Montana Office of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 09/26/2023 08:31 AM MDT
Level Up with National School Lunch Week October 9-13th 2023!
We're excited to kick off National School Lunch Week 2023 with a burst of energy and enthusiasm!
This special week gives us the opportunity to come together and celebrate the importance of healthy, nourishing school meals in the lives of our students. This year's National School Lunch Week (NSLW) theme, Level Up with School Lunch shows students how choosing and eating nutritious food can give you the power to ‘level up’. It also reminds us that healthy food choices are the foundation of success, both in the classroom and in life.
Children require proper nutrition for effective learning, making healthy school lunches essential. National School Lunch Week (NSLW), established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, underscores the pivotal role of nutritious school meals in a child's growth, benefiting both academics and overall well-being.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), created to provide nutritious meals to low-income children, ensures the health of public school students, enhances academic performance, and bridges opportunity gaps nationwide.
We invite the community and schools to join us in celebrating National School Lunch Week. Please visit the School Nutrition Association’s webpage for more information about NSLW. We also encourage you to share your own stories and experiences related to school lunches on social media using the hashtag #NSLW23.
Dear SFA Director,
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS) is gearing up for the 2023 Farm to School Census!
FNS has contracted with Decision Information Resources (DIR) and Mathematica to conduct the Census with all public, charter, and private school food authorities (SFAs) that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) nationwide. Your full participation is crucial to ensure that the Census data is representative of all SFAs in the country and in your State.
On October 2, 2023, DIR will e-mail you a link to the Census and instructions. It will come from Farm2SchoolCensus@dir-online.com. Please add this email address to your approved senders list so that you don’t miss the email. When completing the Census, you will provide information about your SFA for school year 2022-23. You will have through December to complete the Census.
Additionally, in the email with your Census link, you will also receive an invitation to a webinar open to all SFAs that will provide an overview of the Census, guidance on filling out different sections, and an opportunity to ask questions about the Census. We encourage your attendance to learn more about this important research effort.
Responding to FNS research requests is required under the National School Lunch Act, and it is important that all SFAs participate, regardless of their participation in farm to school activities. The Farm to School Census is our best tool for collecting important information to help us support your farm to school efforts.
If you have any questions, please contact the project team toll-free at 866-986-2230 from 9 AM to 9 PM ET, or e-mail Farm2SchoolCensus@dir-online.com. Thank you in advance for your support of the 2023 Census.
Sincerely,
Christine Emerson, Director
School Nutrition Programs
OPI School Nutrition EquipmentGrant opens October 4, 2023 - Applications will be accepted through November 8, 2023
Grant application and more information will be available on OPI School Nutrition Programs website: https://opi.mt.gov/School-Nutrition on October 4, 2023.
The School Food Service Equipment Grant funding opportunity is available for Montana school districts that operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) during SY2023-24 to obtain new equipment or to renovate or replace existing equipment. The Montana Office of Public Instruction has $81,843 in grant funds available to award via competitive sub-grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to Montana school districts.
USDA Foods 2nd Delivery September 18 - October 13
To help the truck drivers prior to and upon delivery:
Provide a cell phone number for the Food Service Director (or alternate person receiving deliveries).
Be available at your school Monday – Friday between 6am and 4pm to receive the delivery even if you have a 4-day school week.
Have receiving and storage areas ready to accept shipments.
Here are the items you will see on shipment 2 (if you ordered them):
APPLESAUCE UNSWEETENED CAN-6/10
BEANS GREEN CAN-6/10
BEANS VEGETARIAN CAN-6/10
BEEF PATTY CKD FRZ 2.0 MMA CTN-40 LB
CHEESE MOZ LM PART SKM SHRD FRZ BOX-30LB
CHICKEN STRIPS FRZ CTN-30 LB
Cranberries
Eggs
OIL VEGETABLE BTL-6/1 GAL
PORK PULLED CKD PKG-8/5 LB
Rotini
TOMATO PASTE CAN-6/10
TURKEY BREAST SMKD SLC FRZ PKG-8/5 LB
TURKEY ROASTS FRZ CTN-32-48 LB
Sanitation Inspection Reports Due November 1
Instructions for Submitting 2022-23 School Year Food Safety Inspections Report
Either the Food Service Director or Claims Contact for the district may enter the information. Thank you to those who have already entered the information!
For each site, click on None, One, Two, Three or More for the number of inspections received at that site during the previous school year.
If fewer than Two inspections were received, click on the reason.
When finished entering for each site, click Save at the bottom of the page.
Food Safety Inspections Requirement
School Food Authorities that serve meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) are required to maintain proper sanitation and health standards in conformance with all applicable State and local laws and regulations. School Food Authorities are required to obtain two school food safety inspections per school year, which are to be conducted by a State or local governmental agency responsible for food safety inspections (see 7 CFR 210.13 for the NSLP regulations and 7 CFR 220.7 for the SBP regulations at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd). The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265) increased the inspection requirement from one to two per school year, beginning in school year 2005-06 and requires School Food Authorities to post the latest inspection report in a visible location and make it available to the public upon request.
