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FREE AND REDUCED

PRICE MEAL

APPLICATION GUIDELINES For School Administrators

DEPARTMENT

OF

NUTRITION SERVICES

2011-2012

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www.collier.k12.fl.us

Dr. Kamela Patton Superintendent of Schools

THE DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD OF COLLIER COUNTY

Julie Sprague, Chair Roy M. Terry, Vice Chair Barbara Berry, Member

Kathleen Curatolo, Member Pat Carroll, Member

This report has been prepared by The District School Board of Collier County.

Additional copies, if available, may be obtained by writing:

The District School Board of Collier County Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Administrative Center

Department Name 5775 Osceola Trail

Naples, Florida 34109-0919

Report Number: Coordinated by: Dawn Houser, Director Sylvia Reinhart, Supervisor Program Accountability Sandra Sanchez, Specialist Meal Benefits & Accountability

MISSION STATEMENT

The District School Board of Collier County provides high quality educational experiences enabling all students to achieve their maximum potential in a safe,

positive environment.

For questions or complaints (adults) regarding the Educational Equity Act, Title IX, Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act), or the Americans with

Disabilities Act, contact Allun Hamblett, Executive Director of Human Resources, (239) 377-0351. For questions or complaints (students)

regarding the Educational Equity Act, Title IX, or The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, contact Diedra Landrum, Coordinator of Student

Services/Guidance & Counseling, (239) 377-0517. For questions or complaints (students) regarding Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act) and the

Americans with Disabilities Act, contact Larry Ruble, Student Services/Supervisor of Psychological Services, (239) 377-0508. The address for

the above contacts is: The District School Board of Collier County, 5775 Osceola Trail, Naples, FL 34109.

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FREE AND REDUCED PRICE MEAL

APPLICATION GUIDELINES 2011-2012

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………. 1

Confidentiality Statement .....…………………………………………………………… 2

Social Security Statement ……………NEW RULE ..………………………………….2

Anti-Discrimination Statement…………………………………………………………. 2

Categorical Eligibility ……………………………………………………………………. 3

Direct Certification.………………………………………………………………………. 4

Meal Application Screening Process………………………………………………….. 4

Required Information for Foster Child……NEW RULE……………………………… 4

Siblings & Students Living at Same Address……NEW…………………………….. 5

Required Information for Food Stamp or TANF……………………………………… 5

Required Information for Income Households……………………………………….. 6

Required Information for Zero Income Households………………………………… 6

Required Information for Emancipated Child………………………………………… 7

Required Information for Principal Certified………………………………………….. 7-8

Yearly Income Application…………………………NEW…………………………….. 8

Meal Application Approval Process……………………………………………………. 8

Central Food Service Approval………………………………………………………… 8

Combination Approval…………………………………………………………………. 8-9

Online Meal Applications ………REVISED……………………………………….. 9

Designee………………………………………………………………………………… 10

Notification of Eligibility Status………………………………………………………… 10

Income Verification……………………………………………………………………… 10-11

Attachments……………………………………………………………………………… 12-20

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INTRODUCTION Dear Principals, The meal applications for Free or Reduced Price Meal Benefits have been printed and sent to each school. Federal regulations state that meal applications must be available to all students on the first day of school.

The Family Meal Application allows parents to complete ONE application for all eligible children

in their family. There are a number of exceptions to the need for a meal application and they are covered in the information on the following pages. The Florida Department of Education requires the following meal codes for students: 0 = Paid, never applied 1 = Paid, applied but were denied 2 = Free 3 = Reduced-price ($.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch - set by federal reg.) (N.S. pays all reduced-price student meals) Students who were approved for free or reduced-price meals during the previous school year (2010-11) may consume meals for free or at a reduced price until a new application can be processed for them. The last day for students to use their previous year’s meal code is September 23, 2011. Meal applications are approved or denied, using family size and income. Each year the federal government establishes new Income Eligibility Guidelines, based on the Poverty Index, to use to determine meal benefit eligibility. See Attachment G. Each quarter of the school year, the data for economically needy students is electronically transmitted to the DOE. This data, known as Survey 1, Survey 2, etc., is used as the basis for funding a number of programs that help CCPS meet additional educational needs of our students. Therefore, it is very important that our Student Data Base accurately reflects the demographics of our schools and community. We are again requesting that your staff assist us by screening the meal applications prior to sending them to our office for data entry. Our staff members continue to do their regularly assigned duties AND process more than 20,000 meal applications between August 31

