School Nutrition Programs Administrative Review Checklist This checklist is not representative of all areas or documents that the reviewer may review but gives a thorough overview of each content area to assist the school food authority (SFA) in preparing for a review. Table of Contents Meal Access and Reimbursement... 2 100 Certification and Benefit Issuance... 2 200 Verification... 2 300 Meal Counting and Claiming... 2 Nutritional Quality and Meal Pattern... 3 400 Meal Components and Quantities... 3 500 Offer versus Serve... 3 600 Dietary Specifications and Nutrient Analysis... 3 Resource Management... 3 700a Maintenance of Nonprofit Foodservice Account... 4 700b Paid Lunch Equity... 4 700c Revenue from Non-program Foods... 4 700d Indirect Costs... 4 General Program Compliance... 4 800 Civil Rights... 4 900 Monitoring of Multi-sites... 4 1000 Local Wellness Policy... 5 1100 Smart Snacks... 5 1200 Professional Standards... 5 1300 Water... 5 1400 Food Safety... 5 1500 Reporting and Recordkeeping... 6 1600 Summer Food Service Program and Breakfast Outreach... 6 Other Federal Programs... 6 1700 Afterschool Snack Program... 6 1900 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program... 7 2000 Special Milk Program and Minnesota Kindergarten Milk Program... 7 Minnesota State Statutes and Rules... 7
Meal Access and Reimbursement Resources: Go to the Applications-Student Meals section of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website for resources including links to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Eligibility Manual for School Meals, USDA memos on eligibility and additional pages with resources on verification and direct certification. 100 Certification and Benefit Issuance 30-day carryover procedures for applications for educational benefits. Sample packet of free and reduced-price application mailing to household. Template notification letters of approval/denial/change of benefits and direct certification. Process by which household members of students who are directly certified are identified and notified of extension of benefits. Free and reduced-price student roster; reviewer will give instructions for how to provide. Free and reduced-price applications (for on-site review only). Sample of at least 10 denied applications. Direct certification lists for the current school year. Homeless and migrant student lists/forms signed by liaison. 200 Verification Copy of verification report submitted to MDE. It is highly suggested that the SFA participate in verification training offered by MDE via webinar. Description of verification process (Colyar off-site question). Documentation that applications selected for verification were checked by a second individual prior to notifying the households (documenting it in the verification office-use section of application for educational benefits). Folder of verified applications, proof of eligibility from the household, letters and documentation sent to and received from the households selected for verification (notification, follow-up and adverse action). 300 Meal Counting and Claiming Meal counting and claiming procedures for offer versus serve, incomplete/ nonreimbursable meals, second meals, visiting student meals, adult meals, student workers meals, a la carte, field trip meals, lost, stolen, misused tickets, identification (ID) or personal identification numbers (PINs), meal charge policy for students without funds and procedures for handling new students without a free or reduced-price application on file.
Backup documentation for completion of the claim for reimbursement; reviewer will let you know which months will need to be reviewed. Edit check/accuclaim documentation that compares the number of students eligible by category (free, reduced-price and paid) to the number of students served in each category on a daily and monthly basis. Description of alternate points of service (meals served in the classroom, hallway, etc.). Nutritional Quality and Meal Pattern Resources: Go to the Foodservice Operations section of the MDE website for resources on nutritional quality and meal pattern. Additional links are available to pages on crediting foods and food production records. 400 Meal Components and Quantities Reviewer will observe meal practices on day of review and also assess one week s worth of documentation from the review month. Menus. Food production records. Standardized recipes. Child nutrition labels and product formulation statements. Ingredient statements for whole grain-rich items. Cafeteria signage that indicates what items must be selected for a reimbursable breakfast or lunch. 500 Offer versus Serve Documentation of offer versus serve training for staff. Reviewer will observe meals served for offer versus serve implementation. 600 Dietary Specifications and Nutrient Analysis Completion of dietary specifications tool in Colyar during the off-site review which will ask about purchasing and preparation practices related to calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium. If the reviewer notifies the SFA that a nutrient analysis is required, a menu analysis collection packet will need to be completed by the SFA for one week s worth of menus as determined by the reviewer. Resource Management Resources: Go to the Financial Management section of the MDE website for additional guidance and materials on resource management.
