Meal Modifications
Erving Elementary offers meal modification for any student needing modification for a disability with a medical statement signed by a state licensed medical professional. The medical statement must include:
▪ Information about the child's physical or mental impairment that is
sufficient to allow the district(Erving Elementary) to understand how it
restricts the child’s diet,
▪ An explanation of what must be done to accommodate the child’s
disability, and
▪ The food or foods to be omitted and recommended alternatives, in the
case of a modified meal.
The medical statement should be given to the nurse at the Erving Elementary School. The Nurse must forward all notifications of medical statements that would require meal modification to the Food Service Director. Erving Elementary must provide all meal services in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of the disabled participant. Exclusion of any participant from the Program environment is not
considered an appropriate or reasonable modification.
Ensuring Information is Current and Confidential
• Confidentiality - It is extremely important for schools to protect the
privacy of children who have a disability. The Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) requires medical information to be kept
confidential. Confidentiality practices should ensure that School
Nutrition Program staff, identified by the SFA have enough information
to operationalize the production of each child’s modified meal.
Per FERPA 99.31, parental consent is not needed to share information
required to provide a meal modification with school officials who meet
outlined conditions. Staff of the school nutrition program, including
Food Service Management Companies, as identified by the SFA meet
these conditions. The information required to provide a meal
modification is requested in meal modification sample in attachment A.
Erving Elementary should not decline to provide a meal modification to
accommodate a child’s disability that is supported by a medical
statement. However, Erving Elementary may decline a request for a meal
modification that would fundamentally alter the nature of the CNP. A
fundamental alteration is a modification so drastic that it would change
the essential nature of the CNP. Erving Elementary will work closely with
families to prevent any misunderstandings before declining a
modification request. consultant if you plan to decline a modification
request.
• If Erving Elementary declines a request, the district must, under the
Procedural Safeguards requirements, ensure that the child’s parent or
guardian understands their right to file a grievance if they believe a
violation has occurred regarding the request for a reasonable
modification.
Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Compla..., from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted 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; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
[email protected]
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.