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School Nutrition Bulletin 2122-11

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)

Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

 

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #100 Waiver to Allow Fiscal Action Flexibility for Meal Pattern Violations Related to COVID-19 Supply Chain Disruptions Impacting School Meals in School Year 2021-22

This memo grants the State agency fiscal action flexibility for certain requirements during an Administrative Review (AR) due to COVID-19 supply chain disruptions. Under this waiver, State agencies may waive the requirement to apply fiscal action for:
  • Missing food components or missing production records, and
  • Repeated violations involving milk type and vegetable subgroups
The State agency requests use of this flexibility; no action is required from a School Food Authority (SFA). For SFAs that experience supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19, adequate documentation must be maintained. This information will be requested on an AR and is necessary to support the use of the Fiscal Action Flexibility for Meal Pattern Violations. This waiver applies to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), the NSLP Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and is available until June 30, 2022.
 

Can You Make the School Lunch Honor Roll? Find out with Team Nutrition’s New School Lunch Quiz!

 

Team Nutrition is proud to announce the release of a new 10 Question Web-based School Lunch Quiz. Whether you’re a parent, student, teacher, school nutrition professional, SNAP-Ed educator, or just interested in school lunch, this fun and interactive quiz is for you!

Team Nutrition plans to release more Web Quizzes on other topics soon. Each quiz is also available as a widget, so they can be easily embedded and displayed on other web pages.
 

Updates from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Nutrition Team (SNT)

 

Reminder: July SSO Claims Due Wednesday September 29, 2021

Please note that claims for meals served in July are due Wednesday September 29. Please consult the SSO Claiming Manual for instructions. If your School Food Authority (SFA) is in withholding and is unable to make claims, please email a paper claim to Jacque Jordee (Jacqueline.Jordee@dpi.wi.gov) before the deadline. If your SFA is not in withholding, but is unable to enter a July claim, please email dpifns@dpi.wi.gov for assistance.
 

Reminder: Carryover Paused for School Year (SY) 2021-22

When determining a student’s eligibility for SY 2021-22, the most current eligibility determination applies, which may be from 2019-20, 2020-21 or 2021-22. The 30-day carryover has been paused since SY 2019-20 due to COVID-19. Any applications received and processed in SY 2021-22 and/or Direct Certification runs completed in SY 2021-22 will override the most current eligibility status for that student. Please note, an “N” code from Direct Certification is not considered a new eligibility determination and does not override the current eligibility status. If a Free and Reduced Meal Application is submitted and once processed indicates the student is no longer eligible for free or reduced, their status would be changed to paid on your benefit issuance list.
 
Under the SSO, all students receive a free meal regardless of their eligibility status, but the benefit issuance list should reflect the most current individual student eligibility for other program purposes, PEBT, and state reporting.
 
 

Special Milk Program Non-Congregate and Parent Pick Up Waivers

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requested and was granted the Non-Congregate and Parent Pick Up waivers from USDA for the Special Milk Program (SMP). The Non-Congregate waiver allows SMP operators to serve milk offsite in non-congregate settings due to virtual or distance learning and school closures related to COVID-19. The Parent Pick Up waiver allows non-congregate SMP operations to distribute milk to a parent or guardian. You must complete this SMP Waiver Request if your program intends to offer milk in a non-congregate setting and distribute to parents or guardians. As a reminder, the SMP program is intended to serve children who do not have access to meals through another child nutrition program. All other SMP program requirements still apply.
 
Please contact our Special Milk Program specialists if you have any questions:

Tanya Kirtz at Tanya.Kirtz@dpi.wi.gov or call (608) 266-2410

Alyssa Flores at Alyssa.Flores@dpi.wi.gov or call (608) 266-1046

Small Victories

Small Victories training will be offered beginning in early October. This training will be a self-paced, interactive, training which is intended for school food service employees who want to learn about the basics of the breakfast and lunch meal patterns and how to credit food items. Another self-paced training focusing on the basics of the Afterschool Snacks Program will also be available. As part of this training a live event will be offered in November! Please visit the Small Victories Training Webpage for more information.
 

Other Updates and Information

 

Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch

Join the 2021 Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch on Thursday, October 14! Celebrate National Farm to School Month by crunching into locally grown apples! Although we aim for a regional crunch on October 14th, you are welcome to Crunch any day in October that works for your SFA. If you need help finding locally grown apples, check out the Wisconsin Local Foods Database for a map and contact information for local producers. Help reach our Midwest regional goal of one million crunches by Registering for the Crunch!
 

Institute of Child Nutrition S.T.A.R. Webinar: Tools and Strategies for Emergency Preparedness in Schools

It's more important than ever that school nutrition operators are proactive. One should develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive emergency preparedness plans and procedures. Working with a response team to create such steps can help you cultivate effective action plans and strategies unique to your district and school. Join this webinar to hear strategies and tips on being proactive before an emergency occurs and knowing how to pivot by evaluating plans to resume operations.
 
Date: Thursday, September 30, 2021
Time: 2-3:00 pm CST
 
 
A continuing education certificate will be available after completion of the webinar.
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you are unable to attend the LIVE webinar, there will be a recording of the webinar available on the website 24-48 hours after the live webinar.
 
You can find STAR Webinars on the fresh, new iLearn platform.
 
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
 
This is a communication from the WI Department of Public Instruction, School Nutrition Team.
You can contact the School Nutrition Team at dpifns@dpi.wi.gov. To subscribe to schoolmealsnews, please send an email to dpifns@dpi.wi.gov. dpi.wi.gov/school-nutrition #WISchoolMealsRock