Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

SFSP Bulletin - July 2025

Alaska Department of Education & Early Development sent this bulletin at 07/14/2025 04:03 PM AKDT

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Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

July - 2025

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

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USDA Policy, Information, and Implementation Memos

Sponsoring organizations and institutions are required by regulation to keep Bulletins, Instructions, and USDA Policy Memorandums for reference and to apply them immediately to the appropriate agency programs. Call Child Nutrition Programs if you need further clarification.

To view the USDA SFSP policy memos, visit: DEED Child Nutrition Programs website or the USDA Policy Memorandum webpage by clicking on the links provided.

Waivers:

All USDA Waivers for the SFSP can be found here.

Bostock Rescission

Guidance on the Interpretation of Discrimination Based on "Sex" in USDA Child Nutrition Programs

The Bostock Rescission reverses prior guidance that extended civil rights protections on the basis of sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Effective with the recission memo, the definition of “sex” only means biological sex for the purposes of applying civil rights requirements. This rescission has the force of law, since it is based upon an Executive Order (EO).

In 2022, the USDA expanded the definition of “sex” as it pertains to civil rights in Child Nutrition Programs. The expanded definition of sex included sexual orientation and gender identity. This expanded definition followed the 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County Supreme Court verdict and Executive Order (EO) 13988 Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.

In 2025, EO 14168 Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, reversed the previous administration’s EO, specifically regarding is application to USDA Civil Rights requirements.

Additional Topics

Turnip the Beet! Award - Petersburg Borough School District

Congratulations to Petersburg Borough School District for being awarded the Turnip the Beet! Gold Award for their Summer Food Service Program operations in 2024!

The Turnip the Beet! Awards recognize outstanding summer meal program sponsors across the nation who work hard to offer high quality meals that are appetizing, appealing, and nutritious to children during the summer months.

Summer meals are critical in the lives of millions of our nation’s youth, whose risk for food insecurity increases during the summer months when they no longer have access to the school meal programs. Summer meal programs, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP/SUN Meals) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), present the opportunity to help alleviate summertime food insecurity and positively impact children’s growth and development by offering nutritious meals. High quality summer meals provide daily energy and help make sure children are healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall.

The Turnip the Beet! Awards were created to showcase sponsors who are going above and beyond to ensure that children in their care are receiving high-quality meals that are both nutritious and appetizing. These awards are aligned with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ priorities to create new opportunities to connect America’s farmers to nutrition assistance programs, infuse the federal nutrition programs with new energy and vision, and strengthen strategies to encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes, and healthy families.

More information on Turnip the Beet! can be found here.

Civil Rights in Child Nutrition Programs and the Bostock Rescission

On July 7, 2025, James C. Miller, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, issued a memo rescinding previous guidance based on the 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County Supreme Court decision.

This notice applies to all child nutrition programs including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Program, as well as Farm to School/Farm to Child Nutrition Grants that are awarded by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).

DEED Notice

Civil Rights Training

Tuesday, 29 July at 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Repeat courses will be scheduled for August and September (dates TBD)

This training will NOT be recorded

This training will cover Civil Rights in the Child Nutrition Programs, major topics covered include

Program Access and Civil Rights Assurances
Meal Accommodations

This training is intended for all Child Nutrition Programs including

The School Nutrition Program

National School Lunch Program (including NSLP Snack)
School Breakfast Program
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

The Child and Adult Care Food Program

All components

Summer Nutrition Programs

Summer Food Service Program
Summer Seamless Option

All program sponsors must complete this training, or one of the repeat trainings.

Register Here

Summer Food Program Resources

USDA's Summer Food Service Page
SUN Programs Communications Toolkit | Food and Nutrition Service
USDA TEAM Nutrition - An initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance
Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) - Provides training opportunities for all Child Nutrition Programs
SFSP Administration Guide | Food and Nutrition Service
Summer Meals Nutrition Guide | Food and Nutrition Service
DEED eLearning Training – For SFSP training, Civil Rights and helpful program trainings.
Team Nutrition Recipes
DEED Traditional Foods and Donated Fish and Game Resources
USDA Food Safety
USDA Capacity Builder
USDA Summer Meal Site Finder
USDA Rural Designation Map
USDA Area Eligibility Mapper
Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Contact Us

EED CNP Summer Meals	eed.cnp.summer@alaska.gov
EED CNP School Meals	eed.cnp.schoolmeals@alaska.gov
EED CNP CACFP Meals	eed.cnp.cacfp@alaska.gov
EED CNP Grants	eed.cnp.grants@alaska.gov
EED CNP Food Distribution	eed.cnp.fdp@alaska.gov
EED CNP FFV Program	eed.cnp.ffvp@alaska.gov
EED CNP TEFAP	eed.cnp.tefap@alaska.gov
EED CNP Farm to School	eed.cnp.fts@alaska.gov
EED CNP Financial Management	eed.cnp.fm@alaska.gov

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.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement (English)

In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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