|
SP 14-2025: Offer versus Serve Flexibilities for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program
The USDA released SP 14-2025: Offer versus Serve Flexibilities for the NSLP and SBP to encourage schools to use Offer versus Serve (OVS). OVS gives students more control over their meal choices while boosting participation and limiting food waste. Resources on OVS include:
SP 17-2025: Reimbursement for Off-Site Meal Consumption
The USDA released SP 17-2025: Reimbursement for Off-Site Meal Consumption to update guidance on reimbursement for school meals that are served or consumed off-site. This guidance clarifies that children participating in off-site extracurricular activities during the breakfast or lunch period can bring reimbursable meals from school with them to the activity. This could include, but is not limited to, off-site functions such as field trips, dual credit classes at a local college, work study, extracurricular activities, or release time religious education programs.
LEAs may only provide meals if the off-site function occurs during typical meal times. For example, a LEA may not provide meals to students who are off site at the end of the school day if that falls outside of the typical lunch period. Additionally, LEAs may not provide meals to all students to be taken off site due to early dismissal since there will be no meal service that day. Instead, this clarification applies only to individual students or groups of students who would normally be on site for the regularly scheduled meal service but are participating in an off-site school function or extracurricular activity and will return to school.
Meals taken off site must meet the meal pattern requirements and should be subject to especially stringent sanitary and precautionary measures to avoid contamination and spoilage.
Students on the district list, confirmed near matches, and students found using the Student Search function are free and reduced-price meal eligible beginning SY 2025–26.
Direct certification is the process of matching Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) information with student enrollment in the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS). This helps LEAs identify students eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Students that are directly certified are not required to submit a meal application to their district.
Direct certification is required by the USDA and must be conducted monthly under Washington state law (RCW 28A.235.280(3)). Students are directly certified for free or reduced-price meals because of participation in the following programs:
- Basic Food
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Foster Care
- Some Medicaid Programs
- Migrant Students
The direct certification list is in OSPI’s Education Data System (EDS). Locate the user manual and other resources on the CNS webpages.
Potentially Enrolled and Definitely Enrolled Students
At the beginning of each year, each LEA will not have students identified as definitely enrolled, and the definitely enrolled list will be blank. Once the district data manager for EDS uploads CEDARS enrollment, usually around October 1, the definitely enrolled list will show.
In the meantime, local education agencies will use the potentially enrolled list to identify directly certified students. Potentially enrolled means the student may be enrolled in the LEA for SY 2025–26, but until district enrollment is submitted in CEDARS, it cannot be confirmed. Potentially enrolled students are directly certified for free and reduced-price meals.
For more details, please review the Direct Certification User Manual.
Exact Match, Near Match, and Unmatched Lists
Directly certified students will appear in three ways in the system. OSPI uses a matching software system and establishes parameters for exact and near matches. All students that do not fit into the parameters are considered unmatched and are available in the "Student Search" function.
-
Exact Match: The student meets matching parameters as an exact match and the student is shown on the direct certification list.
-
Near Match: The student is not an exact match, but enough information potentially matches a student in the district. LEAs must use district information to “confirm” the DSHS information matches enrollment information. The parameters for near matches are set to allow only some students to show up on this list.
- LEAs should access the near match list and resolve all near matches before accessing the exact matches list. Resolved near matches become exact matches.
- The matching software for direct certification list has changed, including the parameters for matching. As a result, OSPI has noticed fewer near matches on district lists.
-
Unmatched List: The unmatched list contains all students that cannot be matched with the software. Use the “Student Search” function to find students in the Direct Certification system.
OSPI encourages LEAs to use “Student Search” often to ensure all eligible children receive meal benefits.
Contact Information
-
For EDS access, passwords, and to have Direct Certification added to the application list within the EDS system, public school districts should contact their district data security manager. Private schools should email the School Meals inbox.
-
For Direct Certification system questions, email OSPI Customer Support.
-
For eligibility and program questions, contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
-
For questions regarding your meal counting system, contact your software vendor.
 |
|
OSPI recently awarded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) funds to sites for SY 2025–26. A total of 242 schools have been offered funding to increase student access to fresh produce and provide nutrition education.
Congratulations to award recipients! Awarded sites and funding amounts can be viewed on the FFVP webpage.
|
Annual Training Requirement
Training is required to participate in the FFVP program.
All FFVP sponsors, whether new or returning, must complete annual training. New sponsors or returning sponsors with new staff must take FFVP 101. Returning sponsors may fulfill this requirement by taking FFVP 201 or repeating FFVP 101.
FFVP 101 and FFVP 201 are available on Canvas. FFVP annual training will not be offered at School Meals Annual Training August 5–6.
FFVP 101 reviews aspects of the program, including menu planning, incorporating nutrition education into the school environment, and accommodating students with special dietary needs.
FFVP 201 reviews program basics, and help sponsors develop an actionable plan to implement nutrition education.
Sponsors with approved FFVP sites can enroll in one of the two courses. The FFVP webpage contains training links and additional FFVP information.
Questions? Contact Rachel Floyd, Special Programs Specialist.
 |
|
Annual Training Registration Closes July 18!
Don’t miss the return to conference-style annual training. With over 20 sessions to choose from each day, including four extra sessions added to Day 2, you can’t beat this year’s line-up of must-have information and hot topics.
|
See the updated SY 25-26 School Meals Annual Training Schedule for times and session descriptions. Recently added sessions on August 6 include:
- Resource Management
- Counting & Claiming Reimbursable Meals
- Not So General Areas of the School Meal Programs
- Learning the Smart Snacks in Schools Standards
Not only is the training free to attend, but all attendees will receive a durable, ring-bound Menu Builder Tool! The Menu Builder tool includes frequently used tools, like updated meal pattern charts, Exhibit A, vegetable sub-group chart, measurement equivalents reference tool, among other resources. The new and improved Menu Builder Tool includes a new added sugar reference to help with the new product-based added sugar limits.
Registration Information
- Register here for SY 2025–26 School Meal Programs Annual Training on August 5 and 6. Attend one or both days.
-
Register here for SY 2025–26 Basics of Operating School Meal Programs for Food Service on August 5.
- Each participant must register for the event using their own pdEnroller account.
- While there is an option to register more than one attendee with one account, you will not be able to register each person for different days. Due to this issue, we recommend each participant to register with their own account.
-
Create your free pdEnroller account if you do not have one already.
- Registrants will receive a confirmation email after registering. Keep this email for your records.
Registration closes July 18!
NEW! Virtual Training Opportunities
For those unable to travel to in-person annual training in Ellenburg on August 5-6, OSPI is offering a series of live, virtual training sessions this fall.
- Preparing for Your Reviews
- Processing Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit (CNEEB) Applications
- Verification of Applications
- Basics of Operating the School Meal Programs for Food Service
- Resource Management: Tools & Rules for Managing Program Finances
Additional, recorded trainings on program requirements, such as meal pattern, Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), and Meals for Washington Students (HB 1238), are available on the School Meal Programs Canvas Course. Please note, you must have a Canvas Account to access these trainings.
Questions? Contact the School Meals team.
|
