Mailing in a payment to SNA? The lockbox address is changing on October 12, 2021. SNA is working hard to ensure a smooth transition to the new lockbox address, and we encourage you to begin making the necessary updates. Learn More

In an effort to return our nation’s school children to safe, healthy and sustainable in-person schooling, the U.S. Department of Education has developed a Return to School Roadmap. Learn More

Did you know adopting CEP for the 2021-22 school year will allow schools to lock in higher Identified Student Percentages for four years to serve as many meals free of charge as possible beyond the pandemic? Don’t miss today’s webinar at 3 p.m. Learn More

Now is the time to recharge and rev up! As schools reopen following COVID-19 closures, districts will utilize different scenarios to prepare for students’ return to school. Check out SNA’s resources to help prepare for the blended learning environments and different meal service delivery models anticipated for SY2021-22.

Check out these links for official COVID-19 guidance from federal government agencies, including the CDC, FDA, USDA and DOE, including ways to improve ventilation in your school or childcare program, tools to help you modify mealtime spaces to apply prevention measures and more!

SNA continues to advocate on behalf of members working to safely serve students during COVID-19 closures and modifications. Refer to this section for quick access to the latest policy updates, including an interactive map that provides a summary of each state’s COVID-19 legislation.

Updated weekly on the SNA website, the Burbio K-12 Tracker actively monitors districts representing 35,000+ schools, including the 200 largest school districts in the U.S. District plans are reviewed every 72 hours to identify changes. School districts in the data set are a mix of sizes and represent local decision-making across the country.

On August 4, the full U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a set of spending bills, including appropriations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the 2022 Fiscal Year. The allocations for USDA contain provisions to assist school nutrition programs such as "the Secretary of Agriculture may grant exemptions to School Food Authorities (SFAs) that demonstrate financial or procurement hardship specific to whole grains." Read More

SNA's Back to School Survey revealed the severe financial and operational challenges facing school meal programs, including concerns over program economic sustainability, meeting new sodium targets, and continued supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's time to raise your voice! The U.S. Department of Agriculture has scheduled an upcoming Interim Final Rule on nutrition standards, and Child Nutrition Reauthorization discussions continue in Congress. Urge your Member of Congress to provide relief from these critical issues facing School Meal Programs. TAKE ACTION NOW!

On August 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the Federal Register notice, “Request for Information: Buy American in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.” This notice requests information from stakeholders, including local operators, State administrators, industry and producers, about the Buy American Provision and its effect on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). All comments are due by November 2, 2021.

Now is a great time to get started planning your WILD menu items for National School Lunch Week, October 11-15! Use our colorful new infographic to help get this message out to parents and the community. As school meals programs begin to rebuild, it is more important than ever to communicate the importance of a nutritious and healthy school lunch and find fun ways promote your program.

School Food Authorities are invited to attend a webinar on Procurement Strategies for School Year 2021-2022 on Friday, August 13, 2021 from 3 pm to 4 pm Eastern Time. Registration for this free webinar is available at https://tinyurl.com/3yhyx9sr. This webinar will discuss school meal procurement strategies, program flexibilities, waivers, and training resources for School Year 2021-2022. SFA’s are also encouraged to visit Team Nutrition’s Back-to-School Support Kit for new resources.

Visit the SNA Career Center to check out job postings in school nutrition. This week’s featured jobs: Director of Food and Nutrition in Washington, Nutrition Specialist in Virginia, Impact Litigation Attorney in Michigan and Materials Manager – Food Services in Pennsylvania. Learn More

Focus on the future of the School Nutrition Association with the help of the August 2021 issue of School Nutrition magazine. From an introduction of the 2021-22 Association President, Beth Wallace, MBA, SNS, to a thorough look at the 2021-24 SNA Strategic Plan, along with ways to improve your program’s future through smart customer service, SN is here to propel you into a new school year. Read the August issue today!