8500 - FOOD SERVICES
The Board shall provide cafeteria facilities in all school buildings where space permits, and will provide food service for the purchase and consumption of lunch for all students.
The Board shall also provide a breakfast program in accordance with procedures established by the Department of Public Instruction.
The food-service program shall comply with Federal and State regulations pertaining to the selection, preparation, delivery, consumption, and disposal of food and beverages, including but not limited to the current school meal pattern requirements of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the USDA's Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, as well as to the fiscal management of the program. Further, the food-service program shall comply with Federal and State regulations pertaining to the fiscal management of the program as well as all the requirements pertaining to food service hiring and food service manager/operator licensure and certification. In addition, as required by law, a food safety program based on the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system shall be implemented with the intent of preventing food-borne illnesses. For added safety and security, access to the facility and the food stored and prepared therein shall be limited to food service staff and other authorized persons.
The Board shall approve and implement nutrition standards governing the types of food and beverages that may be sold on the premises of its schools and shall specify the time and place each type of food or beverage may be sold. In adopting such standards, the Board shall:
- consider the nutritional value of each food or beverage;
- consult and incorporate to the maximum extent possible the Dietary Guidelines for Americans jointly developed by the USDA and the United States Department of Health and Human Services; and
- consult and incorporate the USDA's Smart Snacks in School nutrition guidelines.
No food or beverage may be sold on any school premises except in accordance with the standards approved by the Board.
Modifications Based on Compliant Medical Documentation
Substitutions to the standard meal requirements, including those for a nutritional equivalent milk substitute, shall be made, at no additional charge, for students who have received, from a health care provider with prescriptive authority in the State of Wisconsin, medical certification that the student's medical condition restricts their diet, in accordance with the criteria set forth in 7 C.F.R. Part 15b.
The individual making an initial request for such substitutions must inform the Food Service Director that the student has a medical condition that restricts the student's diet, in accordance with the criteria set forth in 7 C.F.R. Part 15b. The School District will honor the request for ten (10_) school days. Within ten(_10) school days after receiving the initial request, a health care provider with prescriptive authority in the State of Wisconsin must submit medical certification that the student's medical condition restricts their diet, in accordance with the criteria set forth in 7 C.F.R. Part 15b. The substitutions may be discontinued until such medical certification is received.
The medical certification must identify:
- the student's medical condition or symptoms of a condition that restricts one (1) or more major life activity or function;
- an explanation of how the condition or symptom affects the student’s diet; and
- the food(s) to be omitted from the student's diet, and the food or choice of foods that must be substituted (e.g., caloric modifications or use of liquid nutritive formula).
IMPLEMENTATION AND DISCONTINUATION
Review
Upon receipt of a request for a special dietary accommodation, the Food Service Director or School Nurse shall review the request to ensure it is supported as required by Federal law and District policy.
Implementation
When the need for a special dietary accommodation is supported by a Medical Statement for Special Dietary Needs signed by a State authorized medical authority, the District will offer a reasonable modification that effectively accommodates the student’s disability. Following USDA Child Nutrition Program regulations, the School District may consider factors such as cost and efficiency and is not required to prepare a specific meal, provide a specific brand of food, or provide a meal beyond the meals provided to other students.
For students who have an IEP or 504 plan that requires specific food related accommodations, the School District shall provide the accommodation as required by law, seeking clarifying medical information, as necessary.
A special dietary request will be approved and implemented upon submission of a completed authorized Medical Statement.
Notification
Parents will be notified of clarifications needed or approval of a special dietary request.
Student Absence
If a student receiving a special dietary accommodation is absent or does not wish to participate in school lunch on a day an accommodation is planned, contact the Food Service Director or School Nurse by 8:00 AM the same day.
Renewing A Special Dietary Request
An authorized Medical Statement does not need to be updated annually. However, the Food Service Director or School Nurse may annually seek clarification or updates on special dietary requests.
Discontinuation of a Special Dietary Request
A special dietary request or part of a request may be discontinued by a parent by submitting the request in writing to the Food Service Director or School Nurse.
The District may provide a student with a substitute meal without any certification provided that the meal still meets the USDA meal pattern for reimbursement.
