School Nutrition
Guidance, policy updates and actionable resources for schools & districts focused on nutritional standards and access to school meals.
Background
AASA strongly supports the enactment of comprehensive services and programs that encourage children to be healthy.
- Schools will not have to do anything for SY24-25 – everything will remain the same.
- Sodium is far less stringent than the original proposal – there will only be one more reduction.
- Milk and whole grain rules remain the same as now.
- Moving forward states are not required to take fiscal action against districts who are not able to be in compliance due to supply chain disruptions for other issues.
AASA's Position & Priorities
The guiding principles for federal education policy stem from equity and the important role the federal government stands to play in creating equitable learning opportunities for all students. AASA is committed to advocating for better access to school meals and reasonable nutrition standards for students in the public school system.
AASA's priorities are to:
- Support universal school meals on the contingency that such policies do no harm to eligibility for and enrollment in existing federal funding streams serving schools, and fully cover costs associated with the program
- Refrain from increasing the administrative burden related to nutrition eligibility verification
- Ensure that licensing and certification requirements for school nutrition workers are a state responsibility
- Ensure federal school meal reimbursement rates are sufficient to cover the full cost of production
“For years, AASA has been sounding the alarm that when nutrition standards go too far result is meals that students are not willing to consume, undermining the entire purpose of the program – to feed students and ensure they are ready to learn.
David R. Schuler, AASA executive director
Issue Updates
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August 25, 2023
USDA Publishes Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final RuleOn Wednesday, August 23, USDA published a final rule on program integrity to ensure that child nutrition programs are properly operated and managed to protect federal funds and taxpayer dollars.
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August 08, 2023
Congress Introduces Legislation to Extend the Secure Rural Schools ProgramPlease ask your Senators and your Representative to co-sponsor and help to advance theses bills to extend Secure Rural Schools.
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August 04, 2023
USDA Issues Initial Guidance for Summer EBTUSDA has released initial guidance on Summer EBT eligibility, certification, and verification—which will begin in Summer 2024.
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July 06, 2023
The Advocate July 2023: Additional School Meal Funding has ExpiredAs we head into July, a key priority for the AASA Advocacy Team is urging Congress to extend the additional reimbursements for school meal programs provided by the Keep Kids Fed Act (KKFA), which expired on June 30.
AASA Resources
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May 13, 2021
Child Nutrition Reauthorization PrioritiesType:Report Topics: Advocacy & Policy Health & WellnessAASA’s Advocacy Team has created a new resource for Congressional stakeholders working to reauthorize the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. -
May 13, 2021
Child Nutrition Reauthorization Priorities: Voices from the FieldType:Report Topics: Advocacy & Policy Health & WellnessAASA’s Advocacy Team has created a new resource for Congressional stakeholders working to reauthorize the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. -
October 07, 2020
Healthier School Communities: What's at Stake Now and What We Can Do About ItType:Report Topics: Health & WellnessThis report reflects on the role schools play in supporting a culture of wellness; the opportunities, trends, barriers and reasons why schools have been the great equalizer in America -
July 30, 2019
Health and Hunger Through the Lens of Race, Ethnicity and CultureType:Report Topics: Equity Health & WellnessParents, students, school system leaders and other administrators reflect on the impact of race, ethnicity and culture on health and hunger.
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Additional Resources
U.S. Department of Education Resources
- Public school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
- Back to School 2022-2023: HOW TO PRIORITIZE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF STUDENTS, SCHOOL PERSONNEL, AND FAMILIES
- Free or Reduced-Price Lunch vs. Direct Certification: Understanding School Lunch Eligibility in the Common Core of Data
- Nutrition Standards for School Meals (Source: USDA)
Resources to Support School Nutrition
- Measuring Student Poverty (Source: Urban Alliance)
- Model Estimates of Poverty in Schools (Source: Urban Alliance)
- Toward a Better Measure (Source: Data Quality Campaign)
- Is Free and Reduced-Price Lunch a Valid Measure of Educational Disadvantage? (Source: Domina, Pharris-Ciuriej, and Sanabria. [2018]. Educational Researcher.)
- Food Insufficiency During COVID-19 (Source: Food & Research Action Center [FRAC])
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