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October Building Data (OBD) must be collected from all traditional National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Special Milk Program (SMP) sponsors, even if they are currently operating the Seamless Summer Option (SSO).
Enter OBD for All School Sites
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Sponsors currently operating the NSLP/SBP
Follow the steps outlined in the NSLP/SBP MDP Sponsor Checklist to ensure their renewal application is complete. October Building Data should be entered with the October claim for reimbursement. The NSLP and SBP Renewal Bulletin provides details on the renewal process.
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Sponsors currently operating the Seamless Summer Option (SSO)
All Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) must submit their NSLP/SBP renewal application and create School Year (SY) 21–22 NSLP schedules for ALL school sites to ensure accurate OBD is collected for SY 21–22. This includes school sites that may or may not be operating Summer programs this school year that would normally operate NSLP. When submitting the site calendar, sponsors should:
- Add a NSLP schedule for one day, October 31, 2021, including estimates of the Free, Reduced-Price, and Paid participation in the schedule.
- With the exception of October 31, ensure the start date for the NSLP schedule does not overlap with the SSO schedule.
- When submitting the October claim for reimbursement, zeroes (0) should be entered for the NSLP/SBP meal counts. An error message will populate in the claim – please disregard this error message.
- The applicable SSO Renewal Checklist provides additional details on the renewal process.
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Sponsors currently operating the SMP
Follow the steps outlined in the Special Milk Renewal Bulletin to ensure their renewal application is complete. OBD should be entered with the October claim for reimbursement.
Questions about how to enter OBD in SY 21–22? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
Verification Process
Verification is the process of confirming free and reduced-price meal eligibility based on an application. The verification process begins each year on October 1 and concludes November 15. Results of the verification process (Verification Summary Report) must be submitted to Child Nutrition Services by February 1, 2022.
Public school districts, private schools, and residential child care institutions that determine eligibility for meals using meal applications must conduct verification.
Verification Method Reminders
- New Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) must use the 3% focused method.
- Since the Verification Summary Report (VSR) was not collected in SY 20–21, LEAs with a 20% or greater non-response rate from verification in school year 2019–20 must use the 3% focused method.
Sponsors Who Collect Meal Applications
All sponsors who determine eligibility for meals using meal applications should move forward with the annual verification process for SY 21–22.
Reminder: Last year we shared that the Direct Verification Process is discontinued. We encourage sponsors to familiarize themselves with the Rolling Verification process to help reduce workload.
Additional information on verification materials and timelines are outlined in our 9/27 Verification article.
Questions about the verification process? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
Washington supports scratch cooking with the 2021 USDA Team Nutrition grant!
Four school districts—Bellingham, La Conner, Orcas Island, and Highline—are working to develop, taste test, and provide nutrition education for 18 new NSLP and SBP recipes during the 21–22 school year.
Once finalized, these recipes will be shared nationally in the USDA Recipe Box and state-wide with the planned update of the Washington State Scratch Recipe Cookbook!
Mini grants are also available to Tribal Schools to incorporate traditional tribal foods in recipe development. Additionally, OSPI is developing an online learning module to help food service directors successfully create and standardize new scratch recipes.
Questions? Please email Erica Lamson
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Purchasing from local farms isn't just for Farm to School activities. During COVID-19 shortages, local procurement can help you minimize disruptions to program operations.
View the Procuring Local Foods During COVID-19 Shortages recorded webinar for more information on finding local farms, procurement and purchasing considerations, and more.
Resources
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
Private schools and residential child care institutions (RCCIs) participating in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Programs are required to complete and submit a Child Nutrition Financial Report (CNFR) annually. This includes sponsors participating in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Special Milk Program.
The CNFR reports the net resources for state fiscal year ending 2021 (July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021). The report is filed in the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS) and is due by December 31, 2021.
New for SY 21–22
Local Educational Agencies who do not submit their CNFR in WINS by December 31 will receive a claim error when submitting claims after this date. Claims will remain in error status until the CNFR is in submitted status.
Resources
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently published the Request for Information: Buy American in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
This request is to gather feedback from stakeholders on:
- How the Buy American provision and guidance are currently implemented,
- Changes FNS should make to current regulations, and
- Guidance and feedback on how FNS can better support local operators as they strive to purchase domestic foods and food products.
Please submit your responses by November 2, 2021.
USDA's Team Nutrition recently released the Offer Versus Serve Guidance for the NSLP and SBP Tip Sheet to help program operators improve their meal service and ensure districts are operating in compliance with program requirements.
Using Offer Versus Serve at School Lunch
Offer versus Serve (OVS) is a type of meal service that can be used in the USDA's National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Lunches offered through SSO and NSLP are intended to be a full meal for students, meeting approximately one-third of their nutritional needs for the day. School lunch is not meant to supplement meals brought from home or foods purchased outside of the NSLP program.
Offer versus Serve allows students to decline some of the food offered. This option can help reduce food waste and give students more choices, while still providing well-balanced meals.
While OVS meal service allows students to decline some of the foods offered at lunch, USDA requires a full meal that includes all five meal components is offered to all students.
Schools that wish to offer individual meal components (or a limited number of components and not the full meal) to students may do so outside of meal reimbursement through a la carte sales.
This tip sheet and other posters can be found on Team Nutrition’s Offer Versus Serve Materials webpage.
Questions? Reach out to your School Meals Program Specialist.
We continue to hear of the ongoing challenges around school closures, food order cancelations, delays, and shortages. To request additional waivers due to school closures or supply chain disruptions, please update the SY 21–22 Meal Distribution Plan (MDP).
School Closed?
The following Operational Flexibility Waivers allow LEAs to safely provide meals when school is closed due to a COVID outbreak:
In the event that a school is closed, please also notify your School Meals Program Specialist.
Experiencing Continued Shortages?
The Meal Pattern Flexibility Waiver allows LEAs to apply for a waiver of:
- Vegetable Subgroups
- Milk
- Serve Only with Age/Grade Group and serving size limitations
- 100% Whole Grain Rich Requirements
- Dietary Specifications for Sodium
Please continue to submit MDPs and document supply chain disruptions.
If flexibilities outside of the MDP are needed, please email your program specialist with a description of the disruption and how the Meal Pattern requirements will be met to the maximum extent practicable.
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
Standard USDA food deliveries are wrapped and stacked on pallets no higher than 5 feet and left at your loading dock for you to remove. The carrier will drop pallets at dock or just inside the threshold of your facility if the entrance can accommodate. If there are delivery discrepancies or damages, you may return those cases with the driver.
Accommodations
Any request for removal of product from the pallet or asking the driver to enter the facility will require additional cost and must be arranged in advance. Additional delivery accommodations are estimated to be $0.65 per case, with a minimum of $40.
To update your delivery contact information or request additional delivery services, please complete the Delivery Updates Form(link is external) .
Resources
Questions? Please email the Food Distribution Office or call 360-725-6204.
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