COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
333 MARKET STREET
HARRISBURG, PA 17126-0333
Dear Chief Administrator and/or Food Service Director:
Once again, welcome to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Your participation demonstrates your commitment to the relationship between nutrition and academic performance.
Federal law requires all Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that participate in the NSLP to develop and implement a Local Wellness Policy. The wellness policy must:
- Include goals that promote wellness for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities.
- Provide assurance that school lunch and school breakfast will comply with federal regulations.
- Establishnutrition standards for all “competitive foods” (foods and beverages other than the reimbursable lunch and breakfast meals that are available on the school grounds during the school day).
- Involve parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, school administration, school board, and the public in the development of the policy.
- Designate a person or persons responsible for compliance with the policy.
- Be approved by the school board or equivalent authority.
There are several documents available tohelp you develop your Local Wellness Policy, which are on the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Food and Nutrition website at the Wellness Policy resources section. These documents include an optional Pennsylvania School Board Association templatethat you can modify to develop your policy.
In addition, PDE developed optional PDE’s Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods in Pennsylvania Schoolsthat you may use or modify for your Wellness Policy. Although all schools must implement nutrition standards for their competitive foods, schools that implement the PDE standards as written or stricter,receive extra meal reimbursement through the School Nutrition Incentive Program (SNI). The PDEnutrition standards and more information about SNI can be found on the PDE Food and Nutrition Website, School Nutrition Incentive Section.
The following three documents must be submitted to PDE at the address below.
Local Wellness Policy Amendment Form must be completed to indicate whether or not you will be implementing PDE’s Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods in Pennsylvania Schools in at least one building. This form is due as soon as possible. Your NSLP application cannot be approved until this form is received. This form can be found on the PDE Food and Nutrition Website, School Nutrition Incentive Section.
Your approved/adopted Local Wellness Policy is due within 90 days of being approved as a NSLP sponsor. This date is indicated as the Original Approval Date at the bottom of your Sponsor Application on PEARS.
Your completed and signed LocalWellness Policy Checklist must be submitted with your Wellness Policy. This form is also found on the PDE Food and Nutrition Website, Wellness Policy, Resources Developed by PDESection.
These documents should be mailed to the following address:
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Division of Food and Nutrition
Attention: Local Wellness Policy and Amendment Form
333 Market Street, 4th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
If your LEA does not submit the requested items by the due date, PDE may withhold reimbursements for National School Lunch and Breakfast meals served (Stop Pay),which meanspayments for these meals will be withheld until the items are received by the PDE. If you are placed on Stop Pay, payments for meals served will be made upon receipt of your required documentsfor all valid claims submitted within 60 days of the last day of the month being claimed or revisions made within 75 days of the last day of the month being claimed.
PDE will review your wellness policy and notify the Superintendent/Chief Administrator, in writing, whether the policy is approved or if a Corrective Action Plan is required. Please begin to implement your policy as soon as your school board approves it.
Please read through the referenced materials carefully. A “To Do List” is also attached for your convenience. If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Arnold at by phone at 717-783-8385,or Diane Kraft by phone at 717-265-7765.
Sincerely,
Vonda Fekete
Vonda Fekete, M.S., R.D., L.D.N
State Director, Child Nutrition Programs
Pennsylvania Department of Education
LWP/SNI New Sponsor1Revised September 2010