Tuesday Morning - August 18, 2020 An Update on Federal and State Policy Issuesfrom SNA Table of Contents COVID-19 Policy Updates SNA Joins Allied Groups on Letter to FNS on Waivers Extensions USDA Announces Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Parent Pick Up Waiver Senator Stabenow and Congressmen Scott Sends Letter to USDA Senator Pat Roberts Sends Letter to USDA Requesting the Extension of Waivers Federal Policy Congress Sends Bipartisan Letter to USDA Requesting the Extension of Waivers SNA Publishes Flyer on Safe and Nutritious School Meals Take Action: Show Your Support for School Nutrition Legislation State Snapshots Michigan Proposes Bill to Create Feed our Future Grant Program Mark Your Calendars Upcoming SNA Webinar Upcoming FRAC Webinar Mystery Chat Corner COVID-19 Policy Updates SNA Joins Allied Groups on Letter to FNS on Waivers Extensions On August 11, 2020, SNA, along with 1,315 other organizations, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Feeding America, signed on to an allied letter by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) requesting the extension of vital school nutrition waivers. This letter contains requests concerning program operations and illustrates the need to extend all nationwide waivers for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO), including the non-congregate and area eligibility waiver, through the school year. Read the full letter. Back to the top USDA Announces Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Parent Pick Up Waiver On August 12, 2020, the USDA FNS announced that individual states may apply for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Parent Pick Up Waiver. This waiver allows parents or guardians to pick up commodities as part of the FFVP for those students that qualify. So far, five states have been approved for this waiver, which expires June 30, 2021. Back to the top Senator Stabenow and Congressmen Scott Sends Letter to USDA On August 14, 2020, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to the USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. This letter urges USDA to immediately extend all school meal flexibilities so that schools and state agencies are equipped to provide school meals for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full press release. Back to the top Senator Pat Roberts Sends Letter to USDA Requesting the Extension of Waivers On August 17th, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) sent a letter signed by 19 other Republican Senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), to the U.S Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. This letter calls for USDA to utilize program flexibilities and extend the waivers that allow for summer feeding models to continue for the 2020-21 school year. Read the full letter. Back to the top School nutrition staff at Watauga County Schools in Boone, North Carolina, have managed to serve over 250,000 meals since school closures this spring. Federal Policy Congress Sends Bipartisan Letter to USDA Requesting the Extension of Waivers On August 7, 2020, 25 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a bipartisan letter authored by Representative Susan Davis (CA-53) to US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue asking for the extension of all waivers available to schools to provide meals to children during this pandemic. This letter urges the extension of waivers that allow for the implementation of the Summer Food Service Program (SFS) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO), including area eligibility waivers, through the 2020-2021 school year. Read the full letter. Back to the top SNA Publishes Flyer on Safe and Nutritious School Meals This week, SNA published its flyer illustrating the importance of food safety in school meals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) all stress that there is no evidence COVID-19 spreads via food or food packaging. Whether meals are served in school or at a grab-and-go pickup location, school meal preparation is conducted in strict adherence with federal, state, and local food safety regulations. View the full flyer. Back to the top Take Action: Show Your Support for School Nutrition Legislation We need you to make your voice heard! Several key school nutrition bills have been introduced and we need your help to raise awareness and support! Safe and consistent student access to school meals this fall continues to be threatened by unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please take a few minutes to sign SNA’s prepopulated letter to your legislators urging them to support these bills. Every message makes a difference. H.R. 7887, Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act, introduced by House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), would guarantee every child has safe access to healthy school meals during SY 2020-21. With a multitude of families newly eligible for free and reduced-price meals, offering meals to all students at no charge spares overburdened schools the massive task of distributing and processing meal applications and reduces the stigma for children who depend on free meals. TAKE ACTION! H.R. 7764, Child Nutrition Relief Act of 2020, introduced by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-7) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) would allow USDA to extend all COVID-19 school feeding waivers through June 30, 2021. Extending these waivers will allow school meal programs to seamlessly continue grab-and-go meal pick up for distance learners, serve meals to students in the classroom or adjust meal service in the event of a sudden COVID-19 school closure. TAKE ACTION! Read more about these bills and SNA’s support of these measures in SNA’s press release. Back to the top State Snapshots Michigan Proposes Bill to Create Feed our Future Grant Program HB 6023 requires the Michigan Department of Education to establish the Feed our Future Grant Program to provide grants to Michigan school districts to ensure that children get healthy and nutritious meals and snacks to combat food insecurity. Back to the top Mark Your Calendars Upcoming SNA Webinar You've heard it all: hybrid, virtual, staggered education schedules. But how do you ensure that school nutrition is an integral part of the education day? Register for next week’s Back to School Webinar and learn more about navigate the various scenarios expected this upcoming school year. Plus, register for additional webinar opportunities in the fall! If you missed a particular webinar, catch up with SNA’s on-demand webinars. Make School Nutrition an Integral Part of the Education Day, with any Academic Schedule Thursday, August 27, 2020, 3:00 PM ET During this SNA webinar, recommendations will be shared for scenario planning for various school feeding models. Plus, look for valuable extras for SY 2020-21, including menu templates, recommended best practices and a sneak peek into upcoming initiatives from your professional association. Back to the top Upcoming FRAC Webinar Across the country schools and community programs are planning and preparing for back to school during unprecedented times due to COVID-19. While the school day and afterschool programs will look different for many students this year, the Afterschool Nutrition Programs remain an important opportunity to provide nutritious suppers and snacks. On Thursday, August 20, 2020, 1:00 pm ET, join the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) and the Afterschool Alliance for the webinar “Expanding Access to Afterschool Meals and Snacks this School Year.” This webinar will cover the most up-to-date information on the Afterschool Nutrition Program flexibilities, an update on the afterschool program response during the pandemic, and things to consider for this school year. Back to the top Mystery Chat Corner On August 18, 1986, which quarterback signed with Buffalo Bills for $75 million for 5 years? A: Jim Kelly Back to the top