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School Meals Program

February 2024

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Happy Leap Year!

Trivia:   Q. Which of these is not a fruit: Apple, Banana or Dragon Fruit? A. (The answer is hidden in the content below)

USDA POLICY MEMOS

Regulation requires sponsoring organizations and institutions to keep Bulletins, Instructions, and USDA Policy Memorandums for reference and to apply immediately the appropriate instruction to agency programs.

Please call Child Nutrition Programs, if further clarification is needed.

NSLP & School Breakfast Program (SBP) Updates:

All Policy Memos from USDA are located here:

• SP 06-2024 Rural Designations in the Summer Meal Programs - Revised
• SP 05-2024 Implementation Guidance for the Rural Non-congregate Option Provisions of the Interim Final Rule, Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal
• SP 04-2024 Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule: State Agency Discretion for Repeat Meal Pattern Violations Fiscal Action
• SP 03-2024 CN Integrity Rule Memo - Administrative Review (AR) and Food Service Management Company (FSMC) Cycles (azureedge.us) 

Free & Reduced-price Eligibility and Access Tabulation (EAT) Report

The EAT report has been posted and can be accessed at this link: Free & Reduced-price Eligibility and Access Tabulation (EAT) Report

The EAT report replaces and enhances the Free & Reduced-price Eligibility Report.

Updates & Reminders:

Community Eligibility Provision 101 Webinar

A webinar will be held for School Food Authority staff on February 21, 2024, at 11:00 AM PST and the registration information can be found here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItd-6rpjsuHo_35cXc2Jni8V1nI-jq2-k 

The webinar will be offered with closed captioning. Participants who require a different accessibility tool to participate in this webinar should reach out to FNS.HRD.ReasonableAccommodations@usda.gov for assistance as soon as possible.  

If you have questions about webinar logistics or content, please contact sm.fn.cndinternet@usda.gov. 

Meal Modifications in School Meals

The FNS Civil Rights Division will provide Microsoft Teams-based training titled “Accommodating Children with Disabilities in the School Meals Programs” on Thursday, February 29, 2024, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm (EST).  The webinar will last approximately 1 hour and may include a Q&A opportunity at the conclusion of the training. 

Registration is required for this event.  Each individual should register for this event, even if they plan to attend as part of a group.  You will find the registration link below.  Please register no later than 24 hours in advance to ensure you receive an attendee link. We cannot accept last-minute registration requests. 

Thursday, February 29th at 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST):       REGISTER 

Please log on at least five (5) minutes prior to the beginning of the session as access to the training will be restricted 15 minutes into the session.

Automated Closed Captioning will be available during this meeting.  FNS participants who require a different accessibility tool to participate in this meeting, please contact FNS.HRD.ReasonableAccommodations@usda.gov for assistance no later than ten (10) days prior to the training date. All others please contact your Regional Civil Rights Officer for assistance.

On-Site Counting & Claiming

All on-site self-monitoring reviews must be completed within the first 4 months of operation for sponsors with more than 1 operating site.  Summary report (only) due to DEED on/before February 15, 2024, via Smartsheet.  NOTE:   All breakfast programs must be reviewed every other year with at least 50% per year.

New procedures for submitting your on-site counting and claiming summaries.

We are streamlining the process to submit your on-site counting and claiming summaries.

What changed?  The process to submit your review summaries for breakfast and lunch and the process for afterschool snacks has merged to a single easier process.

What has not changed?  Due dates and the on-site counting and claiming forms remain the same.

You can find the instructions to submit your on-site counting and claiming summaries in the Document Checklist in CNPweb.  Scroll to the “Additional Forms” section and look for the On-Site Counting and Claiming forms, including the instructions and bulk upload template.  You will also find the review forms for NSLP/SBP and ASP at the top of this page.

2024 SNF Equipment Grants The application period is now open for the 2024 School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) Equipment Grants! This year, SNF is offering nine grant opportunities valued at over half a million dollars! Apply today—the deadline to apply is March 29.

