February 2, 2022

This is an official communication between ODE CNP and Sponsors of NSLP

Inside This Issue

• Important Dates (new)
• SNP Updates (new)
• Past Memo Reminder - Vegetables in the School Breakfast Program SY 21-22 (new)
• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) (new)
• Serving Meals During COVID Times 
• Oregon School Nutrition Association State Conference
• FY 2021 NSLP Equipment Grant – Open now - Application Packets (new)
• USDA Foods Ordering Schedule and Instructions
  
• Culinary Workshop Survey (new)
• Direct Certification Corner (new)
• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Update 
• Procurement Corner (new)
• Upcoming Newsletter Dates
• SNP Contacts

Important Dates

• SNP Training Survey due:  Tuesday, February 15, 2022
• Equipment Grant Application packets due:  1 pm, Thursday, February 17, 2022
  
• Culinary Workshop Survey due:  Thursday, February 24, 2022
• December 2021 Claim due:  Tuesday, March 1, 2022
• USDA Foods Orders due:  Wednesday, March 16, 2022

SNP Updates CNPweb Password Resets On January 26, 2022 at approximately 1:00 pm, the web server that houses  CNPweb was compromised by unknown attackers. ODE with our state partners and Microsoft completed an investigation and documented the findings. The investigation confirmed that no data was harvested or compromised. Service was restored on January 31, 2022. All sponsors with access to CNPweb will need to create a new password. Please sign in with your current password.  A screen will come up with three fields. Enter your current password in the first field, then enter the new password in the next two fields. The password in the second and third fields need to match.  If you do not remember your current password, please push the “forgot password” button when signing into CNPweb. Enter your username and email address. The password resets are manually entered by CNP staff. You will receive a new password within 24 hours from the School Nutrition mailbox.  At that point, you will be able to create a new unique password for your account. Please do not contact the CNP office to have your password reset. SNP Training Survey The Oregon Department of Education School Nutrition Programs (ODE SNP) wants to hear from you. ODE SNP is conducting a needs assessment focused on training. This assessment will provide valuable feedback to prioritize future training. We greatly appreciate and value your feedback. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. The survey will close on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. Please forward the link to other staff in your district or organization. Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Past Memo Reminder for SY 21-22 On May 14, 2021, FNS issued Memo SP11-2021, titled Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs- REVISED1 This memo contained clarification on several topics. The topic of vegetables in the School Breakfast Program is being highlighted as a reminder in this newsletter: In Section 743, Division A of the Appropriations Act, Congress provides that school food authorities (SFAs) participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) may credit any vegetable offered, including potatoes and other starchy vegetables, in place of fruit without including vegetables from other subgroups in the weekly menus. This flexibility is effective for School Years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, and provides additional flexibility in planning breakfast menus, but, does not require SFAs to make any menu changes. This flexibility is also applicable to sponsors who are operating the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) through school year 21-22, as SSO follows the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) meal pattern.

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

It’s that time of year again; time to consider whether CEP is an option for your schools. As you consider this decision, it is important to understand that operating under the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) this school year does not impact your ability to apply for CEP for the upcoming school year. Additionally, when considering this decision, if you have seen benefits to offering students no-cost meals due to COVID-19 waivers, CEP can allow you to continue for the next four years. At this time, we do not know what meal claiming reimbursement options USDA will be offering next year. Operating under CEP can ensure continuing to offer no-cost meals in the coming school year. Applying for CEP does not preclude sponsors from waivers or other options USDA may offer. Important to note, decisions regarding CEP participation should be made in April at the latest in order to have time to prepare.

If you have concerns the reimbursement rates would not be sustainable for your school, the Student Success Act has allocated additional funds to make it possible for more schools to participate. The Community Eligibility Provision Incentive (CEPI) Reimbursement Program will supplement the federal free reimbursement, for qualifying sponsors, to receive up to 90% of meals at the free-claiming amounts.

Why should I choose CEP for My Schools?

• Eases administrative burden:By leveraging existing data from other federal programs, CEP schools can operate more efficiently. This results in less paperwork and lower administrative costs.
• Eliminates unpaid meal balances. Unpaid meal balances can be a significant financial burden. By providing meals at no cost, this burden is alleviated.
• Facilitates implementation of innovative breakfast service models. Since schools don’t have to collect school meal fees or count each meal served by fee category, it is easier to implement breakfast in the classroom and “grab and go” service models that can boost breakfast participation further.
• Increases student participation: CEP eliminates the need for families to submit paperwork which increases meal access for students who may not submit a household application. Providing all students meals at no cost also incentivizes participation, which may increase program revenue.

• Improves the learning environment: Providing children with well-balanced breakfast and lunch ensures students come to class well-nourished and ready to learn.
• Eliminates the stigma associated with being on free/reduced meals.
• Financially benefits families: This can be a significant financial benefit for families. Especially families that fall just short of qualifying for meal benefits.

For additional decision making support and information on CEP benefits, refer to the Community Eligibility Provision Decision Tree and the Benefits of Community Eligibility Interactive Graphic.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming CEP Newsletter that will provide additional details and important dates. Refer to ODE Special Provision webpage for additional information.