Food Safety Inspections Reporting Requirement
The State Agency that administers the school meal programs is also required to collect information on the total number of inspections conducted in schools under the jurisdiction and report to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service the number of inspections by November 15 each year.
The food safety inspection requirement applies to all food preparation-service sites and service-only sites. The scope of the food safety inspection may vary according to the type of food service operation and is determined by the agency responsible for inspections.
Supply Chain Assistance Funds
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is making funding available in Federal Fiscal Year 2023 for supply chain assistance. This funding is in response to the challenges in purchasing and receiving food that districts are experiencing in School Year 2023-24. Many districts are experiencing challenges in purchasing and receiving food through their normal distribution channels.
To assist districts with supply chain disruptions, the Food and Nutrition Service will provide Montana districts up to $4,232,110 in relief funding. This funding will enhance efforts to strengthen local food supply chains and help districts to overcome financial and operational barriers while maintaining children’s access to nutritious meals. Funds will be equitably disbursed to schools based on student enrollment.
The Office of Public Instruction will distribute funds to participating districts to help defray the costs of unanticipated cancellation of food contracts, reduced availability of foods, unexpected substitution of products, and unpredictable increases in food prices. The funds will support direct purchasing of domestically grown, unprocessed or minimally processed food products by districts to address immediate supply chain disruption barriers.
For questions on payments, contact Alie Wolf, 406-459-5394
This memorandum provides initial implementation guidance for the Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule. This memorandum applies to state agencies administering and school food authorities, institutions and sponsors implementing the NSLP, SBP, CACFP, and SFSP.
Annual Free & Reduced-Price Verification Complete by November 15 and Report in MAPS
Verification is the process by which schools confirm the eligibility of a sample (3%) of the approved free and reduced-price meal applications. Districts will report the verification results on the School Food Authority (SFA) Verification Collection Report in MAPS (located within the 'Application' menu) during November 1st through November 30th.
USDA Expands Access to School Breakfast and Lunch for More Students
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it is giving an estimated 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas the option to serve breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost, by expanding the availability of the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly known as CEP.
“Today’s announcement comes as we approach the one-year anniversary of the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, where the Biden-Harris Administration promised to advance a pathway to healthy school meals for all students,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA has taken an important step toward fulfilling that promise by expanding access to CEP. Increasing access to free, healthy school breakfast and lunch will decrease childhood hunger, improve child health and student readiness, and put our nation on the path to better nutrition and wellness.”
CEP is a simplified meal service option that allows schools to provide meals at no cost to all students without requiring families to apply for free and reduced-price meals. Instead, school districts receive federal funding based on a formula using existing data from SNAP and other programs, and local or state funds must fill any gap between program costs and federal support. Before this final rule, at least 40% of students had to live in households participating in certain income-based federal assistance programs, in order for a school, group of schools, or school district to be eligible for CEP. This final rule [lnks.gd] lowers that threshold from 40% to 25%.
The Montana Office of Public Instruction will begin using the 25% threshold in the 2024-25 school year beginning with the April 1, 2024 snapshot to determine eligibility for schools. Please conduct direct certification matching regularly and frequently throughout the school year and long before the April 1 snapshot date.
Call the OPI School Nutrition Programs at 406-444-2501 with questions.
Celebrate Farm to School Month by Joining Montana Crunch Time on October 10!
Get ready to win, Montana! Registration is officially open for Montana Crunch Time [montana.edu], a free statewide event to celebrate National Farm to School Month [farmtoschool.org] by crunching into local foods on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. Crunch into any locally grown or raised food, including apples, carrots, chickpeas, jerky, and more! 🍎🥕🫛
All Montanans are invited to crunch whether at schools, early care and education sites, colleges, hospitals, work, home, or on the go. Anyone who wants to show support for local farmers and school food can join! Although we aim for a statewide collective crunch on October 10, you are welcome to crunch any day or time in October that works for you.
There are many ways to participate in Crunch Time including serving local foods for a meal, conducting a taste test to try local foods, or integrating food-based educational lessons in the classroom. In 2021, over 29,000 Montanans Crunched into local foods! Let's join forces and meet the goal of 30,000 crunches across the state!
This year states throughout the Mountain Plains Region (CO, MT, MO, KS, NE, ND, SD, WY) are partaking in a friendly competition to see which state can get the most “crunches”! The state with the most crunches per capita wins the crunch off challenge. Help Montana win by spreading the word and registering your crunch by October 31!
To make your crunch count towards Montana’s statewide goal, register HERE [ksde.sjc1.qualtrics.com]. After registering, you will be sent a 2023 edition of the MT Crunch Time guide including sources of local foods, educational activities, recipes, how to promote your crunch, and more! The guide will be sent out to registrants this fall. Learn more on the Montana Crunch Time webpage [montana.edu] and in this news release [montana.edu] or contact Haley Scott, Montana Team Nutrition Program Lead, at (406) 994-5641 or
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
