Indiana has the following waivers currently in place for Child Nutrition programs through the Indiana Department of Education:
NATIONWIDE WAIVERS for SBP, NSLP, SFSP, and CACFP:
Non-Congregate Feeding waiver: This waiver allows states to waive the congregate feeding requirements for programs, enabling all child nutrition programs to serve meals in a non-congregate setting and at school sites during school closures related to the coronavirus.
Parent/Guardian Meal Pickup waiver: This wavier allows parents and guardians to pick up and take home meals for children without the child present. State agencies are required to create a plan that ensures accountability and program integrity.
Meal Times waiver: This waives the requirements to serve meals that meet meal pattern requirements to ensure flexibility. While the waiver is available to all states, program sponsors must submit requests to their state agency for approval that demonstrate disruptions to the availability of food products.
Meal Pattern waiver: This waives the requirement to serve meals that meet meal pattern requirements to ensure flexibility; sponsors must receive state approval and show a disruption in food availability.
Child Nutrition Monitoring waivers: Waives the requirements for certain onsite monitoring requirements to maintain program integrity and support social distancing while providing meals.
NATIONWIDE WAIVER for NSLP and CACFP:
Afterschool activity waiver: This waiver removes the requirement that an educational or enrichment program be required in afterschool snacks through NSLP and at-risk afterschool meals and snacks through CACFP.
NATIONWIDE OPTION for PANDEMIC EBT
WAIVER IN PROCESS THROUGH FSSA/DOE: Pandemic EBT program option: In the case of schools being closed for 5 consecutive days due to Covid-19, States can request use of P-EBT to provide meals to children eligible for free/reduced priced lunch. As a result of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, children who would receive free or reduced price meals if not for school closures are eligible to receive assistance under this provision.
NATIONWIDE WAIVER for SBP and NSLP
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) data waiver (National School Lunch Program & School Breakfast Program): This waiver extends the April 1 deadline to calculate the Identified Student Percentage to anytime between April 1 and June 30; the April 15 notification deadline from April 15 to June 15; the May 1 deadline for States to notify school districts that they are eligible or near-eligible to June 15; and the June 30 deadline for school districts to elect community eligibility to August 31. This will, importantly, allow the state to account for changes in SNAP caseloads.
State options:
Area eligibility waiver: States may request waivers from the area eligibility requirements for SFSP and SSO meal sites, allowing all children to be served without further administrative burden in areas impacted by school closures due to COVID-19. Without this waiver, eligibility is limited for sites not operating in areas where at least 50 percent of participants are eligible for free or reduced price meals – requiring added confirmation of participant eligibility, which is uniquely challenging while maintaining social distancing.
