DESE releases initial fall school reopening guidance. Review the full text
If you have questions or ideas about how this impacts school foodservice share them at Ask DESE Anything.
Rob's Latest and Greatest:
Last week, you were made aware of initial guidance released by DESE for school reopening this fall that prioritizes getting students safely back to school in person, following a comprehensive set of health and safety requirements. The Department is also requiring schools to create hybrid learning plans to teach students in-person and remotely on alternating schedules, and to have robust remote learning plans in place, should those alternate learning models be needed.
The document contains initial facilities and operations guidance including considerations for serving school meals safely to both in person and remote learners. This includes meals served in cafeterias following strict social distancing practices, meals served in classrooms and ensuring access to school meals for students learning remotely.
Specifically, the initial guidance states:
"Prepare to hold breakfast and/or lunch in classrooms, instead of the cafeteria or common areas. As it is assumed that masks/face coverings will not be worn during meals, in order to achieve six feet of physical distance between individuals, consider ways to conduct breakfast and lunch (e.g., stagger time, build in other breaks, etc.). If serving food in the cafeteria, develop staggered schedules that minimize mixing of cohorts and enforce physical distancing protocols. Adjust food preparation and service procedures to minimize shared items (i.e. serving utensils), maintain physical distance, and support compliance with health and safety. For students continuing with remote learning, provide school meals as needed for days they are not in the school building.”
In addition, the USDA has waived several program requirements for SY 20/21 nationwide:
The Office for Food and Nutrition Programs is working with our colleagues at DESE as well as our partners at USDA to communicate the needs and challenges many School Nutrition Programs will face this fall as schools re-open. More detailed information about the reopening guidance and the waiver extensions will be forthcoming. In the meantime, ensure that you are a part of the school district planning to know what your start of school plans will look like while you keep in mind the initial school meal guidance.
We welcome your feedback and questions as you work on your own re-opening plans. Share questions with your DESE consultants or use our anonymous question feature: Ask DESE Anything to have your question answered in a future newsletter edition!
Please stay healthy,
Robert M Leshin
SY 20/21 Renewal Application is now available
The application can be found on the DESE Security Portal under Applications. The documents needed to complete the Application Packet are in the online Document Reference Library under “NSLP-Annual Renewal Documents.” The application is due September 27th,. Any applications not completed may result in delays claiming and access to USDA Food orders. Keep in mind:
New this year: As noted in the SY 20-21 Meal Benefit Application Packet memorandum, the MA prototype letters to households must be submitted to DESE for review and uploaded as part of the Application Packet.
Update your Authorized Signatures so you continue to get all current updates about fall reopening.
Please be aware that if you are operating one or more Seamless Summer Option (SSO) sites and have indicated that you are continuing to serve meals through the summer, your SSO/SSON site(s) will be pre-approved for July and August 2020 in the 2021 NSLP application as Amendment 0. The sites can be amended as needed through Amendment 1.
Please remember to Save after completing each component. If there are any questions, please consult your assigned DESE consultant (listed at the bottom of the District Application). There is also a HELP button at the top right-hand corner of the screen in each component for written explanations on completing the application.
New Grant Opportunity for Schools
The last issue of our newsletter announced the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program, which is awarding up to $36 million to applicants. This grant program has a focus on ensuring families and individuals across Massachusetts have access to food with an emphasis on equitable access to food that is produced locally. National School Lunch Program sponsors (NSLP or SSO) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors, including both school districts and community organizations, are eligible to apply for this grant. Unaffiliated SFSP sites are also eligible to apply for grant funding.
The Grant application is posted here on the Food Security Grant website. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis now through September 15, 2020 by 4:00 p.m. For additional information, including examples of eligible projects please review this attachment or reference the posted RFR here.
We are excited to offer our comprehensive summer conference content virtually this year. We have a fantastic lineup of topics, for you to view at your convenience the week they are released. Questions from the week's content will be answered at our Town Hall every Friday. All modules will continue to remain available throughout the year so you can refer back anytime you want clarification! Register to receive updates on the content release and Town Hall login information today.
Week of July 27th
Direct Certification Process
Meal Benefit Application Process
Verification Process, Direct Verification & Paper Process
Civil Rights Complaint Process
Week of August 3rd
Wellness, Health & Safety for Staff
Meal Counting & Claiming
Claims Processing
Application Renewal
August 10th
Financial Procedures, Reports & Recording – part 1 & 2
Procurement
Maximizing your USDA Foods Entitlement
August 17th
School Lunch Meal Pattern
Menu Planning for Social Distancing
Special Dietary Needs
School Breakfast Meal Pattern
Schools that may be potentially eligible Community Eligibility Provision
This is our annual notification to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and schools eligible and potentially eligible to participate in Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The list identified student percentages are provided for informational purposes only and may not reflect the actual, verified numbers at the LEAs. If a LEA or individual site within the LEA applies to participate in CEP, data may be updated during the approval process.
USDA Foods 20/21 Sneak Peak
Entitlement Rates:
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on meal counts in SY19-20, USDA will allow states to use SY18-19 meal counts rather than SY19-20 meal counts to determine SY20-21 entitlement values. Your SY20-21 estimated entitlement shown on your surveys submitted in March is based on July 2018 to June 2019 meal counts.
DOD Fresh
Your DoD Fresh Funds for SY20-21 are now available for use in FFAVORS! You can place orders under SY20-21 for deliveries July 1 or later.
Processing
We sent allocations to the processors. It is the Processor's job to enter your allocation in K-12 and Processor Link. They usually do this in early July. Please review your awarded bid against your Diversion Survey.
Did you revise your bid for anticipated menu changes for the fall?
Are your pounds at the correct awarded processor(s)?
Please email Belinda Wilson about transferring your pounds as needed.
Brown Box:
The following products were not ordered for SY20-21 due to low demand:
Monthly postings of offer sheets on the Security Portal as in previous years. Posting the 4th Friday of the preceding month with orders due the 3rd Friday of the order month.
GFS Sponsors:
As a new product arrives at GFS, your requested food will be available to order within two days of receipt.
We are working on a new security portal feature that will allow you to see the status of your requested products. Stay tuned for more details.
JSI is proud to announce their newly designed website, updated for a user-friendly experience! With easy to navigate features, upgrades to their most-requested tools, and a contemporary feel, we're confident you'll enjoy exploring all it has to offer! Check it out: https://johnstalkerinstitute.org/
100th Anniversary Grant Opportunity Deadline 8/7/2020
In recognition of our 100th Anniversary New England Dairy is excited to announce a funding opportunity from New England Dairy Farmers to eligible schools in Massachusetts to support food service needs related to serving meals in alternative ways related to COVID-19 social distancing measures during the 2020-21 school year. We understand feeding students during this time will require drastic changes in some schools and we want to support the outstanding efforts of school nutrition professionals to make sure our students are nourished and ready to learn. Visit https://www.newenglanddairy.com/school-meals/ for details. Deadline: August 7, 2020
Notable Dates:
July
1st Run Direct Certification
17th Submit USDA Foods Order
August
1st Run Direct Certification
21st Submit USDA Foods Order
31st LEA's must submit all data and supporting documentation to DESE for validation
Training Opportunities:
July- Virtual Nuts and Bolts of School Nutrition Programs
