CVCS FOOD SERVICE INFORMATION

CVCS FOOD SERVICE INFORMATION

Cassadaga Valley Central School

Special Meal Accommodations

MEAL SUBSTITUTIONS FOR MEDICAL OR SPECIAL DIETARY REASONS

The Cassadaga Valley Food Service Department is committed to providing all students with the nutritious meals and snacks they need to be healthy. We want to make sure every child has an equal opportunity to participate and benefit from our school meal programs. If your child has an allergy to a certain food, we will work with the nurse and you to make sure your child has an alternative selection.

USDA Regulations require substitutions or modifications in school meals for children whose disabilities restrict their diets. A child with a disability must be provided substitutions in foods when that need is supported by a signed statement from a licensed physician. The medical statement must include:

  • An identification of the medical or other special dietary condition which restricts the child’s diet

  • the food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet

  • the food or choice of foods to be substituted

The CVCS Food Service Department may make food substitutions, at their discretion, for individual children who do not have a disability, but who have a special dietary need. Such determinations are made on a case-by-case basis. This provision covers children who have food intolerances or allergies, but do not have life-threatening reactions when exposed to the food(s) to which they have problems. When a modification is made, and it does not require the school to source the alternate food item, no medical statement is necessary.

Parents have the right to file a grievance if they believe a violation has occurred regarding their request for a reasonable modification.

The Cassadaga Valley Food Service Program provides a variety of foods for children to select from in order to accommodate food preferences.

If you have any questions regarding meal substitutions or modifications, please contact Heidi Ottaway, Food Services Director, at hottaway@cvcougars.org, or 716-962-8581 ext. 1507.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027)(link is external) found online at: How to File a Complaint(link is external), and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter 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;

  2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or

  3. email: program.intake@usda.gov(link sends e-mail).

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

FOOD SERVICES - CONTACT INFORMATION

HEIDI OTTAWAY, Food Service Director
Phone: 716-962-8581, ext. 1507
Email: hottaway@cvcougars.org

Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns or comments regarding the school food service program. 

Cassadaga Valley's Policy #5660
Meal Charging and Prohibition Against Meal Shaming

SUBJECT: MEAL CHARGING AND PROHIBITION AGAINST MEAL SHAMING
It is the District's goal to provide students with access to nutritious no- or low-cost meals each school day and to ensure that a student whose parent/guardian has unpaid meal charges is not shamed or treated differently than a student whose parent/guardian does not have unpaid meal charges.

Unpaid meal charges place a large financial burden on the District. The purpose of this policy is to ensure compliance with federal requirements for the USDA Child Nutrition Program and to provide oversight and accountability for the collection of outstanding student meal balances to ensure that the student is not stigmatized, distressed, or embarrassed.

The intent of this policy is to establish procedures to address unpaid meal charges throughout the District in a way that does not stigmatize, distress, or embarrass students. The provisions of this policy pertain to regular priced reimbursable school breakfast, lunch and snack meals only. Charging of items outside of the reimbursable meals (a la carte items, adult meals, etc.) is expressly prohibited.

Access to Meals

  1. Free meal benefit eligible students will be allowed to receive a free breakfast and lunch meal of their choice each day. A la carte items or other similar items must be paid/prepaid.
     

  2. Reduced meal benefit eligible students will be allowed to receive a breakfast of their choice for $0.00 and lunch of their choice for $0.00 each day. A la carte items or other similar items must be paid/prepaid.
     

  3. Full pay students will pay for meals at the District's published paid meal rate each day. The charge meals offered to students will be reimbursable meals available to all students, unless the student's parent or guardian has specifically provided written permission to the District to withhold a meal. A la carte items or other similar items must be paid/prepaid.

Ongoing Staff Training

  1. Staff will be trained annually and throughout the year as needed on the procedures for managing meal charges using the State Education Department (SED) Webinar or the District's training program.
     

  2. Staff training will include ongoing eligibility certification for free or reduced-price meals.

Parent Notification

Parents/guardians will be notified that a student's meal card or account balance is exhausted and has accrued unpaid meal charges within five days of the charge and then every two weeks thereafter.

Parent Outreach

  1. Staff will communicate with parents/guardians with five or more unpaid meal charges to determine eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.
     

  2. Staff will make two documented attempts to reach out to parents/guardians to complete a meal application in addition to the application and instructions provided in the school enrollment packet.
     

  3. Staff will contact the parent/guardian to offer assistance with completion of meal application to determine if there are other issues within the household causing the student to have insufficient funds, offering any other assistance that is appropriate.

Minimizing Student Distress

  1. Staff will not publicly identify or stigmatize any student in line for a meal or discuss any outstanding meal debt in the presence of any other students.
     

  2. Students with unpaid meal charges will not be required to wear a wristband or handstamp, or to do chores or other work to pay for meals.
     

  3. Staff will not throw away a meal after it has been served because of the student's inability to pay for the meal or because of previous unpaid meal charges.
     

  4. Staff will not take any action directed at a student to collect unpaid meal charges.
     

  5. Staff will deal directly with parents/guardians regarding unpaid meal charges.

Ongoing Eligibility Certification

  1. Staff will conduct direct certification through the New York Student Identification System (NYSSIS) or using SED Roster Upload to maximize free eligibility. NYSED provides updated direct certification data monthly.
     

  2. Staff will provide parents/guardians with free and reduced-price application and instructions at the beginning of each school year in the school enrollment packet.
     

  3. If the District uses an electronic meal application, it will provide an explanation of the process in the school enrollment packet and instructions on how to request a paper application at no cost.
     

  4. The District will provide at least two additional free and reduced-price applications throughout the school year to families identified as owing meal charges.
     

  5. The District will use its administrative prerogative to complete an application on a student's behalf judiciously, and only after using exhaustive efforts to obtain a completed application from the student's parent/guardian. The District will complete the application using only available information on family size and income that falls within approvable guidelines.
     

  6. The District will coordinate with the foster, homeless, migrant, and runaway coordinators to certify eligible students. School liaisons required for homeless, foster, and migrant students will coordinate with the nutrition department to make sure these students receive free school meals, in accordance with federal law.

Prepaid Accounts

Students/Parents/Guardians may pay for meals in advance via MySchoolBucks.com or with a check payable to CVCS Cafeteria. Further details are available on the District's webpage at www.cvcougars.org. Funds should be maintained in accounts to minimize the possibility that a student may be without meal money on any given day. Any remaining funds for a particular student will be carried over to the next school year.

To obtain a refund for a withdrawn or graduating student, a written or emailed request for a refund of any money remaining in the student's account must be submitted. Students who are graduating at the end of the year will be given the option to transfer any remaining money to a sibling's account through a written request.

Unclaimed funds must be requested within one school year. Unclaimed funds will then become the property of the District Food Service Program.

42 USC Section 1758
7 CFR Sections 210.12 and 245.5
Education Law Section 908
8 NYCRR Section 114.5