Cafeteria
MASCHIO'S FOOD SERVICE
USDA NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT | FORM 213
USDA NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
Form 213
August 2022
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement 2022 (English Translation)
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Form 213
August 2022
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement 2022 (Spanish Translation)
De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del
Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), esta entidad está prohibida de discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluyendo identidad de género y orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o retorsión por actividades previas de derechos civiles.
La información sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicación para obtener la información del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese conel USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.
Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el reclamante debe llenar un formulario AD-3027, formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, el cual puede obtenerse en línea en: https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource-files/usdaprogram-discriminationcomplaint-form-spanish.pdf, de cualquier oficina de USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida a USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre del demandante, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la acción discriminatoria alegada con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y fecha de una presunta violación de derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completado o la carta debe presentarse a USDA por:
1. correo:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o
3. correo electrónico: program.intake@usda.gov
Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.
AVAILABLE FORMS
FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATION
- Apply online through the Genesis | Parent Portal or
- Print, fill out and return to the Main Office.
- Print ENGLISH form
- PRINT SPANSIH FORM
USDA PROGRAM DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT FORM AND INSTRUCTIONS | PRINT FORM 148
WELLNESS POLICY ASSESSMENT TOOL | PRINT FORM 357
BREAKFAST SERVED DAILY
PRICE LIST
DISTRICT POLICIES
FOOD SERVICES | POLICY #8500
HARMONY TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION
District Policy
FOOD SERVICES POLICY 8500
Section: Operations
Date Created: May 2011
Date Edited: April 2024
The Board of Education shall make school lunch available to all students enrolled in a school in the district unless less than five percent of enrolled students in the school are Federally eligible for a free or reduced price lunch in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:33-4. School lunches made available pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-4 and this Policy shall meet minimum nutritional standards, established by the Department of Education.
Free or reduced price breakfast and lunch, as required, shall be offered, under a school lunch program, school breakfast program, or a breakfast after the bell program, to all enrolled students who are determined to be Federally eligible for free or reduced price meals. As provided by N.J.S.A. 18A:33-4.a.(3) and N.J.S.A. 18A:33-14a.a.(2), any student who is eligible for a reduced price lunch and breakfast, pursuant to Federal income eligibility standards and criteria, shall not be required to pay for such lunch or breakfast. Free lunch or breakfast shall also be offered to each enrolled student who is Federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, but who has an annual household income that is not less than one hundred and eighty-six percent, and not more than one hundred ninety-nine percent, of the Federal poverty level, as determined pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21b1.
A. Breakfast Program – N.J.S.A. 18A:33-10; 18A:33-10.1; 18A:33-11; 18A:33-11.1; 18A:33-11.3; 18A:33-14a.
If twenty percent or more of the students enrolled in a school in the district on October 1 of the preceding school year were Federally eligible for free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the Federal School Breakfast Program, the district shall establish a school breakfast program in the school in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:33-10.
Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:33-10 to the contrary, if ten percent or more of the students enrolled in a school in the district on October 1 of the preceding school year were Federally eligible for free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the Federal School Breakfast Program the district shall establish a breakfast program in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:33-10.1.
If seventy percent or more of the students enrolled in a school in the district on or before the last school day before October 16 of the preceding school year were Federally eligible for free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the Federal School Breakfast Program, the district shall establish a breakfast after the bell program pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-11.3.
In accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:33-11, in implementing a school lunch program, pursuant to 18A:33-4 et seq., a school breakfast program, pursuant N.J.S.A. 18A:33-9 et seq., or N.J.S.A. 18A:33-10.1, or a breakfast after the bell program, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-11.1 or N.J.S.A. 18A:33-11.3, the district shall:
1. Publicize, to parents and students, the availability of the respective school meals program, as well as the various ways in which a student may qualify to receive free or reduced price meals under the program, as provided by N.J.S.A. 18A:33-4 and N.J.S.A. 18A:33-14a;
2. Make every effort to ensure that subsidized students are not recognized as program participants, by the student body, faculty, or staff, in a manner that is different from the manner in which unsubsidized students are recognized as program participants. Such efforts shall include, but need not be limited to, the establishment of a neutral meal plan or voucher system that does not make a distinction between subsidized and unsubsidized students; and
3. Make every effort to:
a. Facilitate the prompt and accurate identification of categorically eligible students who may be certified to participate in the program, on a subsidized basis, without first submitting an application therefore, and, whenever an application is required to establish eligibility for subsidized meals, encourage students and their families to submit a subsidized school meals application for that purpose;
b. Facilitate and expedite, to the greatest extent practicable, the subsidized school meals application and income-eligibility determination processes that are used, by the district, to certify a student for free or reduced price school meals on the basis of income, and assist parents in completing the school meals application; and
c. Encourage students who are neither categorically eligible nor income-eligible for free or reduced price school meals to nonetheless participate, on a paid and unsubsidized basis, in the program.
If the district participates in the Federal School Breakfast Program, the district is encouraged to increase the number of students participating in the program by establishing a breakfast after the bell program that incorporates school breakfast into the first-period classroom or the first few minutes of the school day pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-11.1.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-14a., school breakfasts made available to students under a school breakfast program or a breakfast after the bell program shall meet minimum nutritional standards, established by the New Jersey Department of Education.
The State of New Jersey shall provide funding to each school in the district if the school operates a School Breakfast Program or a breakfast after the bell program, as may be necessary to reimburse the costs associated with the school’s provision of free breakfasts, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-14a.b., to students who are Federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals.
B. Summer Food Service Program – N.J.S.A. 18A:33-23; 18A:33-24; 18A:33-25; 18A:33-26
In accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:33-24, if fifty percent or more of the students enrolled in the school district on or before the last school day before October 16 of the preceding school year were Federally eligible for free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the Federal School Breakfast Program, the district shall become a sponsor or site under the Federal Summer Food Service Program or apply for a waiver pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-26.
In accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:33-23, the district shall notify each student enrolled and the student’s parent of the availability of, and criteria of eligibility for, the summer meals program and the locations in the district where the summer meals are available. The district shall provide this notification by distributing flyers provided by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture pursuant to subsection N.J.S.A. 18A:33-23.c. The district may also provide electronic notice of the information through the usual means by which the district communicates with parents and students electronically.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-26.a., the New Jersey Department of Agriculture may grant a waiver of the requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:33-24 et seq. To be granted a waiver, the district must show that it lacks the staff, facilities, or equipment to sponsor the Federal Summer Food Service Program, or the means to finance the hiring or acquisition of such staff, facilities, or equipment. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture also may grant a waiver for one year to the district if a different sponsor currently runs the Federal Summer Food Service Program within the district’s community.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-26.b., the district shall report to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, in the manner prescribed by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, its reasons for requesting a waiver of the requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:33-24 et seq. The report shall include, but need not be limited to, a description of the specific impediments to implementing the program and actions that could be taken to remove those impediments or, where applicable, the identification of the sponsor that currently runs the program within the same community.
C. Information Provided to Parents Regarding the National School Lunch Program and the Federal School Breakfast Program – N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21b1
1. At the beginning of each school year, or upon initial enrollment, in the case of a student who enrolls during the school year, the school shall provide each student’s parent with:
a. Information on the National School Lunch Program and the Federal School Breakfast Program, including, but not limited to, information on the availability of free or reduced price meals for eligible students, information on the
application and determination processes that are used to certify eligible students for subsidized school meals, and information on the rights that are available to students and their families under N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21b1 and N.J.S.A.18A:33-21; and
b. A school meals application form, as well as instructions for completing the application, and, as necessary, assistance in completing the application.
2. The school meals information and application provided to parents, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21b1.a. shall:
a. Be communicated in a language that the parent understands;
b. Specify the limited purposes for which collected personal data may be used, as provided by N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21b1.c.; and
c. Be submitted to the parent either in writing or electronically. In the latter case, the school district shall use the usual means by which it communicates with parents electronically.
