November 2024 School Nutrition Announcements

Verification of Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications October 1 - November 15

Verification is the process by which schools confirm the eligibility of a sample of approved free and reduced-price meal applications. The verification process starts on October 1^st and the deadline to collect household documentation and complete verification is November 15th. Schools will report the verification results and October eligibility data on the School Food Authority (SFA) Verification Collection Report in MAPS (located within the Application menu) beginning November 1^st and is due November 30^th.

Please carefully read through the instructions to ensure reporting accuracy. Additional instructions can be found in the USDA’s Eligibility Manual.

Verification resources are available on the OPI SNP website:

• Verification Application Tracker
• Verification Error-Prone Sponsors 2024-25
• Verification Instructions
• Verification: We Must Check Your Application
• Verification: We Have Checked Your Application
• Verification Deadline Extension Request Form

USDA Foods

Sanitation Inspection Reports Due November 1

Instructions for Submitting 2023-24 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! 

1. Login to MAPS https://apps.opi.mt.gov/osp/
2. Click on School Nutrition Programs. 
3. Click on Applications. 
4. Click on Food Safety Inspections. 
5. Click on Modify for 2023-2024. 
6. 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. 
7. If fewer than Two inspections were received, click on the reason. 
8. When finished entering on 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.

OPI School Nutrition Equipment Grant open - Applications accepted through November 13, 2024

Grant application and information are available on OPI School Nutrition Programs website: https://opi.mt.gov/School-Nutrition.

The School Food Service Equipment Grant funding opportunity is available for Montana school districts that operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) during SY2024-25 to obtain new equipment or to renovate or replace existing equipment. The Montana Office of Public Instruction has $31,220 in grant funds available to award via competitive sub-grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to Montana school districts.

The Revised Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

The Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs [fns.usda.gov] (FBG) has been revised to reflect the final rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans”. This important resource assists CNP operators, food manufacturers, and other stakeholders with purchasing the correct amounts of foods for CNP and determining the contribution that each food makes toward meal pattern requirements. The FBG is available as a Web Tool, Mobile App, and downloadable PDF.

Farm to School Census Results are IN!

We are excited to announce the publication of the 2023 Farm to School Census findings! USDA made the announcement as part of a press release [usda.gov] celebrating National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month.

The Farm to School Census surveyed School Food Authorities (SFAs) that participated in the National School Lunch Program in the fall of 2023. We found that nearly three out of four (74%) SFAs did at least one farm-to-school activity during the school year 2022-2023, a 14% increase from the 2019 Farm to School Census, and 81% of SFAs participating in farm-to-school served local foods at least weekly.

Montana is leading our region in terms of SFAs incorporating F2S activities into classrooms (27.1%).

Nondiscrimination Statement

Spanish-language NDS

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.