st and September 30

th, which is

the end of the federal fiscal year. This time can be quite hectic and we want you to know, ahead of time, how much your assistance, patience and support are appreciated. Sincerely, The Department of Nutrition Services p.s. As in the past, principals may complete a meal application in the absence of the parent when efforts by school staff have failed to obtain one; however, rules apply. See Page 16.

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CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT Federal regulations require that the names of families who apply and students who receive free or reduced-price meal benefits must be kept confidential. This information can be shared within your

school as appropriate to your school's specific educational goals and objectives. However, names of

individual students should not be shared with external sources to your school. Aggregate numbers of

students on the program may be shared but not the individuals’ names. If someone contacts your school to collect data about students who receive meal benefits, please refer them to the Department of Nutrition Services Administration Office (239-377-0297). We will obtain the data they need (numbers only!) using the mainframe computer.

SOCIAL SECURITY STATEMENT – NEW RULE for 2011-2012

The last four digits of the household’s social security number are required under provisions of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA). Section 301 of the act amends section 9(d)(1) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(d)(1)) by removing the requirement that the adult household member who signs a household application for the free and reduced-price meals must provide his or her complete SSN as a condition of eligibility. Section 9 (d)(1) now requires that only the last four digits of the SSN must be provided on the application. The act also removes the requirement that the SSN of each household member be collected to verify applications.

The social security number is used to identify the household member in verifying the correctness of information stated on the application. This may include program reviews, audits, investigations and may include contacting employers to determine income, contacting The Department of Children and Families Office to determine current certification for Food Stamp or TANF benefits, contacting the state employment security office to determine the amount of benefits received and checking the documentation produced by the household member to prove the amount of income received. These efforts may result in a loss or reduction of benefits, administrative claims, or legal actions if incorrect information is reported. It is required that a household without a Social Security Number check the box that says “I do not have a Social Security Number” on the Family Application for Meal Benefits form.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

“No person in this district, shall, on the basis on race, national origin, sex, disability, marital status, religion, or age, be excluded from participation in, be denied

the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity, or in employment conditions or practices conducted by The District

School Board of Collier County. For questions or complaints regarding any discriminatory actions, write Martin Luther King, Jr., Administrative Center, Director,

Department of Professional Practices, Human Resources, 5775 Osceola Trail, Naples, Florida, 34109 or call 239-377-0335. CCPS is an equal opportunity

provider and employer.”

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CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY

Some students are categorically eligible for free meals and need no meal application. The students are in the following categories:

1. Head Start 2. Migrant Program 3. Food Stamps (Directly Certified) 4. Homeless 5. Runaway 6. Foster

Our office receives a list of these students and we enter the information manually in the Student Data Base. Please have your Data Entry staff run a SL309 Report for all of your students. You can see who was eligible for meal benefits during the previous year by looking at the eligibility

date (Elg Dte.) If a student has an eligibility date of July 31, 2011, or later, then the students are categorically eligible for free meals and need no application or further update on TERMS for the 2011-12 School Year. If you get an application for one of these students, you may shred it. If questions arise, please contact our office at 239-377-0297.

Codes: 0 – Paid, never applied 1 – Full Pay, applied but doesn’t qualify 2 – Free 3 – Reduced-price (.30 breakfast and .40 lunch)

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DIRECT CERTIFICATION

Each year the Department of Education sends us a list of students who are directly certified free meals because their households are on Food Stamps or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

(TANF). This data is downloaded to our Student Data Base in the School Lunch Code. No

application is needed for these children. A list of directly certified students will be sent to

each principal at the beginning of the year. We now receive an electronic update of all DCRT monthly.