3. A school meals application that is completed by a parent shall be confidential, and shall not be used or shared by the student’s school or school district, except as may be necessary to:
a. Determine whether a student identified in the application is eligible for free or reduced price school meals;
b. Determine whether the school or school district is required, by N.J.S.A. 18A:33-11.3 or by N.J.S.A. 18A:33-24, to establish a breakfast after the bell program, or to participate as a sponsor or site in the Federal Summer Meals Service Program;
c. Ensure that the school receives appropriate reimbursement, from the State and Federal governments, for meals provided to eligible students, free of charge, through a school lunch program, a school breakfast program, a breakfast after the bell program, a summer meals program, or an emergency meals distribution program; and
d. Facilitate school aid determinations under the “School Funding Reform Act of 2008,” N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-43 et seq.
D. Free or Reduced Price Meals’ Application Process – 7 CFR 245
School meals applications shall be reviewed in a timely manner. An eligibility determination will be made, the family will be notified of its status, and the status will be implemented as soon as possible within ten operating days of receipt of the completed application pursuant to 7 CFR 245.6(c)(6). Any student found eligible shall be offered free or reduced price meals or free milk immediately upon the establishment of their eligibility and shall continue to receive such meals during the pendency of any inquiry regarding their eligibility in accordance with the requirements of the Division of Food and Nutrition, School Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Carry-over of previous year’s eligibility for students shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Division of Food and Nutrition, School Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
In accordance with 7 CFR 245.6(c)(1) and (2), eligibility for free or reduced price meals, as determined through an approved application or by direct certification, must remain in effect for the entire school year and for up to thirty operating days in the subsequent school year. Prior to the processing of an application or the completion of direct certification procedures for the current school year, children from households with approved applications or documentation of direct certification on file from the preceding year, shall be offered reimbursable free and reduced price meals, as appropriate.
In accordance with 7 CFR 245.6(c)(6)(iii), children from households that notify the local educational agency that they do not want free or reduced price benefits must have their benefits discontinued as soon as possible.
Pursuant to 7 CFR 245.6(c)(7), if the district receives an incomplete school meals application or a school meals application that does not meet the eligibility criteria for free or reduced priced benefits, the school meals application must be denied. The district shall document and retain the denied school meals application and reasons for ineligibility for three years in accordance with 7 CFR 245.6(e).
In accordance with 7 CFR 245.6(c)(7), parents of students who are denied benefits must receive prompt, written notification of their denial. The notification may be provided by mail or e-mail to the individual who signed the school meals application. Posting the denial on the “notification” page of an online system does not meet this requirement. Likewise, informing the parent of denial via telephone does not meet this requirement. If the district uses an automated telephone information system to notify parents of denied benefits, the district must also provide the parents with written notification of the denial. The notification must provide the: reason for denial of benefits; right to appeal; instructions on how to appeal; and ability to reapply for free and reduced price benefits at any time during the school year.
In accordance with 7 CFR 245.6(e), the district shall record the eligibility determination and notification in an easily referenced format. The record shall include the: denial date; reason for denial; date the denial notice was sent; and signature or initials of the determining official (may be electronic, where applicable).
Any parents of students who have benefits that are to be reduced or terminated must be given ten calendar days’ written notice of the change prior to the date the change will go into effect pursuant to 7 CFR 245.6a(j). The first day of the advance notice period shall be the day the notice is sent. The notice of adverse action may be sent via mail or to the e-mail address of the parent. The district cannot notify the household of adverse action by phone only.
Pursuant to 7 CFR 245.6a(j), the notice of adverse action must advise the parents of: change in benefits; reasons for the change; an appeal must be filed within the ten calendar days advance notice period to ensure continued benefits while awaiting a hearing and decision; instructions on how to appeal; and the parents may reapply for benefits at any time during the school year.
If the district participates in any National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, or provides free milk under the Special Milk Program, the district shall submit to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture a free and reduced price policy statement pursuant to 7 CFR 245.10.