Meal Charges
Lunches sold by the school may be purchased by students and staff members and community residents in accordance with the rules of the District’s school lunch program.
The operation and supervision of the food-service program shall be the responsibility of the District Administrator. Food services shall be operated on a self-supporting basis with revenue from students, staff, Federal reimbursement, and surplus food. The Board shall assist the program by furnishing available space, initial major equipment, and utensils. Maintenance and replacement of equipment is the responsibility of the program.
A periodic review of the food-service accounts shall be made by the Food Service Director. Any surplus funds from the National School Lunch Program shall be used in a manner permitted by law as determined by the District Administrator. Surplus funds from a-la-carte foods purchased using funds from the nonprofit food service account must accrue to the nonprofit food service account.
Bad Debt
Bad debt incurred through the inability to collect lunch payment from students is not an allowable cost chargeable to any Federal program. Any related collection cost, including legal cost, arising from such bad debt after they have been determined to be uncollectable are also unallowable. District efforts to collect bad debt shall be in accordance with Policy 6152 - Student Fees, Fines, and Charges.
Bad debt is uncollectable/delinquent debt that has been determined to be uncollectable no sooner than the end of the school year in which the debt was incurred and after the District Administrator determines that sufficient reasonable effort and approaches to collecting the debt have been made. If the uncollectable/delinquent debt cannot be recovered by the School Meals Program in the year when the debt was incurred, then this is classified as bad debt. Once classified as bad debt, non-Federal funding sources must reimburse the NSFSA for the total amount of the bad debt. The funds may come from the District general fund, State or local funding, school or community organizations such as the PTA, or any other non-federal source. Once the uncollectable/delinquent debt charges are converted to bad debt, records relating to those charges must be maintained in accordance with the record retention requirements in 7 CFR 210.9(b) (17) and 7 CFR 210.15(b).
Negative Account Balances
Students will be permitted to purchase meals from the District's food service using either cash on hand or a food service account. A student may be allowed to incur a negative food service account balance subject to the following conditions.
Students may be permitted to accumulate negative food service account balance not to exceed $30.00 A student shall not be permitted to purchase a la carte items without sufficient account balance or cash on hand.
A student who has exceeded the permissible negative balance amount in their account and does not have cash on hand sufficient to purchase a meal will be treated respectfully. The District will provide meals to students with unpaid meal balances without stigmatizing them, will provide parents of students who charge meals with notification when a student charges a meal, and will make efforts to collect the charges incurred by the students so that the unpaid charges are not classified as bad debt at the end of the school year.
If a student has reached the permissible level of negative lunch account balance, they shall be provided a regular reimbursable meal that follows the USDA meal pattern, the cost of which shall continue to accrue to a negative lunch account balance.
This policy and any implementing guidelines shall be provided in writing to all households at the start of each school year and to households transferring to the school or School District during the school year. The policy and implementing guidelines will also be provided to all District staff with responsibility for enforcing the policies.
The food-service program may participate in the Farm to School Program using locally grown food in school meals and snacks.
No foods or beverages, other than those associated with the District's food-service program, are to be sold during food-service hours.
The District’s food service program shall serve only food items and beverages determined by the Food Service Department to be in compliance with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition guidelines. Any competitive food items and beverages that are available for sale to students a la carte in the dining area between midnight and thirty (30) minutes following the end of the school day shall also comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition guidelines, and may only be sold in accordance with Board Policy 8550 - Competitive Food Sales. Foods and beverages unassociated with the food-service program may be vended in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth in Board Policy 8540 - Vending Machines.
The District Administrator will require that the food service program serve foods in the schools of the District that are wholesome and nutritious and reinforce the concepts taught in the classroom.
The District Administrator is responsible for implementing the food service program in accordance with the adopted nutrition standards and shall provide a report regarding the District’s compliance with the standards at one of its regular meetings annually.
Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. The District's nondiscrimination statement below is complementary to the District's nondiscrimination policies, including Policy 2260 - Nondiscrimination and Access to Equal Opportunity and Policy 1422/Policy 3122/Policy 4122 - Nondiscrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or - Fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or - E-mail:
program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Revised 8/6/12
Revised 3/2/15
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