MEAL APPLICATION SCREENING PROCESS Your assistance with screening meal applications for completeness will facilitate a more efficient

approval process. Please make sure that all student numbers are accurate and legible on the

application. Applicants can be qualified by income, Food Stamps, TANF or by Foster Care.

Once the applications have been screened, please complete the following information “For

School Use Only”:

1. Student ID Numbers

2. Grades

3. School initials

4. Student Date of Birth

5. No Income box

FOSTER CHILDREN – NEW RULE for 2011-2012 Foster Children are now considered categorically eligible if their care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household. Documentation from an appropriate State or local agency indicating the status of the child as a foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or that the foster child has been placed with a

caretaker household by the court is a MUST.

Fax documentation to Sandra Sanchez at 239-377-0281. Provide an Emergency Feeding form to your site N.S. Manager so that the student can begin receiving free meals immediately and fax a copy to Sandra Sanchez as well. If the parent has more students attending CCPS, the parent can apply for the other children and add the Foster child to parts 4 and 5, but cannot enter the Foster Child on part 3.

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SIBLINGS AND STUDENTS LIVING AT THE SAME ADDRESS– NEW

A high number of students starting school for the first time have siblings already qualified for free or reduced the previous year. These students can automatically begin school sharing the same temporary eligibility status his/her sibling had the previous year for the first 30 calendar days. It is important that school staff screens these new students so that we can set the correct eligibility status so that they are not denied a meal or accrue charges. If the students are sharing the same address even if they are not siblings, consider the possibility that there is a homeless status, but if there is not, then all the students living under the same address may obtain the same temporary eligibility status of the other child at that address. In other to make this process correct, you must contact our office when such situation occurs at 239-377-0297 or email Sanches1@collier.k12.fl.us

FOOD STAMP OR TANF NUMBER

Please do not use EBT Card Number

The case number is located on the approval letter ONLY REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR FOOD STAMP OR TANF: Part 3 and 8. (See sample, Attachment A)

Name of Child

Food Stamp/TANF CASE number – 10 digits beginning with 10, 11, 12, or 13. (No EBT

number) PER STUDENT – Not per household. NO DITTOS.

No Social Security is required

Signature of adult household member

Date

The TANF NUMBER IS ALSO 10 DIGITS LONG AND IT STARTS WITH 10, 11, 12, 13, AND CAN BE FOUND ON THE APPROVAL LETTER.

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INCOME HOUSEHOLDS

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR INCOME: Part 3, 4, 5, and 8. (See sample, Attachment B)

Name of Child

If student receives income, then list student’s monthly income.

Name of all household members, excluding name of the students.

Current income. State letter indicating frequency of income i.e. W= weekly; T= twice a month;

B= bi-weekly; M= monthly; and Y=yearly. Seasonal or Self-Employed must be circled!

Total household members (Add the names listed in Part 3 and 4)

Social Security Number (is a must) or indication of none

Signature of adult household member ( is a must)

Date

This application must have Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 8 completed. If the applicant claims no

income, is not on TANF or Food Stamps; they cannot leave Part 4 blank. "None" or "zero" must be written in this area. U.S.D.A. requires that a follow-up letter be sent to these families each month. These letters will be generated by the Department of Nutrition Services and will be sent to each school on the appropriate time line for dissemination to the students. (See Attachment D – Zero Income)

ZERO INCOME HOUSEHOLDS

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR ZERO INCOME: Part 3, 4, 5, and 8. (See sample, Attachment C)

Name of Child

Name of all household members, excluding name of the students.

Income listed as “)” or indication of Zero income.

