Professional Standards for Hiring New Directors at Small Schools
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a proposed rule on Hiring Flexibility Under Professional Standards on March 6, 2018.
The proposed rule would add flexibility to program requirements for hiring new
directors at smaller school food authorities (7 CFR 210.30).
The
proposed rule would add flexibility for hiring new school nutrition directors
at small local educational agencies (LEAs):
- For LEAs with fewer than 2,500 students, a new
applicant for director would be required to have relevant food service
experience rather than school nutrition program experience. Volunteer or unpaid
work experience may count as relevant food service experience, at the
discretion of MDE.
- For LEAs with fewer than 500 students, a new
applicant for director may have fewer than the required number of years of food
service experience when the applicant has the minimum required education, at
the discretion of MDE.
To submit questions and comments
or review others’ comments, visit the Federal Register website.
The
deadline for your feedback ends May 7, 2018.
Interactive Food Buying Guide
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released the
new digital Food Buying Guide in two versions; web-based and mobile (for
iPhones or Android). These new versions are interactive, with features that
make it easier to search for specific products, compare yields and create a
favorite foods list. To view the web-based version, go to Food Buying Guide (USDA) or
download the mobile versions from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
MDE will be hosting a webinar titled “Using the Food Buying
Guide” on March 27 at 2 p.m. as part of the Tuesdays@2 training series. This
webinar will provide an introduction to using the web-based version of the Food
Buying Guide, as well as an overview and how to use it to determine the
creditable portions for school meals. Register for the March 27 Using
the Food Buying Guide webinar.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Application
Applications
for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) will be open beginning March
14. The award period is anticipated to be July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019.
Applications
are due by April 26, 2018, 11:59 p.m., CST.
Eligible
applicants must:
- Be an elementary school; and
- Currently participate in the National School
Lunch Program; and
- Have at least 50 percent or more of its students
eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Funding
priority will be given to schools with the highest level of free and
reduced-price eligibility. October 2017 Minnesota Automated Reporting Student
System (MARSS) data will be used to determine enrollment of free and
reduced-price meal percentages. These numbers will be automatically calculated
and uploaded into the CLiCS application.
Recipients
of the FFVP will offer free fruits and vegetables as healthy snack options to
elementary school students during the school day. This program creates
healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices, expands the
variety of fruits and vegetables students experience, increases students’ fruit
and vegetable consumption, and makes a difference in their diets to impact
their present and future health.
The
application instructional packet along with the supplemental documentation are available
on the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program homepage.
School
food authorities can begin their application by logging into Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System (CLiCS).
For
detailed information related to the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, visit
our FFVP website.
Tuesdays@2 Webinars
A variety of topics will be offered during this year’s
Tuesdays@2 webinar series. All webinars begin at 2 p.m. and will be 30-60
minutes in length, unless otherwise noted. Registration and session information
will be posted on the Training: School Nutrition
Programs webpage.
Upcoming Webinars
March 20 – Responding to an Administrative Review Corrective Action
Your administrative review is
complete. There are a few “Findings” you need to respond to. This session will
provide some best practice suggestions for responding to administrative review
findings.
Registration
– Responding to an Administrative Review Corrective Action
March 27 – Using the Food Buying Guide
If you haven’t pulled your Food
Buying Guide off the shelf recently, this is the session for you. This session
will provide an overview of the Food Buying Guide and how to use it to
determine creditable portions for school meals.
Registration
– Using the Food Buying Guide
April 3 – Breakfast Encourages Students to Thrive (BEST)!
Learn about MDE’s new “BE Your
Best” resources to promote the School Breakfast Program, increase participation
rates, expand your service options, and effectively communication with
students, staff, and parents.
Registration
– Breakfast Encourages Students to Thrive
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