In accordance with 7 CFR 245.1(b), the district shall avoid any policy or practice leading to the overt identification of students receiving free or reduced price meal benefits. Overt identification is any action that may result in a child being recognized as potentially eligible for or certified for free or reduced price school meals. Unauthorized disclosure or overt identification of students receiving free and reduced price meal benefits is prohibited. The district shall ensure that a child’s eligibility status is not disclosed at any point in the process of providing free and reduced price meals, including: notification of the availability of free and reduced price benefits; certification and notification of eligibility; provision of meals in the cafeteria; and the point of service. In addition, the district shall ensure students who receive free and reduced price benefits are not overtly identified when they are provided additional services under programs or activities available to low-income students based on their eligibility for free and reduced price meals.
Pursuant to 7 CFR 245.2, disclosure means revealing or using individual student’s program eligibility information obtained through the free and reduced price meal or free milk eligibility process for a purpose other than the purpose for which the information was obtained. Disclosure includes, but is not limited to, access, release, or transfer of personal data about students by means of print, tape, microfilm, microfiche, electronic communication, or any other means. It includes eligibility information obtained through the school meals application or through direct certification.
If the district accepts both cash and electronic payments, the district shall ensure students are not overtly identified through the method of payment pursuant to 7 CFR 245.8(b). To the maximum extent practicable, the district must ensure the sale of non-program foods and the method of payment for non-program foods do not inadvertently result in students being identified by their peers as receiving free and reduced price benefits.
The School Business Administrator/Board Secretary or designee will verify applications of those eligible for free or reduced price meals in accordance with the requirements of the Division of Food and Nutrition, School Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
E. Meal Charge Program – N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21
The Board of Education provides a meal charge program to permit unsubsidized students in the district to charge for breakfast or lunch. Collection of any payment for a meal charge program account that is in arrears shall be addressed in accordance with provisions of this Policy.
“Unsubsidized student” means a student who is neither categorically eligible nor income-eligible for free or reduced price school meals, and who is, consequently, required to pay for any such meals that are served to the student under the National School Lunch Program or the Federal School Breakfast Program.
The Board of Education recognizes a student may not have breakfast or lunch (meal), as applicable, or money to purchase a meal at school on a school day causing the student’s meal charge account to fall into arrears. The district shall contact the student’s parent to provide notice of the arrearage and shall provide the parent with a period of ten school days to pay the amount due. If the student’s parent has not made full payment by the end of the designated ten school day period, then the district shall again contact the student’s parent to provide notice of any action to be taken by the school district in response to the arrearage.
A parent who has received a second notice their child’s meal bill is in arrears and who has not made payment in full within one week from the date of the second notice may be requested to meet with the Principal or designee to discuss and resolve the matter.
A parent’s refusal to meet with the Principal or designee or take other steps to resolve the matter may be indicative of more serious issues in the family or household. However, when a parent’s routine failure to provide breakfast or lunch is reasonably suspected to be indicative of child neglect,
the Principal or designee shall immediately report such suspicion to the Department of Children and Families, Division of Child Protection and Permanency as required in N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.10. Such reporting shall not be delayed to accommodate a parent’s meeting with the Principal or designee.
A school district shall report at least biannually to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture the number of students who are denied school breakfast or school lunch in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21.a.(2) and this Policy.
Nothing in N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21 or this Policy shall be construed to require the district to deny or restrict the ability of an unsubsidized student to access school breakfast or school lunch when the student’s school breakfast or school lunch bill is in arrears.
The school or school district shall not:
1. Publicly identify or stigmatize an unsubsidized student who cannot pay for a school breakfast or a school lunch or whose school breakfast or school lunch bill is in arrears. (For example, by requiring the student to sit at a separate table or by requiring that the student wear a wristband, hand stamp, or identifying mark, or by serving the student an alternative meal);
2. Require an unsubsidized student, who cannot pay for a school breakfast or a school lunch or whose school breakfast or school lunch bill is in arrears to do chores or other work to pay for the school breakfast or school lunch;
3. Require an unsubsidized student to discard a school breakfast or school lunch after it has been served because of the student’s inability to pay for a school breakfast or school lunch or because money is owed for previously provided meals;
4. Prohibit an unsubsidized student, or sibling of such a student, from attending or participating in non-fee-based extracurricular activities, field trips, or school events, from receiving grades, official transcripts, or report cards, or from graduating or attending graduation events, solely because of the student’s unresolved meal debt; or
5. Require the parent of an unsubsidized student to pay fees or costs in excess of the actual amounts owed for meals previously served to the student.