SFA Survey

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is conducting a web survey of all school food authorities (SFAs) that operate Child Nutrition Programs and needs your input. The survey seeks to collect information on current key challenges SFAs are facing, including those related to school food procurement, program administration, and program finances.

FNS has contracted with Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR) to conduct the 2023-24 SFA Survey on Supply Chain Disruption and Student Participation with all public, charter, and private SFAs nationwide. Your participation is vital to providing FNS with information they need to support school districts during this time. Please take advantage of this opportunity to share your experiences from this school year and communicate the specific issues you are facing in your community directly to FNS.

On January 29, 2024, DIR should have e-mailed to you a link to the survey. It would have come from noreply@qemailserver.com. Please add this email address to your approved senders list so that you don’t miss the email. When completing the survey, you will provide information about your SFA for school year 2023-24. The survey has a maximum of 30 questions and is estimated to take up to 20 minutes to complete. Please complete it as soon as you are able, but no later than March 11, 2024.

If you have any questions about this survey or did not receive the survey, please contact the survey team at DIR toll-free at 844-632-9019 or e-mail SFASupplyChainSurvey@dir-online.com. For additional information, please review the “Frequently Asked Questions” document. You can also learn more about other ongoing FNS surveys and data collection on our “Current Data Collections” webpage.

Thank you in advance for your support of the 2023-24 Survey and your participation in this important effort.

The Trivia Answer is Banana.

Claim Override Request

If any of these situations occur when preparing your claim, you must submit a Claim Override Request:

• Claim in excess of allowed meals in one eligibility: The number of meals in a single eligibility exceed the number of students multiplied by the number of operating days adjusted to the attendance factor and the site does not qualify for an Alternative Attendance Factor.
• Claim for zero meals: The school served no reimbursable meals but needs to submit a claim to provide enrollment data.  This should only be used if the school INTENDS to operate meals but did not due to a temporary situation such as staff shortage, strike, or other temporary issue.  

See instructions in the checklist tab in CNPweb:

Resources The Guide to Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs is a central resource that comprehensively outlines the required USDA Professional Standards for State and local school nutrition program professionals who manage and operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).*  Also included is useful information regarding available trainings in the Professional Standards Training Database and tracking training using the Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool (PSTTT). The Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool (PSTTT) has a new look with graphic images of training statistics. Employee users can quickly view their progress to meet annual training requirements along with their Achievement Badges.

Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition: https://theicn.org/cicn/ This new section of trainings from ICN is great for districts that want to do more scratch cooking or have cooks who need additional culinary skills. iLearn – ICN E-learning (docebosaas.com).  Child Nutrition Sharing Site (CNSS) - recruiting new resources

Two exciting new features have been added to the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-based Tool. Both features are available under the Tools menu on the toolbar: 

• Interactive flow chart on using the preparation yield walks users through when to use the Preparation Yield factor in the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW). 
• An Ounces to Pounds Calculator allows users to easily convert ounces to pounds and pounds to ounces to make converting units a breeze! 

New foods are available in the FBG! New additions consist of USDA Foods frozen mixed vegetables and a variety of meat items including 11-, 43-, and 48-ounce pouched tuna; boneless, skinless chicken thighs; ground mutton, mutton shoulder chops and stew meat; catfish fillets; and USDA Foods canned pork. Stay tuned for additional yield data releases. 

Team Nutrition appreciates receiving your comments on the FBG and works continuously to enhance the user experience.  

Explore the Food Buying Guide today! 

Contact Us

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Division of Finance and Support Services
Child Nutrition Programs
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99811

Disclaimer

This newsletter contains hyperlinks to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the reader’s convenience. DEED does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.

Confidential Information

Confidential information should never be shared via email outside of the SFA’s email system.  Since email can easily be transmitted to the wrong recipient or intercepted by a third party, it could lead to a breach of confidential information.  When emailing Alaska Child Nutrition Programs, sponsors are encouraged to make arrangements with the recipient(s) to email documents with ZendTo (https://drop.state.ak.us/drop/).  Please contact DEED CNP for further information.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement (English)

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.