700a Maintenance of Nonprofit Foodservice Account Ability to provide foodservice balance sheet, revenue and expenditure reports. Ability to calculate nonprofit status based on average monthly expenditures for three operating months compared to fund balance. 700b Paid Lunch Equity Copy of paid lunch equity tool or process the SFA used to set current year lunch prices. Breakfast, lunch, milk and/or snack prices. 700c Revenue from Non-program Foods Copy of nonprogram foods revenue tool. Reviewer may request backup documentation for data entered into tool such as prices charged for a la carte/extra items, adult meal prices, cost to produce a reimbursable meal, etc. 700d Indirect Costs Backup documentation to show how indirect cost rates were determined, if an indirect cost rate is applied to the foodservice fund. General Program Compliance Resources: The following sections of the MDE website have resources to assist in general program compliance: Civil Rights, the Food Safety and Sanitation and Special Dietary Needs sections under Foodservice Operations, Monitoring: State Agency and Sponsor, School Wellness Policy and School Nutrition Programs-Smart Snacks. 800 Civil Rights Sample of materials that include the nondiscrimination statement. Procedures for accommodating special dietary needs. Documentation of completion of civil rights training for all staff involved in School Nutrition Programs. Process for aggregating racial ethnic data from enrollment, Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS), applications for educational benefits or other methods on an annual basis. 900 Monitoring of Multi-sites If the SFA has multiple sites, a completed on-site review form by February 1 of each year.
1000 Local Wellness Policy Copy of the local wellness policy that includes goals for nutrition education, goals for physical activity, other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness, nutrition guidelines for all foods available at each school, school meal guidelines for reimbursable meals, a plan for measuring the implementation of the policy, and an individual assigned responsibility for implementation of the policy. Copy of most recent assessment of the wellness policy. Process by which the general public is made aware of the most recent assessment of the wellness policy. The wellness policy is posted on the school website (public schools only). 1100 Smart Snacks Documentation to show that all food items sold to students during the school day meet smart snack requirements. It is recommended that the SFA inventory what various divisions/groups within the schools/district are selling to students during the school day. A form is available on the MDE website. Fundraising policies (for food items sold during the school day). 1200 Professional Standards List of all School Nutrition Program staff members and whether they are a director/manager, full-time nutrition staff, part-time nutrition staff or non-school nutrition staff and notation if any staff members were hired after January 1 of the current school year (if applicable). For a new foodservice director hired after July 1, 2015: documentation that the individual meets the education and/or experience hiring requirements and eight hours of food safety training completed within the last five years. Documentation of training topic, date(s) and number of training hours completed for each employee (may use USDA professional standards tracking tool or acceptable substitute). 1300 Water The reviewer will ensure that water is available in the cafeteria or an area adjacent to the cafeteria during meal service that students can access. 1400 Food Safety Completed Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) Food Safety plan that includes standard operating procedures, menu items in the appropriate HACCP process category, time and temperature monitoring records, critical control points of food production, verification or review records, monitoring records (manager s self-inspection checklist or equivalent), thermometer
temperature checks/calibration records, training plan, training logs and receiving logs. Copies of the last two health department inspections or letters requesting the inspections. Copy of the latest health department inspection posted in a publicly visible location (assessed during the on-site review). Food manager s certification and posted food and beverage license (assessed during the on-site review). 1500 Reporting and Recordkeeping Records are retained for three years after the final claim for reimbursement for the fiscal year. SFA Agreement with the State of Minnesota (reviewer can send a copy if needed). 1600 Summer Food Service Program and Breakfast Outreach Copies of reminders sent to households about the availability of the breakfast program (acceptable if monthly menu is made available to households). Copies of reminders sent about the availability of the Summer Food Service Program. Other Federal Programs Resources: The following sections of the MDE website have resources to assist in other federal programs: School Nutrition Programs-Afterschool Snacks, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and Milk Programs. 1700 Afterschool Snack Program Menus and food production records. Standardized recipes and Child Nutrition (CN) labels/product formulation statements if necessary. Grain equivalents crediting via description and weight of grain portion size (found on nutrition facts panels). Backup documentation for completion of the claim for reimbursement. The reviewer will let you know which month(s) will need to be reviewed. Snack program attendance records. Monitoring records (one in the first four weeks of program operation, one anytime throughout the school year). Food safety documentation, if applicable.
1900 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Cost documentation to support claims for reimbursement (reviewer will indicate what month(s) will be reviewed). Documentation that the program has been publicized within the school. Food safety documentation, if applicable. 2000 Special Milk Program and Minnesota Kindergarten Milk Program Backup daily point of service milk count documentation to support claims for reimbursement. Copy of break-even milk charge to students (if applicable). HACCP food safety documentation (if applicable). Minnesota State Statutes and Rules Documentation of formal bid procedures (if applicable). Joint agreement, catering contract, foodservice management contract (if applicable). Documentation for non-foodservice staff labor charges, utility and administrative costs to foodservice fund (if applicable).