School Meal Services

School Meal Services

The Fresno Unified School District offers breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students regardless of income levels. This reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that all students receive nutritious meals. This practice further supports the Districts efforts to eliminate all barriers to student learning and helps ensure students are not hungry at school while they are trying to learn.

This change is the result of the district implementing the Community Eligibility Provision, a new option available to schools under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The Community Eligibility Provision is for high-poverty schools to expand access to free school meals while reducing paperwork and streamlining meal service operation. Meal Applications will no longer be required.

The goal of the Nutrition Services Department is to provide nutritious, appetizing meals to help students do their best in school each day.

Nutrition Services

E.C. 49590

The State Department of Education shall ensure that the nutrition levels of the meals served to school-age children pursuant to the National School Lunch Act be the highest quality and greatest nutritional value possible.

Further information regarding school nutrition may be found in E.C. 49430-49436, and the Duffy-Moscone Family Nutrition Education and Services Act of 1970. E.C. 49510-49520

Fresno Unified has a modern and state of the art Nutrition Center at 4480 North Brawley, that provides meals to 107 school sites.

School site menus can be found at the following website: https://fresnounified.nutrislice.com/

California Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), administered by the California Department of Education (CDE), provides schools with funding to offer students a free fresh fruit or vegetable snack during the school day.

The FFVP is a reimbursement grant program that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers at the federal level. At the state level, the CDE Nutrition Services Division (NSD) administers the FFVP and selects schools to receive a year-long grant (July–June) to implement the program. The purpose of this federal assistance program is to provide an additional free fresh fruit or vegetable snack to students during the school day as a supplement to (and not part of) the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program, and to teach students about good nutrition. The FFVP also encourages grantees to develop partnerships at the state and local level for support in implementing and operating the program.

Special Diets Meal Accommodations

Fresno Unified School District’s Nutrition Services department strives to accommodate the special dietary needs of our students. To request a special diet accommodation, the student’s Parent/guardian must submit a medical statement request form signed by a licensed physician, physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner to Nutrition Services through the school site cafeteria leader.

All Medical Statement Forms must be completely filled out. Lines answered with “N/A” or lines left blank will be required to be sent back to the doctor for completion prior to being accommodated.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Special Diets team at Nutrition Services by phone: (559) 457-6250

Competitive Foods

Competitive foods and beverages are those that are sold to students on school campus, during the school day, outside of and in competition with the federally reimbursable meal programs. Examples of competitive foods and beverages include those sold during the school day in vending machines (that are not reimbursable meals), student stores, á la carte items sold by the school Nutrition Services department, or as fundraisers.

Competitive foods and beverages are governed by different laws, regulations, and policies at the federal, state, and school district levels. Congress enacts laws and the USDA promulgates regulations related to school nutrition. At the state level, the Legislature enacts laws and the State Board of Education adopts regulations related to nutrition. Lastly, each SFA participating in a federally reimbursable meal program is required to adopt a local school wellness policy that includes nutrition standards for all foods and beverages that are available for sale to students.

Fresno Unified School District follows the guidelines set forth by the Smart Snack Standards, as described in the Quick Reference cards published by the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division in July 2014, updated January 2017.

School Wellness Policy BP 5030

The federal government requires any school district that participates in the National School Lunch Program to have a local school wellness policy. Local wellness policies are an important tool for school districts in promoting student wellness, preventing, and reducing childhood obesity, and providing assurance that school meal nutrition guidelines meet the minimum federal school meal standards. (Education Code 49432; 42 USC 1758b; 7 CFR 210.31)

Fresno Unified recognizes the link between student health and learning and aims to create a healthy school environment that enhances the development of life-long wellness practices to promote healthy eating and physical activity that support student achievement.

The Fresno Unified Student Wellness Policy was revised in 2020 to comply with the new federal and state regulations. Guided by the Student Wellness Policy BP 5030, together we can help all students learn, grow, and thrive. For further information, please email student. wellness@fresnounified.org.

NUTRITION PROGRAM COMPLIANCE

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:
https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint

and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter 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;
2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

A complaint alleging discrimination in the district’s nutrition program(s) on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability shall, within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act, be filed or referred to USDA at: (5 CCR 15582)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington,

D.C. 20250-9410, (866) 632-9992, (800) 877-8339 (Federal Relay

Service – English, deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabilities), (800) 845-6136 (Federal Relay Service – Spanish), fax (202) 690-7442, or email program.intake.usda.gov

Complaints of discrimination on any other basis shall be investigated by the district using the process identified in AR 1312.3 – Uniform Complaint Procedures.

(cf. 1312.3 – Uniform Complaint Procedures)