ADMINISTRATIVE
 

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Availability of School Nutrition Programs during the Summer

OPTION 1:

1. National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs— administered by the Virginia Department of Education’s, Office of School Nutrition Programs (SNP).
1. School divisions that offer summer educational programs (summer school) for students may provide summer school lunch, breakfast, and/or afterschool snacks as a continuation of the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, and Afterschool Snack Programs. School divisions that continue to offer these programs may receive federal reimbursement through the Virginia Department of Education.
2. Schools that do not participate in the School Breakfast or Afterschool Snack Programs during the regular school year can choose to offer a summer school breakfast or snack program by completing the program application(s).
3. All meals and/or snacks served must meet federal and state regulations and requirements governing the programs.
4. Claims for reimbursement for Summer National School Lunch Programs (SNSLP), Summer School Breakfast Programs (SSBP), and Summer Afterschool Snack Programs are submitted through the established electronic claim system.
5. Each school division must activate the Summer National School Lunch Program (SNSLP), Summer School Breakfast Program (SSBP), and Summer Afterschool Snack Program, as appropriate, in its local electronic claims software for each individual School Nutrition Program (SNP) Unit prior to processing a claim for summer school feeding.
6. Reimbursement will be paid according to students’ eligibility for free, reduced-price, or full-price meals/snacks and the established rate of reimbursement for each program.
7. Students who were approved for free or reduced-price meals during the 2000-2001 school year may continue their same eligibility benefits for the summer school programs.
8. Claims for reimbursements must be submitted by the fifteenth of the month following the claim month. Summer months cannot be consolidated into one single claim. Only one claim for June reimbursement may be submitted, and it should include all active programs, NSLP, SBP, SNSLP, SSBP, as applicable. No claim may be made by an SNP Unit for any summer school program that does not have prior approval from DOE’s School Nutrition Programs Office.
9. Snacks served during the school day are not eligible for reimbursement. School nutrition funds cannot be used to provide mid-morning or afternoon snacks. School divisions may choose to provide funding for such snacks from other sources.
10. School divisions that offer educational or enrichment programs after the regularly scheduled summer school day may participate in a Summer Afterschool Snack Program (SASP) and receive federal reimbursement. The eligibility criteria for participation in the Summer Afterschool Snack Program must be met as outlined in Regulatory Superintendent’s Memo #2, dated April 2, 1999.
To participate in the Summer National School Lunch Program (SNSLP), Summer School Breakfast Program (SSBP), and/or the Summer Afterschool Snack Program (SASP), please complete the attached forms (enclosures 1 & 2) and return them to the Department of Education, School Nutrition Programs, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA 23218-2120, by May 30, 2001.

OPTION 2:

2. Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)-- administered by USDA Mid-Atlantic Regional Office in New Jersey not by the Virginia Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office of the Food and Nutrition Service, administers the SFSP in Virginia. While the regional office is located in New Jersey, it maintains several field offices that work locally with the SFSP in Virginia.

1. SFSP provides federal reimbursement and free nutritious meals to children in eligible areas during school vacations.
2. School divisions can sponsor the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to provide nutritious healthy meals to children in areas where there is an economic need. The SFSP would be appropriate if a school division operates an enrichment program and does not participate in the Summer National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs as described above.
3. This program does not require an educational program and can be a recreation activity or day camp.
4. Federal reimbursement is provided for both the cost of the meals and administration of the program. All meals are provided free to all children.
5. More information (including reimbursement rates) can be obtained on the Internet at www.fns.usda.gov (search for SFSP).

JLD/CDG/idl

Attachments

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2001/adm020a.pdf

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2001/adm020b.pdf