If an unsubsidized student owes money for the equivalent of five or more school meals, the Principal or designee shall:
1. Determine whether the student is categorically eligible or income-eligible for free or reduced price meals, by conducting a review of all available records related to the student, and by making at least two attempts, not including the initial attempt made pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21.c.(2), to contact the student’s parent and have the parent fill out a school meals application; and
2. Contact the parent of the unsubsidized student to offer assistance with respect to the completion of the school meals application; and to determine if there are other issues in the household that have caused the student to have insufficient funds to purchase a school breakfast or school lunch; and to offer any other appropriate assistance.
The school district shall direct communications about a student’s school breakfast or school lunch bill being in arrears to the parent and not to the student. Nothing in N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21 shall prohibit the school district from sending a student home with a letter addressed to a parent.
Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21 and the provisions of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, an unsubsidized student shall not be denied access to a school meal, regardless of the student’s ability to pay or the status of the student’s meal arrearages, during any period of time in which the school is making a determination, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21.c., as to whether the student is eligible for, and can be certified to receive, free or reduced price meals.
If the student’s meal bill is in arrears, but the student has the money to purchase a meal on a subsequent school day, the student will be provided a meal with payment and the food service program will not use the student’s payment to repay previously unpaid charges if the student intended to use the money to purchase that school day’s meal.
Students receiving free meals will not be denied a meal even if they accrued a negative balance from other purchases in the cafeteria.
The school district may post this Policy on the school district’s website provided there is a method in place to ensure this Policy reaches all households without access to a computer or the Internet.
F. Provision of Meals to Homeless Children – N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21c.
The district’s liaison for the education of homeless children shall coordinate with district personnel to ensure that a homeless student receives free school meals and is monitored according to district policies pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-21c.
G. Provision of School Meals During Period of School Closure – N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2
In the event the Board is provided a written directive, by either the New Jersey Department of Health or the health officer of the jurisdiction, to institute a public health-related closure due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the district shall implement a program, during the period of the school closure, to provide school meals, at meal distribution sites designated pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2.b., to all students enrolled in the district who are either categorically eligible or income-eligible for free or reduced price school meals.
In the event of an emergency closure, as described in N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2.a., the district shall identify one or more school meal distribution sites that are walkable and easily accessible to students in the district. The district shall collaborate with county and municipal government officials in identifying appropriate sites. A school meals distribution site may include, but need not be limited to: faith-based locations; community centers, such as YMCAs; and locations in the district where meals are made available through a summer meals program. In a district that includes high density housing, the district shall make every effort to identify a school meal distribution site in that housing area.
The district shall identify students enrolled in the district who are categorically eligible or income-eligible for free or reduced price meals, and for whom a school meal distribution site, identified pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2.b., is not within walking distance. In the case of these students, the district shall distribute the school meals to the student’s residence or to the student’s bus stop along an established bus route, provided that the student or the student’s parent is present at the bus stop for the distribution. Food distributed pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2.c. may include up to a total of three school days’ worth of food per delivery.
The district may use school buses owned and operated by the district to distribute school meals pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2. If the district does not own and operate its own buses, the district may contract for the distribution of school meals, and these contracts shall not be subject to the public bidding requirements established pursuant to the “Public School Contracts Law,” N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-1 et seq
The district shall collaborate, as feasible, with other districts and with local government units to implement the emergency meals distribution program, as required by N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2, in order to promote administrative and operational efficiencies and cost savings.
School lunches and breakfasts that are made available, through an emergency meals distribution program operating pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:33-27.2, shall be provided to eligible students, free of charge, in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:33-4.a. and N.J.S.A. 18A:33-14a.
H. Statement of Compliance
All food service programs shall be operated pursuant to 7 CFR 245, as appropriate, and this Policy.
