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The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is proposing changes to WAC 392-157-125 to better align with State Auditor’s Office performance audit results, leading research, and national best practices by requiring a minimum seated lunchtime of 20 minutes in K–12 public schools. Research shows the way schools schedule lunch can significantly affect students’ eating habits. Students who have more time to eat lunch consume more nutritious food and waste less food.
Seated lunchtime is the amount of time students have to eat their lunch after going through the lunch line and sitting down to eat, which is different than the total amount of time scheduled for lunch. Any requirements will take effect in school year 2025–2026 or later.
PUBLIC REVIEW AND FEEDBACK
A public comment period is open through January 14, 2025. Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and community members are encouraged to review the proposed rule and provide comments.
Public comments can be submitted by email to child.nutrition@k12.wa.us or mailed to PO Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504.
OSPI will host a virtual public hearing to provide a summary of proposed rule changes and an opportunity for comments. Please share the following information with staff, colleagues, and families to support awareness and engagement:
This memo clarifies policy related to fees associated with electronic (online) payments in the school meal programs.
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Effective school year 2027–28
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Households eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits must not be charged any fees for using electronic payment services in the school meal programs.
- Requires a free and accessible method of making deposits to student accounts, even if students' school meal accounts are only used for purchasing a la carte foods.
- Households must be provided a method to make deposits to student accounts that do not require computer access.
- Offers best practices and strategies for School Food Authorities (SFAs) to ensure that all families are aware of payment options and to ease the financial burden on families.
Provides Child Nutrition Program operators, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (SBP), and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), with additional information and clarification on the State Agency monitoring process regarding the: 1) Child Nutrition (CN) label, 2) Watermarked CN label, and 3) manufacturer’s Product Formulation Statement (PFS).
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Reflects updates to the CN Label Verification System.
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Clarifies the date of authorization found on the CN label versus the “Valid Until” date on the CN Label Verification Report.
Documentation Requirement Reminder
Valid and acceptable documentation for the CN label includes:
- the original CN label from the product carton; or
- a photocopy of the CN label shown attached to the original product carton; or
- a photograph of the CN label shown attached to the original product carton; or
- a CN label copied with a watermark displaying the product name and CN number provided by the vendor and the Bill of Lading (invoice).
CN labels that are photocopied or photographed must be visible and legible.
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 are reported in the Verification Summary Report (VSR). The VSR is completed in WINS and must be submitted by February 15, 2025.
Public school districts, private schools, and residential child care institutions (RCCIs) that determine eligibility for meals using meal applications must conduct verification. Please review the Meal Application and Verification Information webpage for resources and details about completing the verification process.
All sponsors are required to submit the VSR this school year. Only meal applications submitted for SY 2024–25 are included in the VSR. The Canvas course Completing the Verification Summary Report in WINS training provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete the report. Sponsors will not be able to submit their January claim until their VSR is error free and submitted in WINS.
Appeal procedures give USDA Child Nutrition Program sponsors an avenue to appeal when the OSPI takes adverse administrative action as required by federal regulations.
These procedures are specific in what actions are appealable and to what programs they apply. Appeal procedures are included in final letters summarizing Administrative Review findings and are available on OSPI's webpages.
Questions? Please contact your School Meal Program Specialist.
The Washington State Legislature provided $75,000 to support grants for schools seeking to implement more plant-based meal options in school year (SY) 2024–25. OSPI will award competitive grants up to $10,000 per Local Education Agency (LEA) to be spent during SY 2024–25.
Who Can Apply?
All K–12 schools, including public, charter, and tribal compact schools, participating in the National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Program in Washington state are eligible to apply. All LEAs interested in making more plant-based entrees, sides, and/or dairy alternatives available to students are encouraged to apply. Only LEAs that have not previously received funding for the Plant-Based School Meals Grant may apply.
Application and Grant Funding Resources
Plant-Based School Meals Grant applications are due by 5 pm on Thursday, December 19, 2024. Approved grant purchases must be completed by June 30, 2025.
Why Serve Plant-Based School Meals?
There are a variety of benefits to serving plant-based school meal options, including:
- Supporting Student Health: Well-planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.
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Serving Culturally Appropriate Meals: Providing plant-based menu offerings can make school meals more accessible to children following halal, kosher, and other specific cultural dietary practices. Additionally, many students follow plant-based diets for a variety of reasons.
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Supporting Local Agriculture: Washington has a bounty of local farmers and food businesses that are growing and selling plant-based protein foods, like lentils and soy products.
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Announcing the Smart Snacks training module in Canvas!
This module is intended for ANYONE who manages and operates food sales which fall under the Smart Snacks standards, such as the director of a student store selling snacks and coffee drinks during passing periods. The module covers Smart Snacks background information, the food and beverage standards, and other requirements for compliance. Please feel free to forward the Canvas self-enrollment link to any relevant coaches, ASB heads, teachers, etc. as needed, and suggest that they take the Smart Snacks training (~60 minutes, self-paced) to ensure that your Local Education Agency (LEA) remains in compliance.
