Tuesday Morning - July 21, 2020 An Update on Federal and State Policy Issuesfrom SNA Table of Contents COVID-19 Policy Updates Take Action: Request Continued SFSP/SSO and Meals at No Cost USDA Updates Interactive Map to Help Parents and Students Find Meals During COVID-19 Federal Policy USDA Publishes Final Report from the 2020 Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee FNS Publishes Final Rule for Administrative Revisions to FDPIR USDA Updates Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool State Snapshots New York Proposes Task Force for Reopening Schools Texas State Agency Creates Back to School Resource for Serving Meals Safely Mark Your Calendars Upcoming SNA Webinars Upcoming FRAC Webinar Upcoming Team Nutrition Webinar Mystery Chat Corner COVID-19 Policy Updates Take Action: Request Continued SFSP/SSO and Meals at No Cost We need you to make your voice heard! On July 10th, SNA sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting swift action to guarantee consistent, safe and equitable student access to healthy school meals. SNA is urging USDA to allow SFAs to continue serving students through SFSP and SSO and to immediately extend all SFSP/SSO COVID-19 waivers, including Area Eligibility waivers, through the end of SY 2020-21. Allowing all schools to offer breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge is the most effective way to ensure meals are served safely and sustainably during the pandemic. We need you to ask Congress to support SNA’s requests in the letter to USDA. Raise your voice on behalf of struggling schools and hungry students. It takes two minutes to complete your information and send your letter to your representatives. Take action now! Back to the top USDA Updates Interactive Map to Help Parents and Students Find Meals During COVID-19 The Meals for Kids Site Finder has been updated to assist families in finding meals for students while schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This interactive map now features more than 30,000 different meal sites and includes 49 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More locations will be added as states continue to submit information regarding feeding sites. USDA has also made this data available to developers to incorporate into other applications, and this map is also available in Spanish. Back to the top In Pelzer, South Carolina, foodservice workers at Ellen Woodside Elementary School continue to serve students as they pick up their summer meals. Federal Policy USDA Publishes Final Report from the 2020 Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee On July 15th, USDA posted the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s final report. This report is an overview of the latest scientific information on specific topics such as infant and child nutrition, and dietary habits to promote health and the prevention of chronic diseases. This report’s findings will provide recommendations and serve to inform USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials as they develop the 2020-25 Dietary Guidelines. All comments regarding the committee’s final report must be submitted by August 11, 2020. Back to the top FNS Publishes Final Rule for Administrative Revisions to FDPIR The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published its Final Rule “Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR): Two-Year Administrative Funding Availability and Substantial Burden Waiver Signatory Requirement.” According to this notice, FDPIR administrative grants now have a performance period of two fiscal years instead of one and provide information on other FDPIR related reporting and financial procedures. Additionally, this Final Rule permits supplemental federal funds if the purpose of these funds is consistent with additional Federal and FDPIR administrative costs. This rule is currently in effect. Back to the top USDA Updates Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool On July 13th, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced new updates for the Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool (PSTTT). The PSTTT now includes reward badges to help motivate school nutrition professionals and to make completing annual training requirements more fun. Now PSTTT users can earn achievement badges by completing one or more training under a specific Key Area. Once yearly requirements are met, users can print their certificates to display the badges that he or she have earned. Back to the top State Snapshots New York Propses Task Force for Reopening Schools A 10791 establishes a state-wide task force comprised of school administrators, teachers and state agency commissioners to assist in the planning and redesigning of schools to reopen during the 2020-2021 school year. Back to the top Texas State Agency Creates Back to School Resource for Serving Meals Safely For the upcoming academic year, Texas State Agency released the “Fall Meal Service Considerations” handout to help instruct program operators on how to serve meals safely to students. Suggestions on how to keep students safe include implementing sanitation practices, mobile cafeterias, grab-and-go models and Meals in the Classroom. These considerations can be discussed with superintendents and school bussiness officals when determining the best meal service model for your school nutrition program. Back to the top Mark Your Calendars Upcoming SNA Webinars Register for next week’s Back to School Webinar and learn about the brand-new Dining Guide for School Meals in the Classroom. Plus, register for additional webinar opportunities in the fall! If you missed a particular webinar, catch up with SNA’s on-demand webinars. Dining Guide for School Meals in the Classroom Thursday, July 30, 2020, 3:00 PM ET Will your cafeteria teams be expected to serve all or some meals in the classroom when the new school year begins? Join us for a webinar to learn about the brand-new Dining Guide for School Meals in the Classroom, a series of easy-to-customize templates you can adapt and share with various stakeholder groups at each school site. This crowd-sourced project led by Dayle Hayes, Jessica Shelly, and an expert group of school nutrition operators from around the country will help you connect with a wide variety of new partners, from administrators and teachers to custodians and support staff. Back to the top Upcoming FRAC Webinar Back-to-school planning looks a lot different this year, given the impact of COVID-19. Join the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) on Thursday, July 30, 2020, 3:00 pm ET, for the webinar, “Maximizing Opportunities to Ensure Students Nutrition Needs.” Learn how you can continue to strengthen and expand your school nutrition programs, especially school breakfast and afterschool meals, in this new environment. Efforts to increase participation pay off throughout the school year, with endless benefits for students as well as your bottom line. Speakers will share effective strategies to expand, adjust and promote your offerings to ensure the nutritional needs of students are met this coming school year. 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 July 21, 1990, "The Wall" is performed where the Berlin Wall once stood by what band? A: Pink Floyd Back to the top