Special Bulletin for September 4, 2020
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has provided a number of waivers to extend the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) operations beyond the start of this school year. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) received additional guidance that in accordance with 7 CFR 225, community organizations are eligible to apply to operate SFSP/SSO but the School Food Authority (SFA) has first priority over an area and the community organization must only operate an SFSP site in an area where there is a need. Because of this, the MDE will focus on SFA SFSP/SSO applications first.
SFAs now have three options to provide meals to students during in-person, hybrid and distance learning through December 31, 2020, or earlier if funding runs out. Each option has different regulations and offers different benefits and challenges. Each Local Educational Agency (LEA) will need to analyze the options and select the best fit for their school/district needs.
Option 1: National School Lunch/Breakfast Program
This is an option for all SFAs. If your district/LEA did not participate in the SFSP during spring/summer 2020, you may want to continue with the National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program (NSLP/SBP). USDA is allowing a district/LEA to participate in both the SFSP and NSLP/SBP at different school sites.
|
Benefits
|
Considerations
|
SFA Next Steps
|
- No pivoting to a new program within the school year
- No new application process beyond approved Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System (CLiCS) school year 2020-21 NSLP/SBP application
- Seamless service of meals
- Consistent reimbursement based on free, reduced-price and paid eligibility
- Receive state reimbursement match
|
- Slightly lower meal reimbursement rates than SFSP
- Counting and claiming by student eligibility
- Meal payments must be collected for students eligible for paid meals
|
- Operate typical school year procedures
|
Option 2: Seamless Summer Option
This option is available to all sites administered by SFAs through December 31, 2020 or earlier if funding is exhausted. This option works well with schools new to the program or schools who didn’t provide meals during this past summer. The LEA still needs to collect and approve free/reduced-price meal applications and run direct certification matches for the purposes of compensatory revenue and when pivoting back to NSLP/SBP.
|
Benefits
|
Considerations
|
SFA Next Steps
|
- All students are provided meals at no charge
- Receive state reimbursement match
- USDA Foods entitlement continues to accrue at 24.5¢ per lunch meal served
- No budget information is required on CLiCS application
- No pre-operational training required
- Streamlined counting and claiming
|
- Slightly lower meal reimbursement rates than SFSP
- Requires CLiCS application approval from MDE
- Open sites must provide meals to all students, including non-enrolled children in the community
- Closed enrolled sites serve only students that are enrolled in the school or on-site childcare
- USDA may have minimal lead time for exhaustion of funds so LEAs may take on some financial risk
|
- SFA must apply for SSO or update/apply for current CLiCS site application
- Indicate in CLiCS whether sites will be open or closed enrolled
|
Option 3: Summer Food Service Program
This option is available to all sites administered by SFAs through December 31, 2020 or earlier if funding is exhausted.
There is some pre-operational training required to participate in SFSP. The LEA still needs to collect and approve free/reduced-price meal applications and run direct certification matches for the purposes of compensatory revenue and when pivoting back to NSLP/SBP.
|
Benefits
|
Considerations
|
SFA Next Steps
|
- All students are provided meals at no charge
- Slightly higher meal reimbursement rates than NSLP/SBP/SSO
- More flexibility in meal pattern
- Streamlined counting and claiming
|
- Requires CLiCS application approval from MDE
- New SFSP sponsors must submit a program budget with CLiCS application
- Regular SFSP training must be completed
- Open sites must provide meals to all students, including non-enrolled children in the community
- Closed enrolled sites serve only students that are enrolled in the school or on-site childcare
- USDA may have minimal lead time for exhaustion of funds so LEAs may take on some financial risk
- USDA Food entitlement accrues at 1.5¢ per lunch meal served
|
- SFA must update their application in CLiCS for SFSP
- New SFSP sponsors must submit CLiCS application
- Train staff on new meal pattern, counting and claiming (as needed)
|
Please read the companion Questions and Answers document and register for the upcoming Tuesday at 2 webinar. More information will be available as USDA guidance is provided.
Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | FNS Bulletin Archive | Website
|
