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School Meals Program

April 2025 

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USDA Policy Memos, from USDA, are located at the bottom!

2025 Fool's Month Trivia! In France, April first is called Poisson d'Avril.  What trick do people play on each other during this day? Answer: found within the bulletin, below!

School Meals Program Reminders: 

Claims - Submit claim data online through the CNP Web Database by: 

• February Claim Month - 60 Day Deadline, April 29, 2025
• March Claim Month - 60 Day Deadline, May 30, 2025 
  • The final claim will not be accepted if it is not in the Pending Approval status by the 60-Day claim deadline (see below).  Upward amended claims may be submitted throughout the 60-day period but no later than the 60-Day deadline.  Be aware, claims in Error status cannot be paid and if help is needed from Child Nutrition the sponsor must contact Child Nutrition well in advance of the 60-Day Deadline.

Roundtable - School Meals Program Roundtable, May 14, 2025 @ 2:00 PM

Staff Updates

• Rachel Spencer has accepted the position of School Nutrition Program Coordinator.  Her first regular day will be Monday, 5 May.
• Debbie Soto is retiring, her last day will be Wednesday, 30 April.

Congratulations to Debbie and Rachel and their career transitions!

Reminder regarding contact information

As a reminder, all emails regarding school nutrition programs should be directed to eed.cnp.schoolmeals@alaska.gov.  Emails sent to other mailboxes may not receive a timely response.

For other program contacts, see the list at the end of this email.

Community Eligibility Provision Elections, Paid Lunch Equity, and Summer Training, OH MY!

Community Eligibility Provision Elections: Schools wishing to elect a NEW Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) cycle for a school, group of schools, or all schools in their district must submit an election notification by 30 June 2025 at 5:00 p.m.  instructions were emailed to each district with their district Identified Student Percentage data and instructions to submit.  If you did not receive this email, please email EED.CNP.SchoolMeals@alaska.gov to request a copy.

You must follow the submission instructions: Submissions that are not received according to the instructions and using the required workbooks will be rejected.

Paid Lunch Equity: School districts that offer pricing programs (where students not eligible for free meals pay a full pay or reduced-price rate for meals) will soon receive their annual Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) information. DEED has not yet received forms from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).  DEED will issue PLE documents based on 2024 guidance for school year 2024-2025.

Legal Precedence: Passage of H.R. 19688, Full Year Continuing Resolutions and Extensions Act, 2025, continues funding and programs at 2024 levels; therefore, DEED has been advised by the USDA that PLE should be implemented the same way as last year under the PL 118-42, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2025.  If later guidance differs from this verbal guidance in a way that adversely impacts any districts, DEED will work with such districts on a case-by-case basis to bring them into compliance in the least impactful manner possible.

Summer Training: DEED will post training registration for the Summer 2025 school nutrition program training.  All training will be based in Anchorage at the Atwood Conference Center.

DEED will offer a combination of online and in-person training.  The dates for online training are yet to be determined.

In-person training will be at the Atwood Conference Center (555 W 7th Ave.). The in person training will be two days and there are two options.  We will host a one-day training for new and aspiring directors.

• Option 1: 22 - 23 July
• Option 2: 29 - 30 July
• New and aspiring directors' training: 31 July

School Nutrition Directors and Business Managers will receive a registration link and are responsible for assigning staff.  Due to limited availability, each program is guaranteed one slot for training. If additional slots are available, they will be released on a first-come, first-serve round robin.

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) identified student percentage (ISP) threshold

Concerned individuals have contacted DEED regarding a US House Ways and Means Committee proposal to increase the required identified student percentage (ISP) threshold for schools to elect the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).DEED's Child Nutrition team does not comment on pending legislative action. The below information is intended to provide factual information relating to CEP relevant to Local Education Agencies' CEP election decisions.

There is no eminent path to increase the ISP threshold or otherwise reduce access to CEP.  Regulations at 7 CFR §245.9(f) that set the minimum ISP at 25 percent [(f)(3)(i)] and free claiming percentage multiplier at 1.6 [(f)(4)(v)].