N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-42.1; 18A:33-4; 18A:33-5; 18A:33-10;
18A:33-10.1; 18A:33-11; 18A:33-11.1; 18A:33-11.2;
18A:33-11.3; 18A:33-14a.; 18A:33-21; 18A:33-21a.;
18A:33-21b1; 18A:33-21c.; 18A:33-23; 18A:33-24;
18A:33-25; 18A:33-26; 18A:33-27.2; 18A:58-7.1;
18A:58-7.2
N.J.A.C. 2:36
N.J.A.C. 6A:23-2.6 et seq.
N.J.A.C. 8:24-2.1 through 7.5
7 C.F.R. 210.1 et seq.
First Revision Reading : November 13, 2023
Second Revision Reading and Adoption: December 18, 2023
WELLNESS | POLICY #8505
HARMONY TOWNSHIP SCHOOL
District Policy
8505 - WELLNESS POLICY/NUTRIENT STANDARDS FOR MEALS AND OTHER FOODS
Section: Operations
Date Created: May 2011
Date Edited: June 2016
M
The Board of Education recognizes child and adolescent obesity has become a major health concern in the United States. The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), funds child nutrition programs and establishes required nutrition standards for school lunch and breakfast programs. In accordance with the requirements of the HHFKA each school in the district shall implement this Wellness Policy that includes goals for nutrition promotion, nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness.
The Principal or a School Wellness Policy Coordinator designated by the Principal will be responsible to ensure the school complies with the requirements in this Policy. The Superintendent of Schools will designate a District Wellness Policy Coordinator who will have the authority and responsibility to ensure each school in the district complies with the requirements outlined in this Policy.
A. Wellness Policy Goals
The goals as outlined below shall apply to each school in the district:
1. Goals for Nutrition Promotion – The following activities will be coordinated in each school in the district:
a. Age-appropriate posters will be posted on the walls where food and beverages are served to students highlighting and encouraging the value of good nutrition.
b. The school lunch program will have promotional days during the school year where at least one new nutritional alternative menu item will be featured as part of the menu pattern meal component. The food service staff members will promote this nutritional alternative during meal service with posters, flyers, and/or hand-outs regarding the nutritional menu item alternative.
c. The Principal or School Wellness Policy Coordinator will encourage food products that meet the nutrition standards of the HHFKA when used as an incentive or reward for student accomplishments, club or activity achievements, and/or success in competitions within the school.
d. Food service staff, in consultation with the Principal or School Wellness Policy Coordinator will coordinate obtaining student input on menu planning that will include taste testing of new nutritional food, satisfaction surveys, and other activities that will promote nutrition awareness.
e. Food service staff will place the healthier food items in the service line where students are more likely to choose them.
f. Parents will be provided the nutritional standards of the HHFKA and encourage parents to pack lunches and snacks that meet the HHFKA nutritional standards.
2. Goals for Nutrition Education – The following activities will be coordinated in each school in the district:
a. The Principal or School Wellness Policy Coordinator will ensure each student receives at least one presentation per school year that promotes good nutrition and nutrition education. These presentations may be provided through classroom visits from school staff members trained in nutrition, school-wide or group assembly programs, during health/physical education classes during the school year, or any other presentation manner. This requirement may be provided as part of nutrition education provided to students as part of the district’s curriculum.
b. The Principal or School Wellness Policy Coordinator will post the nutritional guidelines of the HHFKA in the area of the school building where food and beverages are served.
c. The school lunch menu will include nutritional information, activities, recipes, and/or any other information that encourages the selection of healthy food items and for students to make informed choices about nutrition, health, and physical activity.
3. Goals for Physical Activity
a. The following activities will be coordinated in each elementary school in the district:
(1) All students shall receive health/physical education under the supervision of a properly certified teaching staff member as required by the New Jersey Department of Education.
(2) The Principal or designee will ensure there is age-appropriate equipment and supplies available during recess time for students to participate in physical activities.
(3) Students will be encouraged by school staff members supervising student recess time to participate in some type of physical activity, which may include, but not be limited to: walking; playing games that require physical activity, such as kick ball, volleyball, baseball, basketball, etc.; rope jumping; and/or using playground equipment.
(4) The Principal will encourage classroom teachers to incorporate brief, physical activity breaks into the school day to establish an environment that promotes regular physical activity throughout the school day.
