reading.