State of Montana Newsroom
Montana Office of Public Instruction Raises Awareness of New and Extended USDA Flexibilities for School Nutrition Options
HELENA – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced extensions for a variety of flexibilities related to school meal programs in the coming school year. Most of these are extensions of waivers that have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic early last year.
The list of waivers released by USDA includes extensions of current flexibilities such as the existing “grab and go” option which allows families to pick up meals from the school and take them home. The flexibilities also include removing the requirement that students must eat food on school property in a congregate setting, expanding the hours of the day the food can be served, and increasing food choice options to support alternative meal service options as needed.
In addition, a waiver will allow school districts to access the new Seamless Summer Option during the school year when normally the National School Lunch Program was operated. This new program removes student income eligibility requirements and will provide a higher reimbursement rate to schools.
As part of the effort to ensure Montana schools are aware of and prepared for this change, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is currently making administrative and technology changes to existing systems to accommodate this new program so school districts can choose to apply for this option. OPI School Nutrition Programs staff will communicate with districts when they are prepared to accept applications for the 2021-22 school year.
Yesterday was School Lunch Hero Day in the state of Montana, by proclamation of Governor Greg Gianforte. OPI Superintendent Elsie Arntzen joined Montana’s School Nutrition Teams for a virtual celebration of the day. The group heard from superintendents, students, school board members, and food service directors in school districts across the state about the impact that school food staff have had in helping to feed Montana’s children.
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Contact:
Chris Averill, Communications Director, 406-444-3449