Total household members (Add the names listed in Part 3 and 4)

Social Security Number (is a must)

Signature of adult household member ( is a must)

Date

45 day calendar day approval

This application must have Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 8 completed. If the applicant claims no

income, they must fill out Part 4 with "zero" (must be written in this area.) U.S.D.A. requires that a follow-up letter be sent to these families each month. These letters will be generated by the Department of Nutrition Services and will be sent to each school on the appropriate time line for dissemination to the students. (See Attachment D)

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EMANCIPATED CHILD

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR EMANCIPATED CHILD: Part 3, 5, and 8. (See sample, Attachment D)

Name of Child and Student’s Monthly Income.

Social Security Number (not required)

Signature of student (is a must)

Date This application must have Part 3, Part 5 and Part 8. The application will be approved for a full year. This is a student who lives alone as a household of one or as a member of a household with no adult

member. This student must sign his or her own application but no social security number is required.

PRINCIPAL CERTIFIED / EMERGENCY FEEDING – Please

read carefully

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR APPLICATIONS APPROVED BY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS: Part 3,

4, 5, and 8. (See sample, Attachments G and H)

Student’s Name, School, Grade, and DOB

If student has income, enter income. If no income, check the “no income” box. It cannot be left blank!

Household members, household income. If income is not known or there is no income, the “no

income” box must be checked.

Household size

Documentation of needy status (Contact log, and explanation on Letterhead attached to

application, Emergency Feeding form attached to application also)

Social Security Number (not required) if Principal signing, otherwise, if parent is filling out form, the Signature is needed.

Signature of Approving official and date( is a must) (Official cannot sign for the parent!)

Date Signed

Attach Emergency Feeding form signed by Principal or designee This application must have Parts 3, 4, 5, and Part 8 completed. This type of application is needed when the family is known to be needy, but the parents fail to cooperate. When exercising this option, the school official can complete an application on behalf of the child, but documentation supporting this application must be provided. This application will be approved for a full year and is highly

confidential. The Principal must sign this application. No Social Security Number is required.

Principals have the authority to fill out a meal application for a student known to be

economically needy any time during the year if the household fails to apply. This option is

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intended for use in individual situations only and does not apply to groups of children. It

should only be used when repeated efforts to obtain a completed application have been

ignored. If the student has siblings, please contact our office to check if the sibling(s) are already eligible and student was missed by mistake. Failure on the part of parents to provide meals for their children or take the responsibility for completing an application so that meals can be provided is considered by the Department of Children and Families to be "neglect" and is often an indicator that there might be problems in that child's household that should be reported to Department of Children and Families.

An explanation is to be written and attached to the application to show how the principal has

determined that this is indeed an economically needy student and that all attempts have failed

to obtain an application from the student's household visit.

Documentation must be attached to the application where visits to the student’s home were

made by a third party (i.e. social worker, guidance counselor, assistant principal, etc.)

Contact our office for assistance

YEARLY INCOME APPLICATIONS:

Households can apply for a yearly income if they are seasonal or self-employed. The household must check the appropriate box under Yearly Income and circle if seasonal or self-employed. If left blank, application is incomplete and it will be returned to the school. (See attachment F)

MEAL APPLICATION APPROVAL PROCESS In order to serve the needs of students at your school, we are continuing to offer the following approval process options:

A. CENTRAL FOOD SERVICE APPROVAL

As soon as the applications are screened, send them to the Department of Nutrition Services for the determination of eligibility. The applications will be processed into the computer system and a phone call via Parent’s Link will be made to the household with the eligibility notification results.

B. COMBINATION APPROVAL

The principal or designee (see below) is still authorized to determine eligibility of

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applications as needed. This can be done now and throughout the year. If the applicant qualifies for meal benefits, (see Income Eligibility Guidelines Attachment G) the principal or designee checks off the appropriate meal benefit. The application is attached to the Emergency Feeding Form (Attachment I) and sent to the Department of Nutrition Services. A copy of the form is sent to the Nutrition Services Manager for data entry so they can begin to serve meals to those children immediately. Parents of children that do not qualify for free or reduced price meals or those that qualify for reduced price meals must see the cafeteria manager for collection of dues. The approval date for meal applications is based on the date that the actual determination of benefit is made. Once the application is processed and approved by the Department of Nutrition Services a phone call via Parent’s Link is made to the parent’s home with the eligibility results.