(5) The Principal or designee will coordinate special events that highlight physical activity, which may include field days, walk-a-thons, and activity tournaments or competitions. The Principal or designee may involve parents, community members, and students in the planning of these events.
b. The following activities will be coordinated in each middle school in the district:
(1) All students shall receive health/physical education under the supervision of a properly certified teaching staff member as required by the New Jersey Department of Education.
(2) The Board of Education may offer middle school students opportunities to participate in after-school intramural and/or interscholastic team activities coordinated and under the supervision of school staff members.
(3) The Board of Education will support after-school activities and clubs where physical activity for students is included as a key component to the activity’s or club’s purpose. These clubs may include, but not be limited to, gardening clubs, walking clubs, and exercise classes.
4. Goals for Other School-Based Activities - The following activities will be coordinated in the district:
a. The district will establish a District Wellness Committee (DWC). The DWC will:
(1) Be comprised of a Principal, at least one health/physical education teacher, a school nurse, at least two parents, at least two students, at least one food service staff member representing all school levels in the district, and the District Wellness Policy Coordinator.; and
(2) Meet at least four times per year to establish goals for and oversee school health and safety policies and programs, including development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the district-wide Wellness Policy.
b. The Principal or School Wellness Policy Coordinator will coordinate information being disseminated to students and parents promoting the school lunch program, nutrition, and nutrition education.
c. The school district will celebrate a School Wellness Week, as determined by the Superintendent of Schools, where schools will have special activities throughout the week to promote nutrition and physical activity. These special activities will be planned and coordinated by each school’s Principal and/or School Wellness Policy Coordinator.
d. The Principal and/or School Wellness Policy Coordinator will encourage fund-raising activities that promote physical activity such as walk-a-thons, teacher-student activity competitions, family activity nights, and school dances.
5. Annual School Progress Report
a. The goals for nutrition promotion, nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness shall be evaluated annually by the Principal or designee of each school and the School Wellness Policy Coordinator in an Annual School Progress Report provided to the Superintendent of Schools before May 1.
b. The Annual School Progress Report shall present the extent to which each school is in compliance with this Policy, the progress made in attaining the goals of this Policy, any recommended changes to this Policy, and an action plan for the following school year to achieve the school’s annual goals and objectives.
6. Annual District Summary Progress Report
a. Upon receiving the Annual School Progress Report from each school, the District Wellness Policy Coordinator will compile an Annual District Summary Progress Report to be presented to the Chief School Administrator and Board of Education at a public meeting before May 30 of the current school year. The public will be provided an opportunity to review and comment on the Annual District Summary Progress Report at the Board meeting.
b. Revisions to this Policy will be recommended by the Superintendent or designee to be approved by the Board of Education before September 30 of each school year.
7. Additional Wellness Policy Goals
a. Nothing in this Policy shall prevent an individual school in the district from developing and implementing additional activities, approved by the Superintendent or designee, to those required in this Policy.
B. Nutrition Guidelines for All Foods and Beverages
1. The Board of Education requires each school in the district to comply with the Federal school meal nutrition standards and the Smart Snacks in accordance with the requirements HHFKA. The nutritional standards shall apply to all foods and beverages sold in each school in the district as part of the menu pattern meal, a la carte, in school stores, snack bars, or vending machines. The food requirements for any food or beverages sold in schools must meet a range of calorie and nutrient requirements as outlined in the HHFKA and a smart snack calculator shall be on file in each school for each product sold.
2. The school district will comply with the HHFKA beverage requirements and beverage portion requirements for each appropriate grade level. Each school will make potable water available to children at no charge in the place where breakfast, lunch, and afterschool snacks are served during meal service.
3. On-campus fundraisers involving food or beverage items must meet the Smart Snack standards of the HHFKA. The nutrition standards of the HHFKA do not apply to non-school hours, weekends, and off-campus fundraising events. The United States Department of Agriculture defines school day as starting from midnight to thirty minutes after the end of the school day. Fundraisers involving the sale of food or beverages must be pre-approved by the Principal or designee and the District Wellness Policy Coordinator.