CEP is established in statute in Sec. 11 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act in (a)(1)(F) [42 U.S.C. §1759a(a)(1)(F)].  The statute establishes that the ISP threshold must be 40 percent or less [(a)(1)(F)(viii)] and that the free claiming percentage multiplier must be between 1.3 and 1.6 [(a)(1)(F)(vii)].  The Secretary of Agriculture has the authority to change the ISP threshold and multiplier within the scope of the statute but must first promulgate such changes through the public notice and comment process before becoming effective. Change outside of the scope of the statute requires congressional action.

DEED advises sponsors to make CEP election decisions based on the established law and regulation. 

School Lunch Hero Day

School Lunch Hero Day is Friday, 2 May 2025.  Celebrate the heroes of our school cafeterias.  Resources and more information are available from the School Nutrition Association.

SNA NEWS - links below brought to you by School Nutrition Association

Papayas: A tropical fruit with diverse health benefits

Papayas are tropical fruits -- specifically berries -- that provide nutrients including beta-carotene and vitamin C, offering numerous healthful benefits such as protecting vision, fighting disease and improving gut health. Registered dietitian Julia Zumpano highlights that papayas may also help lower blood sugar and protect the heart. However, individuals with latex allergies, asthma or those taking certain medications should exercise caution. Papaya seeds are safe to eat in moderation but may cause stomach upset if consumed in large quantities.

Full Story: Cleveland Clinic 

Celebrate School Lunch Heroes on May 2!

Get ready to honor the dedicated school nutrition professionals who fuel students' success every day! School Lunch Hero Day is Friday, May 2, and it's the perfect time to show appreciation for the hard work and big hearts that go into every meal. The SNA Shop is fully stocked with official merchandise, gift ideas and all your celebration needs. Order early to ensure your items arrive on time.

Resources

CHILD NUTRITION (CN) LABEL

The Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Manual is available online.  CN labels are approved by USDA and provide a way for a manufacturer to demonstrate how a processed food product contributes to the meal pattern requirements in Child Nutrition Programs CNP.  The CN Labeling Manual provides food manufacturers with instructions on how to apply for and obtain approval for a Child Nutrition (CN) label.  It also contains instructions for calculating the contribution that meats, meat alternates, poultry, and seafood products make toward the meal pattern requirements for (CNP). 

CHILD NUTRITION SHARING SITE 

Child Nutrition Sharing Site (CNSS) - recruiting new resources.

FOOD BUYING GUIDE (FBG)

The Food Buying Guide includes CNP interactive web-based tools that are available in the Tools menu option on the toolbar. 

ICN's E-learning

iLearn – ICN E-learning (docebosaas.com)

ICN's CICN TRAINING SECTION The Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN) training section, is great for schools wanting to scratch cook or gain additional culinary skills: https://theicn.org/cicn/

SNA TRAINING ZONE

Check out SNA's on-demand webinars

Find educational content and earn CEU credits to achieve your professional goals with the SNA Training Zone! 

TEAM NUTRITION Sign up to receive Team Nutrition updates in English and in Spanish.

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.

All Policy Memos from USDA can be located here:

SP 09-2025 Buy American Accommodation Process for School Year 2025-2026

SP 08-2025 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas: Questions and Answers #3

SP 07-2025 Requirement to Accept Medical Statements from Registered Dietitians for Schools

SP 06-2025 National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants: Installation Expenditure

SP 05-2025 Guidance for Accepting Processed Product Documentation for Meal Pattern Requirements

SP 04-2025 Fees for Electronic Payment Services in the School Meal Programs

SP 03-2025 Substituting Vegetables for Grains in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tribal Communities

SP 02-2025 Substitution of Vegetables for Fruit Flexibility in the School Breakfast Program: Questions and Answers for Program Operators

SP 01-2025 Fluid Milk Requirements for School Meals

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 Zend To (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.