A Message from Your SNA President-Elect
To our Industry Partners:

When we met for SNA’s recent Legislative Action Conference in early March in Washington, D.C., most of us were not aware at that time that a pandemic “tsunami” was overshadowing us. Even though we were aware of COVID-19, most were not prepared for the life changing routines that were about to unfold. If we didn’t know before, we are more familiar with many terms that categorize this pandemic. Terms such as, “PPE,” “social distancing,” “stay-at-home,” “front-line workers,” “a new normal,” “essential” and many more. During these most tumultuous times, not only have our “essential” school nutrition heroes risen to the challenge, but you, our vendors, have worked side-by-side with us to provide the necessary food, equipment and services that were needed to feed the children and families of America.

Thank you for helping the professionals of school nutrition maneuver through these troubled times. Thank you for providing solutions to some of the more complex issues and challenges that we have faced. Thank you for insight and vision as we adjust to what may be a “new normal” for you and our school nutrition professionals. Not only this upcoming year, but in the future as well.

As partners, we will work relentlessly in new environments to provide solutions so that the healthy and nutritious meals we serve our students will contribute to their nourishment and academic success.

Sincerely,
Reginald Ross
SNA President-Elect
May 2020
DID YOU KNOW

At the beginning of the SY2019-20, the typical school nutrition program employed, on a district-wide basis, 5 management level employees, 11.5 full-time non-management level employees and 13 part-time non-management level employees. Learn more in SNA’s 2020 Compensation & Benefits Report.
SNA CALENDAR

July 12-14, 2020   CANCELLED
Annual National Conference
Nashville, Tenn.

November 4-5 (Level I); November 10-11 (Level II-F&B); November 12-13 (Level II-E&T)
Alexandria, Va.


Important Announcements
#ANC2020 Cancelled Due to COVID-19

Every year, we look forward to SNA’s Annual National Conference (ANC)—the School Nutrition Event of the Year—connecting K-12 school nutrition industry professionals together with food and beverage, equipment, technology and services companies. Given our concerns about the safety, health and wellbeing of our meeting attendees during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s ANC which was scheduled for July 12-14, 2020 in Nashville, TN at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. 
SNA State Conference Cancellations

We now have all of the state conference cancellations listed on the State Support Center — State Conference webpage . Please be sure to check back for daily updates.
SNA’s 2020 Stronger Together: Back to School Series—NEW Sponsorship Opportunities Available

SNA is designing a virtual series intended to help school nutrition directors develop a back to school action plan to navigate the consequences of COVID-19 on school feeding. The first group of sessions are scheduled to take place June 8 & 9 from 1:00-4:30 pm (EDT) and the second group of sessions are scheduled to take place June 15 & 16 from 1:00-4:30 pm (EDT). The sessions will be hosted on SNA’s Training Zone and we are expecting up to 650 directors to participate! It will also be recorded and available year-round, on-demand for those who could not join. Topics will include strategic planning, leading your staff, sanitation, procurement, menus, packaging, technology, equipment and engaging stakeholders. And of course, there will also be time for networking. Utilizing Zoom breakout rooms, SNA will set-up happy hours to have time for peer to peer conversation and connection.

Sponsorship opportunities are available on first-come, first-serve basis and will be limited to six companies at $5,000/each. To learn more about what this sponsorship includes, please contact SNA Business Development Manager Nita Artis at nartis@schoolnutrition.org .
SNA COVID-19 Webinar Series — Partnership Opportunities

Take advantage of this remarkable opportunity to partner with SNA on providing COVID-19 webinar series to assist our members during these uncertain times. Registration continues to increase, and we have now had over 5,000 operators register and participate! All webinars are recorded and hosted in the SNA Training Zone, which over 18,000 participants/year have taken advantage of.

If you are interested and would like more details, please contact SNA Business Development Manager Nita Artis at nartis@schoolnutrition.org .
SNA COVID-19 Request for Industry Resources

In our ongoing attempt to provide resources to our members during this difficult time, we are asking our valued industry partners to share tools, resources or ideas on how you are supporting our operators. Please email your information to Nita Artis at nartis@schoolnutrition.org so that we can compile and organize your thoughts and resources. SNA is continuing to provide the most up -to-date information on the COVID-19 pandemic relevant to school nutrition professionals on our webpage and plan to include this information as well. Be sure to check out and share what some of your industry peers are doing to date.
SNA Fall 2020 Industry Boot Camp—Registration to Open Soon!

