Double Check Summer Operating Information
Whether operating the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the operating information in CNPweb must be followed. If times, days of service, or meal types change, the change must be submitted in CNPweb and approved prior to the change in operation. Failure to update operating information could result in the disallowance of meals served.
Rescheduled: Indirect Costs Seminar
IDOE’s Office of School Finance will be hosting an indirect cost training seminar on Thursday, June 27, at 10:30 a.m. ET. The seminar will go over the fiscal year (FY) 2025 indirect cost rate application process and refresh finance staff on usage of the Modified Total Direct Calculation (MTDC). Additionally, Andrea Hollin from the Office of School and Community Nutrition will present guidance regarding charging indirect costs to the nonprofit school food service account. Register here. Contact icr@doe.in.gov with any questions.
Free and Reduced Application and Letter Templates
The free and reduced notification letter templates have been updated to include approval information regarding SUN Bucks for next year. Please review the letter templates and update your systems accordingly. The application paper template and parent instructions have also been updated on the Free and Reduced Forms webpage.
Expanded Geographic Preference in the Final Rule
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will host a webinar to prepare for the expansion of the geographic preference option, made possible by the final rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” The expanded geographic preference option will be effective Monday, July 1. Register here to join the webinar on Thursday, June 20, at 2 p.m. ET to learn more about the expanded geographic preference option in the final rule.
School Year (SY) 2024-2025 Paid Lunch Equity (PLE)
In March, USDA released Paid Lunch Equity: Guidance for School Year 2024-2025. School food authorities (SFAs) with positive or zero balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2023, are exempt from PLE pricing requirements found in 7 CFR 210.14(e).
In order to demonstrate state agency oversight, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) recommends that state agencies maintain documentation that includes which SFAs are using the PLE exemption for SY 2024-2025. This documentation should include a record that each SFA had a positive or zero balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2023. This record could include documents such a financial ledger or an attestation provided by the SFA. IDOE created an Attestation Statement for schools that wish to confirm their exempt status. Exempt SFAs may still use the PLE tool to complete the steps necessary to determine their target SY 2024-2025 paid lunch price, consistent with program regulations at 7 CFR 210.14(e), and adjust their paid lunch prices accordingly.
The financial management website is under construction and will be updated with SY 2024-2025 PLE resources soon.
Round 4 Remaining Funds of Supply Chain Assistance (SCA)
For those who applied, SCA remaining funds for round four have been disbursed and should appear under the payments tab in CNPweb. The ACH deposit notification comment will say "SC4_2". The deposits should arrive in your accounts this week. Please remember all SCA funds must be deposited into the School Foodservice Account (0800) and used specifically for the purchase of unprocessed and minimally processed domestic food as described in the Supply Chain Assistance Funds FAQ.
If you receive an unexpected payment, click on the Payments tab (next to the Claims tab), find the amount that was paid, and then click the arrow (>) to the far left under Batch Number. The description of the payment will identify what items are included in the payment amount. Additionally, if the payment is less than expected, the description will show deductions, such as USDA Foods storage fees. All Supply Chain Funds show under the "Other" column on the payments tab.
Translations Now Available
Several parent and school resources have been updated with Burmese, Haitian Creole, and Spanish translations on the SUN Bucks webpage.
Card PIN Errors
IDOE is receiving reports from schools regarding the PIN issues SUN Bucks card users are experiencing. The help line is currently experiencing a high volume of calls. Please share the following tips with households to resolve basic issues before calling the help line:
- The selected PIN cannot be a common sequence of numbers (1234 or 9876), repeated numbers (1111 or 8888), contain two or more repeating numbers (i.e. 1288), or more than two sequential numbers (i.e. 1238).
- The zip code must match the zip code where the card was sent.
- The date of birth must match the child on the card and must be in the format of mmddyyyy.
- The system times out quickly. If there is a delay putting in any of the required information, it may be a timing issue. Suggest they write out all the numbers in the order they will be requested. This includes the card number, zip code, date of birth (for the child on the card), and the PIN they would like to use.
If households continue to have issues, they can call the SUN Bucks helpline at 317-234-4528 to escalate the issue.
Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Orders and Receipting
The last DoD Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program produce orders for SY 2023-2024 must be placed and receipted in the Department of Defense Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS) by Sunday, June 30, or before leaving for summer break. Schools must spend their FFAVORS funds by Sunday, June 30. Unused they will be lost and they do not carry over to the next school year.
Program Year (PY) 2025 for USDA Foods
PY 2025 has been hidden until the school year opens in July 2024. IDOE will notify schools via this newsletter when it is available.
USDA Foods Warehouse Clear Out
We have reached the end of SY 2023-2024. It is imperative that school staff is available when your school places a USDA Foods order to ensure that school staff is available to inspect verify, and accept all orders to avoid a missed delivery charge. Schools have until their last available delivery period under the Orders tab in CNPweb to order any direct delivered USDA Foods remaining at the state assigned warehouse, Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Foods or Wabash Foods. All USDA Foods for Processing at the processors must be ordered via the distributors. Any USDA Foods for Processing remaining at the processors as of Sunday, June 30, will carry over to the 2024-2025 school year.
USDA Foods Recipes
Use your USDA frozen 100121 turkey breast deli and sliced American, shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheeses for a delicious variation of Hawaiian Turkey and Cheese Sliders. This recipe can be made with USDA Foods and must be adjusted to meet serving sizes and meal patterns.
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Free and Reduced Training
The Introduction to the Free and Reduced Process webinar is on Thursday, June 20, at 2 p.m. ET. This training will discuss the basics and the “why” for free and reduced benefit certification and participants will gain a general understanding of how certification works. This is one part of the PY 2025 free and reduced webinar series. Register here.
Civil Rights and Ethics Training Courses: Please Print Certificates from Moodle
Sponsors are required to take civil rights and ethics training courses annually. Because of this annual training requirement, IDOE will conduct a reset of these courses for PY 2025 in Moodle. The reset will delete the past year’s learner history in these two courses. Please ensure certificates for the training have been saved for your corporation. Print or save the civil rights and ethics course certificates no later than Friday, June 28. Certificates can be accessed through the Moodle account of the person who took the course.
New Policies
IDOE’s Office of School and Community Nutrition is releasing three new policies for Child Nutrition Program sponsors in the state of Indiana.
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Policy 2024-01 Reporting Fraud Requirements for CNP Participants and Policy 2024-02 Fiscal Actions and Fines provide additional information on requirements based on the Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule.
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Policy 2024-03 Schools Claiming Meals and Snacks Under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This policy states that schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) must ensure that meals or snacks for the same participants are not claimed under multiple programs during the school day. Schools operating childcare centers or preschool programs can choose to serve meals and snacks during the school day under SBP/NSLP or CACFP.
Upcoming Dates |
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Thursday, June 20, at 2 p.m. ET
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Introduction to the Free and Reduced Process Webinar
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Monday, June 24, through Friday, June 28
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Introduction to School Nutrition Training
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Thursday, June 27, at 10 a.m. ET
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Indirect Costs Seminar
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Sunday, June 30
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Deadline to apply for CEP participation for the 2024-2025 school year
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Sunday, June 30
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Deadline to spend DoD FFAVORS funds
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Wednesday, July 10, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
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IN the Mix: Back to School Training
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Tuesday, August 27
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Summer EBT Final Rule Comments Extended Deadline
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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