Tuesday Morning - August 11, 2020 An Update on Federal and State Policy Issuesfrom SNA Table of Contents COVID-19 Policy Updates Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver for the SFSP – Extension 5 Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for Sponsoring Organizations of SFSP – Extension 2 Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the SFSP – Extension 2 Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in the School Meals Programs – Extension 2 Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the CACFP – Extension 2 Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for Sponsors in the CACFP Federal Policy The Child Nutrition Relief Act of 2020 Federal Register: Turnip the Beet! Comment Request Health Affairs Publishes Article on the Impact of The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act State Snapshots Massachusetts Creates Bill Requiring Nutrition Standards for School Meals Nebraska Proposes Resolution to Study Impact of the NSLP on Poverty Mark Your Calendars Upcoming SNA Webinar Upcoming Team Nutrition Webinar Mystery Chat Corner COVID-19 Policy Updates Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver for the SFSP – Extension 5 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a meal pattern waiver extending the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child Nutrition Programs – EXTENSION #3, which expired on July 31, 2020 to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child Nutrition Programs – EXTENSTION #4, granted on June 25, 2020, provided extensions to all other Child Nutrition Programs through school year 2020-2021. Extension #5 applies to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and expires August 31, 2020. Back to the top Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for Sponsoring Organizations of SFSP – Extension 2 This extension of Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for Sponsoring Organizations in the Summer Food Service Program – EXTENSION applies to monitoring of schools and institutions operating SFSP during an unanticipated school closure. For all SFSP sponsoring organizations that elect to be subject to this waiver, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) extends its waiver of the requirement through September 30, 2021. Back to the top Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the SFSP – Extension 2 This extension of Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the Summer Food Service Program – EXTENSION, issued on June 8, 2020, applies to monitoring of schools and institutions operating SFSP during an unanticipated school closure. For all State agencies that elect to be subject to this waiver, FNS extends its waiver of the requirement that SFSP monitoring requirements be conducted onsite. This waiver extension remains in effect through September 30, 2021. Back to the top Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in the School Meals Programs – Extension 2 This extension of Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in the School Meals Programs – Revised – EXTENSION applies to the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. For all State agencies and school food authorities (SFAs) that elect to be subject to this waiver, FNS extends its waiver of school meals onsite monitoring requirements and the requirement to complete the onsite portion of the administrative review during the school year the review was begun through June 30, 2021. Back to the top Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the CACFP – Extension 2 This extension of Nationwide Waiver of Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the Child and Adult Care Food Program – EXTENSION to waive the requirements until August 31, 2020 applies to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). For all State agencies that elect to be subject to this waiver, FNS extends its waiver of the requirement that CACFP monitoring requirements included at Section 17 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act be conducted onsite. This waiver extension remains in effect through September 30, 2021. Back to the top Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for Sponsors in the CACFP Under current regulations, CACFP-sponsoring organizations must review each facility three times each year. This waiver allows for offsite monitoring in addition to the flexibilities provided for sponsors in the extension of COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response #27: Nationwide Waiver of Monitoring Requirements for Sponsors in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, issued June 8, 2020. This waiver remains in effect through September 30, 2021. Back to the top “Ensuring access to proper nutrition is our mission.” Prince William County (Va.) Schools shared this video highlighting continued school meal service at 22 grab-and-go locations for all children under 18. Federal Policy The Child Nutrition Relief Act of 2020 On August 5, 2020, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) introduced S.4447, the Child Nutrition Relief Act, the companion bill to Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez's (NY-07) H.R.7764. This legislation would allow the USDA to extend all COVID-19 emergency school feeding waivers through June 30, 2021. These waivers for school nutrition programs provide school districts across the country with the flexibility to deliver meal services during school closures or while operating modified schedules or in non-traditional settings. Read the full press release. Back to the top Federal Register: Turnip the Beet! Comment Request On August 6, 2020, the USDA submitted an information collection for OMB review regarding the Turnip the Beet! summer meals program. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection are due by September 5,2020, and can be submitted through www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function. Back to the top Healthy Affairs Publishes Article on the Impact of The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act In July, Healthy Affairs published the research article “Impact of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) On Obesity Trends.” This study demonstrated that for those students in poverty, the risk of obesity declined substantially after HHFKA was implemented, such that obesity prevalence would have been 47% higher in 2018 if there had been no legislation. These results suggest that the HHFKA’s science-based nutritional standards should be maintained to support healthy growth, especially among children living in poverty. Back to the top State Snapshots Massachusetts Creates Bill Requiring Nutrition Standards for School Meals House Amendment 01 to HB 4218 requires the state board of education to establish minimum nutritional standards for all school food services in all public elementary, secondary, and vocational-technical schools. In addition, the board shall require all public schools to make lunches available to children. Back to the top Nebraska Proposes Resolution to Study Impact of the NSLP on Poverty LR 399 establishes an in-depth review of how at-risk and economically disadvantaged students are a qualification factor for state-funded, education-related programs, including the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Back to the top Mark Your Calendars Upcoming SNA Webinar Register for this week’s Back to School Webinar and learn more about innovative approaches to meal delivery during a pandemic. Plus, register for additional webinar opportunities in the fall! If you missed a particular webinar, catch up with SNA’s on-demand webinars. Celebrate and Learn From School Nutrition Heroes Thursday, August 13, 2020, 3:00 PM ET School nutrition professionals across the country have been incredibly innovative and shown a commitment to go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that children across the country continued to be fed, even when schools closed suddenly in the spring due to the pandemic. In this session, the speakers will highlight the efforts of districts across the country. In particular, they will present examples of innovation, out-of-the-box solutions, and accomplishments with the goal of celebrating what was done and sharing critical learnings that can be carried forward. They will include best practices and practical tips that attendees may incorporate into their own plans for the unusual circumstances school nutrition staff now face. Back to the top Upcoming Team Nutrition Webinar Join Team Nutrition on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 2:00 pm ET, for the webinar, “Track Training Like a Star with the Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool.” Learn more about the new and existing features of the Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool (PSTTT). The PSTTT is a tool designed to assist school nutrition professionals in keeping track of their annually required training hour. This webinar will help listeners gain knowledge and a firsthand view of the benefits of using the PSTTT via live demonstrations. Back to the top Mystery Chat Corner On August 11, 2012, the Republican nominee and U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced that this Congressman from Wisconsin would be his running mate? A: Paul Ryan Back to the top