SNA will be offering Level I and Level II Industry Boot Camp sessions this Fall for new and seasoned industry representatives . Stay tuned for registration to open soon!

The Fall Industry Boot Camps are scheduled: November 4-5 (Level I); November 10-11 (Level II-F&B) or November 12-13 (Level II-E&T). Participation in Boot Camp Level I is a prerequisite for both Boot Camp Level II Programs, unless you have been in the school foodservice market for 5+ years.
School Nutrition Foundation Help Feed School Kids Now! GoFundMe Grants

The School Nutrition Foundation established the GoFundMe campaign Help Feed School Kids Now! In order to help support the essential school nutrition professionals across the country still working during the COVID-19 crisis. This application is open to both members and non-members. We have awarded our first six grants, congratulations to the following school districts:

  • Jennifer Al-Saeed, Riverway Learning Community School District, Minnesota
  • Sarena Glenn, Wichita Falls Independent School District, Texas
  • Mayelin Lora-Williams, South Bend School District, Indiana
  • Vincent Palmiero, Marlboro School District, New Jersey
  • Cindy Smith, Bluffview Montessori School #4001, Minnesota
  • Morgan Stasik, Beech Grove City Schools, Indiana

In addition to the cash award, winners will also receive two Innoseal Professional Sealing machines to assist them in their meal preparation and service. Co-owner Jeff Rebh said his company wanted to help school nutrition professionals who are feeding children out of school due to COVID-19 closures. Innoseal is donating 250 Professional Sealing machines to the Help Feed School Meals Now! efforts. Please contact Development Associate, Heide Voss, at hvoss@schoolnutrition.org or Development Consultant, Dana Clerkin, at dclerkin@schoolnutrition.org to find out some creative ways that other SNA industry partners are able to give back during the COVID-19 crisis. We look forward to hearing from you.
Annual National Conference Reminders
Do You Know How to Increase Your Priority Points?

Priority points are earned from June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020 and are compiled based on the following criteria. [ Priority Points ]

Remember that these points will determine your scheduled appointment for exhibitor sign-up for ANC 2021 Chicago. Contact the following SNA Centers to show your support and to increase your points:

Change in Personnel
Please notify SNA when there is a change in staff or management, so that we can update your company record. Please email meetings@schoolnutrition.org. Thank you.
Legislative & Regulatory Update
SNA Advocates for Funding to Offset Losses

On Monday, April 27, SNA joined 37 allied organizations in a letter to the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees advocating for funding to help offset financial losses for school meal programs due to COVID-19 closures. The letter urges Congress to provide $2.6 billion to mitigate a portion of the estimated, significant loss that school nutrition programs have and will continue to experience. Read the complete letter .

Federal Court Rules on School Meal Flexibility Suit

On April 13, the federal district court in Maryland ruled in a lawsuit challenging USDA’s 2018 Final Rule Child Nutrition Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Requirements. The ruling effectively strikes down the Final Rule and sends it back to USDA for further action. Read more in SNA’s press release.

SNA Urges USDA to Restore School Meal Flexibilities

In a letter to USDA, SNA emphasized the Court’s findings that the Final Rule was “not inconsistent” with federal statute and that “USDA used its expertise to balance the nutrition science in the Dietary Guidelines with the practical considerations of implementation.” SNA also highlighted the urgency of preserving these flexibilities given COVID-19 procurement challenges and the financial impact of closures on school meal programs. Read more in SNA’s press release .

SNA COVID-19 Policy Resources

Check out SNA’s COVID-19 Policy Updates web page for critical school nutrition program policy and advocacy news as week as information on state-by-state waivers and an interactive map on each state’s COVID-19 legislation.

USDA Releases New COVID-19 School Nutrition Guidance

USDA FNS has released a new series of waivers and guidance for school meal service during COVID-19 school closures including a waiver to extend Food Service Management Contracts on year.

USDA Approves States for EBT Program to Feed Kids

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that several states are approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) . This new program provides assistance to families of children who are eligible for free or reduced price meals dealing with school closures. All states that are currently approved to operate the EBT Program are listed on the USDA FNS website .

President Signs $484 Billion Relief Bill

Recently President Trump signed a measure providing $484 billion to replenish a small business lending program and support hospitals and COVID-19 testing. The bill includes an additional $310 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP, established by the CARES Act that the President signed into law on March 27, is designed to help small businesses hurt by the pandemic, which has resulted in massive job loss.