The USDA has preemptively reached out to states, while individual districts come up with unique solutions.
So as the seemingly inevitable school closures have begun from New York to California, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service —which runs the—has been working behind the scenes to make sure these programs can continue during coronavirus-related shutdowns.
“Statutorily, our legal counsel tells us that we have to be asked [before providing these waivers]. What we’ve done, because we have to be asked, is we’ve sent the message to all the states that they can preemptively assume a positive response once they ask,” Perdue stated. He also explained that the USDA is waiving the requirement that these meals be served in a congregate setting where they are legally able to do so.
Meanwhile, a representative from the FNS explained to me that the department has a human pandemic response plan in place which reminds us, “Flexibilities already exist in some of the nutrition assistance programs that could support social distancing measures during a human pandemic such as alternatives to schools meals.”
What these waivers and flexibilities look like in reality will vary by school district. For instance,
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