6220 - Operation of Student Food Services ## Operation Of Student Food Services

All schools will participate in the National Child Nutrition Programs and will receive commodities donated by the United States Department of Agriculture. All federal and state revenues will be accepted and applied so as to maximize the use of such funds for the purposes of providing nutritional meals to students at the lowest possible price.

A. Operational Standards The student nutrition services program will be operated in a manner consistent with board goals and board policy. The program also will be operated in compliance with all applicable state and federal law, including requirements of the National School Lunch Program and all federal guidelines established by the Child Nutrition Division of the United States Department of Agriculture. Specific legal requirements which must be met include, but are not limited to, the following.

  1. School officials may not discriminate based on race, sex, color, national origin, or disability, age or eligibility status for free and reduced-price meals. School officials are also prohibited from retaliating against an individual for prior civil rights activity.

  2. The school nutrition services program will meet safety and sanitation requirements established in local, state and federal rules and guidelines for school nutrition service programs.

  3. The school nutrition services program will have a written food safety program that includes a hazard analysis critical control point plan for each school.

  4. Menu preparation, purchasing, and related record keeping will be consistent with applicable state and federal rules and guidelines.

  5. Banking, financial record keeping, budgeting and accounting will be conducted in accordance with generally accepted practices and procedures, as dictated by the School Budget and Fiscal Control Act and in accordance with state and federal guidelines.

  6. Commodity foods donated by the United States Department of Agriculture will be used and accounted for in accordance with federal regulations;

  7. Preference will be given in purchasing contracts to high-calcium foods and beverages, as defined in G.S. 115C-264-1 and to foods grown or raised within North Carolina.

  8. Child Nutrition Program (CNP) funds will be used only for the purposes authorized by law. Indirect costs, as defined by law, will not be assessed to the CNP unless the program

has a minimum of one month’s operating balance.

  1. The price for meals will be determined in accordance with federal law.

  2. Nonprogram foods will be priced to generate sufficient revenues to cover the cost of those items. A non-program food is defined as a food or beverage, other than a reimbursable meal or snack, that is sold at the school and is purchased using funds from the child nutrition account.

  3. All school food services are operated on a nonprofit basis for the benefit of the Child Nutrition Program (CNP). School nutrition services are those that are operated from 12:01 a.m. until the end of the last lunch period.

  4. All income from the sale of all foods and beverages that is required by law or regulation to be retained by the CNP will be deposited into the CNP account and will be used only for the purposes of the school’s nonprofit lunch and breakfast programs All funds from food and beverage sales not otherwise required by law to be deposited to the CNP account will be deposited into the proper school account in accordance with guidelines developed by the superintendent or designee.

  5. All competitive foods sold on school campuses will meet federal and state standards for nutrient content.

B. Meal Charges Students who are required to pay for meals are expected to provide payment in a timely manner. The board recognizes, however, that students occasionally may forget or lose their meal money. The board therefore directs the superintendent to develop a procedure to manage situations in which students are unable to pay for a meal on a particular day. To safeguard the dignity and confidentiality of students in the serving line, reasonable efforts must be used whenever possible to avoid calling attention to a student’s inability to pay. The superintendent shall ensure that federal child nutrition funds are not used to offset the cost of unpaid meals and that the CNP is reimbursed for uncollected student meal charges prior to the end of the year.

The child nutrition director and principal shall work jointly to prevent meal charges from accumulating and shall make every effort to collect all funds due to the child nutrition program on a regular basis and before the end of the school term. Notices of negative balances in a child’s meal account will be sent to the parents and the principal at regular intervals during the school year.

This policy and any applicable procedures regarding meal charges must be communicated to school administrators, school food service professional, parents, and students. A written copy of the meal charges policy is available on the ACS website or upon request at any school.

The superintendent or designee will establish procedures as appropriate to help ensure compliance with board policy and legal requirements.

Legal References: Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.; National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq., 2 C.F.R. pt. 200; 7 C.F.R. pt. 210; 7 C.F.R. pt. 215; 7 C.F.R. pt. 220; United States Department of Agriculture Policy Memos SP 46-2016 and 47-2016, available at http://childnutrition.ncpublicschools.gov/regulations-policies/usda-policy-memos/2016/2016usda- policymemos; G.S. 115C-47(7), -47(22), -263, -264, -264.1, -426, -450, -522; 147, art. 6E; 16 N.C.A.C. 6H .0104; State Board of Education Policy NCAC-6H.000422

Cross References: Goals of Student Nutrition Services (policy 6200), Nutritional Standards for Food Selection (policy 6230), Beverage Vending Sales (policy 6235) Goals of the Purchasing Function (policy 6400)

Adopted: 2005-10-03 Revised: 2006-12-04 2009-09-14 2013-12-10 2016-12-13 2017-04-28 2018-10-08