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We proudly announce that Port Angeles School District and Highline Public Schools received a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award for making improvements to the nutritional quality of their district's school meals.
Awarded by the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), Port Angeles School District received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award! Highline Public Schools received the Preparation of School Meals Award!
Find more information about these awardees on the HMI Recognition Awardee Spotlight.
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FYI
The National Farm to School Network (NF2SN) wants to learn more about the landscape of farm to school coordination across the country so they can develop resources and advocacy tools. NF2SN asks people primarily responsible for carrying out farm to school activities for their school or district to respond to a short 5 minute survey.
Trainings and Webinars
OSPI is collaborating with the Washington Beef Commission as part of our 2024 USDA Farm to School Grant. As part of that collaboration, we are sharing the following training opportunity.
The Washington State Beef Commission will be hosting a foodservice training and farm tour for school district employees to learn more about putting local beef on the lunch tray. Please fill out this form if you're interested in attending.
Grant Opportunities
USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, in partnership with The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) 2025 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration program will fund projects that support community-based gardens promoting sustainable agriculture practices that benefit people and wildlife. Awards range from $30,000 to $60,000.
Applicant gardens do not need to be registered as People’s Gardens prior to applying; however, they must sign up once funding is awarded. Gardens of varied sizes and types, including school gardens, can be recognized as a People’s Garden.
Project must meet the People’s Garden criteria:
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Grow the garden using sustainable practices that benefit people and wildlife
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Teach about gardening and resilient, local food systems
The goal of the Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education System (SCALES) grant is to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthy meals for students, fostering better nutrition and overall well-being. For more information and to apply, visit the Project SCALES website: https://projectscales.com/apply/
The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools and connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals.
Applicants may apply to one of the following grant tracks that best suits their project. Use the Request for Applications (RFA) Grant Track Decision document on the Resources for Grant Program Applicants webpage to help determine what grant to apply for.
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Implementation Grant: Improve access to local foods in eligible Child Nutrition Program sites through comprehensive farm to school programming that includes both local sourcing and agricultural education efforts. Award Amount: $50,000 – $500,000
Learn more about this opportunity by attending USDA Office Hours.
Register Here
Date: Monday, December 2, 2024
Time: 8am–9am PT
Register Here
Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Time: 12pm–1pm PT
Register Here
Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Time: 11am–12pm PT
January orders open Wednesday, December 4, and will close Wednesday, December 11, at 4 pm
Surplus orders will open Thursday, December 12, at 1 pm for groups 1 and 2, 1:30 pm for group 3, and 2 pm for group 4.
Surplus closes Friday, December 13, at 4 pm.
There are new group numbers this year. Please verify your Group Numbers Reference Sheet to see when you have access to Surplus.
Ordering
- To place an order - log-in to CNP Web.
- Your Food Distribution Application must be completed (including certified and submitted) before you can place an order.
- Sponsor Ordering Instructions
- Reminder: Minimum of 20 cases per warehouse (dry vs frozen).
The Ordering and Receiving webpage has multiple resources to assist you with placing your order including instructions and the order and distribution schedule.
Important Reminders
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Confirmation of USDA Foods
- If you’re scheduled to receive a USDA Foods Delivery, you should receive an appointment confirmation from the carrier. Please remember to reply to the carrier confirming receipt of the appointment.
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Deliveries
- To update or change your delivery contact person, please complete the Delivery Updates Form.
- Standard USDA food deliveries are wrapped and stacked on pallets no higher than approximately five feet and left at your loading dock for you to remove.
- Carriers will drop pallets at the dock or just inside the threshold of your facility if the entrance can accommodate. 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.
- If there are delivery discrepancies or damages, you may return those cases with the driver.
Questions? Please email the Food Distribution team inbox or call 360-725-6204.
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Winter weather is upon us! Inclement weather or other events may unexpectedly affect your hours of operation, staff availability, and access to buildings.
If your LEA experiences unexpected closures and your delivery cannot be accepted, please contact the Empire Distribution System (IEDS) carrier that delivers your USDA Foods:
East
- Hernandez Transportation – 509-547-8800
- Fastway Transportation – 509-534-9351
West
- Holman Transportation – 253-867-0682
- Peninsula Transportation – 800-942-9909
- Oak Harbor Transportation – 253-288-8370
Loading docks and delivery areas must be clear of snow and ice to allow for safe deliveries. Please work with your facilities department to ensure your delivery area is ready.
Questions? Please email the Food Distribution team inbox or call 360-725-6204.
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ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
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ADA NOTIFICATION FOR OSPI CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES EVENTS
To arrange accommodations for persons with disabilities for OSPI Child Nutrition Services events, please contact the Child Nutrition Services Team at 360-725-6200, TTY 360-664-3631, or by email, child.nutrition@k12.wa.us at least three business days before the event. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require OSPI to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.
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