Serving Meals During COVID Times

With the increases in COVID cases throughout the state, many of the schools operating under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) are having to make the tough choice of possible school closures or a return to distance learning and/or hybrid learning.

As we learned throughout COVID, serving methods can change rapidly due to the pandemic. With that, we would like to provide some additional clarification of when meal services can be claimed for school year 21-22.

When are Schools Allowed to Serve Meals Under the NSLP/SSO?

• Meals can be served on days when instructional time is scheduled. If a school plans to offer virtual learning or a mix of in-person classes and virtual learning, the school is considered open and any meals provided to children must be offered through the Seamless Summer Option.
• Meals can be served during an unanticipated school closure. An unanticipated school closure is when the school has closed on an unscheduled basis for day(s) that would have otherwise been planned instructional days. Note: An unanticipated closure means that the school is not providing instructional time. School is closed. This is usually due to weather, natural disaster, school safety or other unscheduled events.

Note: Schools are not required to provide meals during closures. At the onset of COVID, Governor Brown had issued an executive order requiring meals service. This executive order is no longer in place and providing meal service during an unanticipated school closure is optional.

When Are Schools Not to Serve Meals Under the NSLP/SSO?

• Meals may not be served on days when school is not in session. Schools may not serve weekend or holiday meals. As an example, if a school operates a four day school week, and provides instruction time Monday-Thursday, meals may not be served Friday through Sunday.
• Meals may not be served during anticipated/planned closures. Schools may not serve meals when the school is closed on a planned non-instructional day (this includes scheduled holiday breaks such as Spring Break). As an example, if the school is closed for a ‘teacher in-service day’ and students are not scheduled to receive instruction time, then meals may not be served under the SSO.

As a reminder, Sponsors must notify their assigned nutrition specialist of any changes to meal service operations or to opt-in to the non-congregate meal service option. When notifying your assigned specialist (via email), please also include the sites affected, the dates of the meal service changes, reason for the non-congregate opt-in and indicate whether or not you will be delivering meals.  All available waivers are still in effect throughout this school year, to see details visit the USDA webpage dedicated to Questions & Answers for CNP in School Year 2021-22.

Oregon School Nutrition Association State Conference The Oregon School Nutrition Association is making plans to hold an in-person Annual State Conference, March 11-12, 2022 at the Salem Conference Center.   Please see this web page for updates, registration, program and exhibitor information.    OSNA State Conference

FY 2021 NSLP Equipment Grant   Open Now  APPLICATION PACKETS DUE:     THURSDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2022 by 1 pm The NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant is a competitive award grant for Local Educational Agencies (LEA) and schools to purchase equipment, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $50,000.  For FY 2021 USDA awarded Oregon $261,848. The purpose is to provide equipment: needed to serve healthier meals improve food safety, and to help support the establishment, maintenance, or expansion of the School Breakfast Programs. To be considered, School Food Authorities must follow the criteria as stated in the Request for Application (RFA), and submit a complete application according to the details in the RFA. COVID-19 Clarification: Any school food authority (SFA) with a previously approved State agency agreement on file to operate the National School Lunch Program (per 7 CFR 210.9(b)), and that would otherwise be operating NSLP in SY 2021-2023, may continue to access NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants while utilizing the flexibilities granted under the current SSO Nationwide Waiver. The RFA, attachments, application, Smarter Lunchroom Scorecard & Summary are available at: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/childnutrition/SNP/Pages/Grants.aspx Evaluate and determine what equipment would help your operation. Remember to include what ancillary/installation costs are needed these costs may be included in your application. Please note in the past awardees have discovered they did not assess whether the new equipment would need additional electrical, plumbing or physical barriers (like the width of the door into the kitchen) before the equipment arrived. Application packets are due by 1 pm Thursday February 17, 2022 to: Philip.hofmann@ode.oregon.gov Once your application packet has been received by Philip Hofmann, ODE Procurement, he will send a confirmation email that confirms he received it. This email will include the day and time received. Please note if you do not receive a confirmation email from Phillip Hofmann, your packet was not received. Another way for you to confirm that your application packet was delivered is to go to ‘Options’ (on the menu bar at the top of emails) and check the box “Request a Delivery Receipt” box. Application packet evaluation is a separate step to be completed by an independent evaluation committee. New this year is “Fiscal Year 2021 National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants” it is posted in Workday. Here are the details: Course Title:  Fiscal Year 2021 National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants Course Description: Training for sponsors interested in submitting applications for new, renovating or purchasing equipment to serve healthier meals, improve food safety and support the establishment, maintenance or expansion of the School Breakfast Program. Mandatory or Optional? - This course is optional. How do I enroll in the course? - It's easy! Follow these steps: Create a free Oregon Workday Extended Enterprise Learner account. Tips: Make sure to create account before trying to login. Make sure to select the 'Oregon Department of Education' affiliation. (View this job aid video if you need assistance creating an account, or follow the instructions on this pdf). Search for course title by clicking 'browse learning content', then type ‘Fiscal Year 2021 National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants’ in search box, select course and click 'Start Course'. If you struggle to find the course after creating a Workday Extended Enterprise Learner account, please contact Jennie Kolpak at jennie.kolpak@ode.oregon.gov Please note: If you have a Workday account through your school district or organization, you will need tom create a separate ODE Extended Enterprise Learner account. You will only be able to complete ODE courses through Workday Oregon. Forgot your password? View this job aid for the 'Forgot Password Self-Serve Process for Extended Enterprise Learners'.

