THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 Office of P-20 Education Policy |
USDA has released the Final Rule: Child Nutrition Programs - CEP Increasing Options for Schools. This final rule amends the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent.
These regulatory changes, combined with the New York State CEP Subsidy (that ensures schools are reimbursed at an amount equal to the full federal reimbursement for all CEP meals, eliminating what would otherwise be a local expense under the federal program), allows more schools to participate in CEP and experience the associated benefits, such as increasing students’ access to healthy, no-cost school meals; eliminating unpaid meal charges; reducing stigma; and streamlining program administration and meal service operations.
The New York State Education Department (SED) has requested waiver flexibilities from USDA necessary to allow schools to apply or reapply to participate in CEP during the 2023-2024 school year under the new final rule. SED’s Child Nutrition Office will communicate and provide guidance and training to schools on next steps once these flexibilities have been granted.
Please reach out to the Child Nutrition Office at 518-473-8781 or by email with any questions.