ONLINE MEAL APPLICATION PROCESS

Parents can visit www.collier.k12.fl.us/foodservice and select “Free & Reduced” under the quick links. In the middle of the page, they will see “apply online.” Once they click on “apply online,” they will be automatically routed to the form. This form is much simpler than the manual form, however, parents must be careful when filing it out. It is important that the parent enters the right date format (date, month, year) and the correct date of birth for each student. It is also important that the parent enters the right name format (first, middle initial, and last.) If a student has a hyphenated last name or if using both (maternal, and paternal) last names, the parent must enter the last name as it was entered in the enrollment system when the child was enrolled. Otherwise, the system will have a difficult time finding the student’s ID number. If the system cannot find the student ID and the parent knows it, the parent can enter it. The system will not allow the parent to enter the school name or number. If the parent doesn’t know the student ID number and the system doesn’t find it, they can ignore that part and continue with the other steps. Nutrition Services will enter the student ID when reviewing the application for approval. If the parent encounters that the system indicates there is an application already in file, they can ignore it by clicking ok and continue to fill out the new application. A household without a computer is able to visit any Public Library or the School Media Center. Once the application is filled out and submitted, the Nutrition Services official will receive an automated email. If the application is complete, it gets uploaded to the Point of Sale Program for processing.

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DESIGNEE The Department of Education has authorized principals to designate the signing of meal applications.

The designee must be an Assistant Principal, Counselor, Dean, Program Specialist, or other

administrative level staff member. The names of the designees must be on file in the

Department of Nutrition Administrative Office. If you appoint one or more designees, please complete Attachment I and return to the Department of Nutrition Services by September 1 and another if your designee changes. THIS CAN ALSO BE DONE BY E-MAIL. (Sanches1@collier.k12.fl.us)

NOTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY STATUS The Department of Nutrition Services will notify parents of their eligibility status via School Messenger. Only households with an adverse eligibility status will be notified by letter. (Free to full pay, reduced to

full pay) Per DOE Rules/Regulations. Parents can also e-mail their results request to

CCPSNutritionServices@collier.k12.fl.us for a sooner response.

HOUSEHOLDS SELECTED FOR INCOME VERIFICATION On October 1

st, the Department of Nutrition Services begins the Income Verification Process which

lasts until February 15th of the following year.

Households are selected by a random sampling process through our Point of Sale System. Some applications are selected manually for income verification by “cause”).

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING GUIDANCE:

1. Only students with approved meal applications on file from last year may eat free or

reduced price meals until September 23, 2011, using last school year's eligibility status.

Others must pay or bring lunch from home until their application is approved. (see exception below)

2. New students in a school with older siblings that were approved for benefits the previous

year may be served free or reduced price meals until September 23, 2011, using the same meal status as the older sibling if the Nutrition Services is notified before September 23, 2011.

3. Students with increased benefits can receive them immediately if site follows correct

procedures. Students with decreased benefits will be given 10 calendar days before this becomes effective.

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Feel free to contact Sylvia Reinhart (377-0292), or Sandra Sanchez (377-0297), if additional information is needed. Your assistance with this worthwhile task is appreciated as we strive to promote the health and well being of Collier County's school children. cc: Mrs. Michele LeBute

Dr. John M. Kelly Dr. Russell Clukey Mrs. Martha B. Hayes Mrs. Mary Ann Gemmill

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Food Stamp / TANF Households

o Name of ALL students living in the household o Student ID, School Initials, Student’s Grade, Student’s Date of birth.

o Food Stamp / TANF number for EACH child that is a certified member. (10 digit number beginning with 10, 11, 12, or 13) NO EBT NUMBERS 50.. The number is located on the approval letter ONLY!