USDA Foods Ordering Schedule and Instructions It is ordering and procurement season.   Please see the USDA Foods Instructions and Schedule for School Year 2022-2023 memo.   Failure to read the memo in its entirely could result in not being able to utilize your full USDA Foods entitlement allocation.   Action is required by March 16, 2022

Culinary Workshop Survey Please complete this short survey to help us plan the 2022 ODE Culinary Workshops. We want to meet the needs of your team and nutrition programs. If you were not able to attend the 2021 Virtual Culinary Workshops featuring Chef Jessica, the recordings, resources and recipes are still available: https://odncouncil.org/2021/10/24/child-nutrition-culinary-workshop-october-2021/ We're also interested in highlighting anything from your program you'd like to share-recipes, photos, video or  join us a guest presenter! Please complete the survey by February 24th: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G52BWR8

Direct Certification Corner On January 13, 2022, Oregon Department of Human services announced that the income eligibility for SNAP recipients in Oregon has increased to 200% of the poverty level.  At this time, Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Programs (ODE CNP) is researching how this may affect the Direct Certification Downloads and if there will be any impact on Confidential Household Applications for Free and Reduced-Price Meals. ODE CNP will keep the field updated as we acquire any new information.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Update

FFVP subgrants have been built in EGMS and are currently marked as "on hold". This is due to the fact that we are waiting for ODE's contracts department to issue grant agreements for FFVP SY 2021-2022 awards. We hope this will happen early in the new year. Once agreements are signed and returned we will remove the holds on the FFVP awards.
In the meantime, please continue to submit claims to FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov
according to the SY 2021-2022 FFVP timeline

Due to the fact that subgrants are currently "on hold" in EGMS, we will allow EGMS entry after these deadlines but grantees are still responsible for turning their claims in to us at
FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov

Procurement Capital Equipment Purchase Approval Process Equipment and other capital expenditures, require a School Food Authorities (SFA) to obtain the prior written approval of its awarding agency before incurring the cost of a capital expenditure.  Both the OMB guidance and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles identify equipment as a capital asset.  The OMB guidance and Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations at 2  CFR 200.33 define “equipment” as tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of one year or longer and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser capitalization level established for financial statement purposes, $5,000, or a lower threshold set by local level regulations. Purchasing equipment and other capital assets exposes the Child Nutrition Program to greater risk than do expenditures for such routine, recurring items as staff salaries, supplies, etc.  State Agency prior review and approval provides reasonable assurance that the asset’s acquisition cost is reasonable, necessary, and allocable for Program purposes and that the nonprofit food service account can absorb the cost or that there is another appropriate funding source and the nonprofit food service account has a plan and the capacity to pay the fund back, if applicable. Oregon Department of Education has received approval to allow SFAs to purchase equipment found on the Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program Pre-Approved Capital Equipment List without prior State Agency approval.  SFAs may purchase those equipment items following the most restrictive parts of Federal, State, or Local procurement procedures, as applicable, without submitting a prior approval request to the State Agency.  The SFA must complete the equipment purchase based on approved equipment list and keep on file along with supporting documentation for review during future Administrative, Resource Management, and Procurement Reviews. If a SFA needs to purchase equipment not included on the Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program Pre-Approved Capital Equipment List, it must submit a request for approval to Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program prior to purchasing the item as required by 2 CFR 200.439 on the Equipment Purchase/Capital Expenditure Pre-Approval Request Form. The Procurement Compliance Specialist will review the request and will notify the SFA of approval/denial.  Once the requested equipment is approved for purchase, the SFA must purchase those equipment items following the most restrictive parts Federal, State or Local procurement procedures, as applicable. The SFA must keep the State agency approval and all supporting documentation of the procurement on file for review during future Administrative, Resource Management, and Procurement reviews. During administrative reviews required by 7 CFR 210.18 and procurement audits as required by 2 CFR 200.501, the State agency will review equipment purchases, ensuring  purchases were made based on either the approved equipment list or the State agency prior approval process.  If equipment purchase(s) are deemed unallowable during any audit or review process, Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program may disallow the purchase(s) and require the SFA to replenish the non-profit school food account as appropriate. The Capital Equipment Pre-Approved Equipment List and Capital Equipment Request Form can be located on the Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program Procurement website.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it.  Newsletters will be distributed during the following weeks. (During the summer, newsletters will be distributed once a month)  We encourage you to access previous newsletters on the School Nutrition Memos Page:

• Mid February 2022
• Beginning of March 2022

School Nutrition Program Contacts

Civil Rights