4. The Board of Education will permit food in the school that is not sold to students to be brought into school by parents, students, or staff members for classroom activities, parties, or snacks, or other food provided to students as an incentive. Any occasion where food is brought into the school for such purposes must be approved by the Principal or designee, who will ensure safeguards are in place to protect students who may have a food or related allergy.
C. District Coordinator
1. The District Wellness Policy Coordinator shall be available to consult with school-based administrators, staff members, and the School Wellness Policy Coordinator(s) on the district’s Wellness Policy.
2. The District Wellness Policy Coordinator shall also be responsible to ensure parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the Board of Education, school administrators, and the general public are permitted to participate in the development, implementation, review, and update of this Wellness Policy.
3. The District Wellness Policy Coordinator shall be responsible to inform and update the public (including parents, students, and others in the community) about the content, implementation, updates and implementation status of the district’s Wellness Policy through the district’s website, school publications, and/or other school communications made available to the public.
a. The information and update shall provide as much information as possible about the school nutrition environment, including a summary of the events and activities related to the Wellness Policy implementation in the school district.
D. Wellness Policy Assessment
1. The District Wellness Policy Coordinator will prepare an assessment of the district’s Wellness Policy in accordance with the requirements of the United States and New Jersey Departments of Agriculture on the extent to which the school(s) in the district are in compliance with the district’s Wellness Policy, the extent to which the district’s Wellness Policy compares to model school wellness policies, and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals outlined in the district’s Wellness Policy.
2. The District Wellness Policy Coordinator will present this assessment to the Board of Education at a public Board meeting, make such assessment available to the public, and recommend any updates to the Policy accordingly.
E. Records
1. The District Wellness Policy Coordinator shall ensure records are maintained to document compliance with the requirements of the District Wellness Policy. Such records will include, but not be limited to:
a. The Board-approved Wellness Policy;
b. Documentation demonstrating the Policy has been made available to the public;
c. Documentation of the efforts made in the school district to review and update the Policy;
d. Documentation demonstrating compliance with the annual public notification requirements;
e. Documentation demonstrating the most recent assessment on Policy implementation; and
f. Documentation demonstrating the most recent assessment on the implementation of the School Wellness Policy has been made available to the public.
F. Publication/Dissemination
This Policy and Assessment will be made available to staff members, students, and parents by being posted on the school district and/or school websites.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
Adopted:
Adopted: 2 May 2011
Amendment First Reading: June 17, 2013
Amendment Second Reading and Adoption: July 22, 2013
Amendment First Reading: November 25, 2013
Adopted: December 16, 2013
Revision Reading: April 25, 2016
Second Reading and Adoption: June 6, 2016
LUNCH OFFER VERSUS SERVE POLICY
Lunch Offer versus Serve Policy
Lunch Offer versus Serve Policy: Harmony Township
Offer versus serve (OVS) is a policy for reimbursable meals that allows students to decline a certain number of food components in the meal in order to reduce plate waste and food cost.
A school lunch eligible for federal reimbursement shall offer five (5) food components in the appropriate amounts per grade grouping:
- Fruit,
- Vegetable,
- Milk,
- Grain and
- Meat/Meat Alternate.
Students are allowed to decline two (2) of the five (5) required food components, but must select at least 1/2 cup of either fruit (or fruit combination) or a 1/2 cup of vegetable (or vegetable combination) or 1/2 cup of a fruit/vegetable combination.
After selecting the 1/2 cup fruit or vegetable requirement, students must select at least two (2) additional full components in the full amounts (per age/grade grouping required amounts) to count toward the reimbursable offer versus serve meal.
The student’s decision to accept all five (5) food components or to decline two (2) food components shall not affect the price charged for the meal. The lunch is price as a unit. If children do not choose enough food items to comprise a reimbursable meal, a la carte prices will be charged.
School staff cannot make exceptions to the policy, such as requiring every child to take a particular food component. It is the student’s choice to select any three, four or all five components of the reimbursable meal.
At each school implementing the Offer versus Serve Policy, school food service staff will be trained annually.
Offer versus Serve will be implemented in all Schools
EOE Statement Maschio's Food Services, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
This Institution is an equal opportunity provider.