o Cannot use “DITTO MARKS” o Total Household Members o No Social Security Number is required o Signature of adult household member o Date Signed

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Income Households:

o Name of ALL students living in the household o Student ID, School Initials, Student’s Grade, Student’s Date of birth, and the student’s

Income box filled out. IF there is no income, the “NO INCOME” box MUST be checked or the application is incomplete.

o Names of ALL household members o Current Income & Frequency. Boxes cannot be left blank. Even if there is no income there

has to be “0’s” plus the “NO INCOME” box MUST be checked or the application is incomplete.

o Total Household Members o Signature of adult household member o Social Security Number, or indication of “none.” o Date Signed

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Zero Income Households – 45 CALENDAR DAY TEMPORARY APPROVAL

o Name of ALL students living in the household o Student ID, School Initials, Student’s Grade, Student’s Date of birth, and the student’s

Income box filled out. IF there is no income, the “NO INCOME” box MUST be checked or the application is incomplete.

o Names of ALL household members o INCOME LISTED AS “0” for ALL household members and the “No Income” box MUST be

checked or the application is incomplete. Boxes cannot be left blank. o Social Security Number, or indication of “none.” o Signature of adult household member o Date Signed

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EMANCIPATED CHILD:

o Student’s Name

o Student ID, School Initials, Student’s Grade, Student’s Date of birth, and the student’s Income box filled out. IF there is no income, the “NO INCOME” box MUST be checked or the application is incomplete.

o Student’s Social Security Number or indication of none

o Student’s Signature and date

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Principal Certified

o Student’s Name o Student ID, School Initials, Student’s Grade, Student’s Date of birth, and the student’s

Income box filled out. IF there is no income, the “NO INCOME” box MUST be checked or the application is incomplete.

o Household Members, Income and Income Frequency. If no income, the “NO INCOME box must be checked or the application is incomplete.

o House size o Principal or Designee Signature. School official cannot sign for parent! o Social Security Number is not required o Date Signed o DOCUMENTATION OF NEEDY STATUS (School visit to home, contact log) o Emergency Feeding form

THIS OPTION IS NOT RECOMMENDED BY DOE. Without proper documentation of needy status, we cannot approve a child for free or reduced price meals.

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Households can apply for a yearly income if they are seasonal or self-employed. The household must check the appropriate box under Yearly Income and circle if seasonal or self-employed. If left blank, application is incomplete and it will be returned to the school.

YEARLY INCOME Households:

o Name of ALL students living in the household o Student ID, School Initials, Student’s Grade, Student’s Date of birth, and the student’s

Income box filled out. IF there is no income, the “NO INCOME” box MUST be checked or the application is incomplete

o Names of ALL household members o Enter yearly income amount o MUST check yearly income box and circle seasonal or self-employed o Total Household Members o Signature of adult household member o Social Security Number or indication of “none.” o Date Signed

F

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2011-2012 INCOME GUIDELINES

Attachment G

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EMERGENCY FEEDING FORM

Attachment H

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PRINCIPAL DESIGNEE FORM

Attachment J

DEPARTMENT OF NUTRITION SERVICES

5775 Osceola Trail

Naples, Florida 34109-4499

239-377-0291 OFFICE

239-377-0281 FAX

__________________________ DATE

TO: Dawn Houser, Director, Department of Nutrition Services

FROM: ____________________________________, Principal

RE: DESIGNEE TO SIGN FAMILY APPLICATION FOR MEAL BENEFITS I am authorizing the following administrative designee(s) to sign the Family Application for Meal Benefits at ____________________________________________ school:

NAME TITLE OR POSITION ________________________________ __________________________ ________________________________ __________________________ ________________________________ __________________________ __________________________________

PRINCIPAL’S SIGNATURE

The designee must be an Assistant Principal, Program Specialist, Counselor, Dean, or other

administrative level staff member ONLY.

Attachment I