Policy 3555 - Nutrition Program Compliance

Nutrition Program Compliance

1. Providing the name of the civil rights coordinator, Section 504 coordinator, and Title IX coordinator, if different from the civil rights coordinator, to the California Department of Education and other interested parties;
    
2. Annually providing mandatory civil rights training to all frontline staff who interact with program applicants or participants and to those who supervise frontline staff. The subject matter of such training shall include, but not be limited to, collection and use of data, effective public notification systems, complaint procedures, compliance review techniques, resolution of noncompliance, requirements for reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities, requirements for language assistance, conflict resolution, and customer service;
    
3. Establishing admission and enrollment procedures that do not restrict enrollment of students on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, or disability, including preventing staff from incorrectly denying applications and ensuring that such persons have equal access to all programs;
    
4. Sending a public release announcing the availability of the child nutrition programs and/or changes in the programs to public media and to community and grassroots organizations that interact directly with eligible or potentially eligible participants;
    
5. Communicating the program's nondiscrimination policy and applicable complaint procedures, as provided in the section "Notifications" below;
    
6. Providing appropriate translation services when a significant number of persons in the surrounding population have limited English proficiency;
    
7. Ensuring that every part of a facility is accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities and that participants with disabilities are not excluded from the benefits or services due to inaccessibility of facilities;
    
8. Ensuring that special meals are made available to participants with disabilities who have a medical statement on file documenting that their disability restricts their diet;
    
9. Implementing procedures to process and resolve civil rights (discrimination) complaints and program-related complaints, including maintaining a complaint log and working with the appropriate person to resolve any complaint;
    
10. Developing a method, which preferably uses self-identification or self-reporting, to collect racial and ethnic data for potentially eligible populations, applicants, and participants.

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.

1. Child Nutrition Program Civil Rights and Program Complaint Coordinator, California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division, 1430 N Street, Room 4503, Sacramento, CA 95814-2342 or call (916) 323-8531 or 800-952-5609
    
2. USDA, Director, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992, (800)877-8339 (Federal Relay Service -English), (800) 845-6136 (Federal Relay Service -Spanish), fax (202) 690-7442, or email program.intake.usda.gov

Rule 3555

Adopted: 05/17/2011
Last Revised: 02/20/2024
Last Reviewed: 02/20/2024

• National School Lunch Program
• School Breakfast Program
• Child and Adult Care Food Program
• Summer Food Service Program
• Food Distribution Program
• State Meal Program

• Denying an individual any service, financial aid, or other benefit provided under the program;
• Providing any service, financial aid, or other benefit, to an individual that is different, or is provided in a different manner from that provided to others under the program;
• Subjecting an individual to segregation or separate treatment in any matter related to his or her receipt of any service, financial aid, or other benefit under the program;
• Restricting an individual in any way in the enjoyment of any advantage or privilege enjoyed by others receiving any service, financial aid, or other benefit under the program;
• Treating an individual differently from others in determining whether he or she satisfies any admission, enrollment, quota, eligible status, membership or other requirement or condition which individuals must meet in order to be provided any service, financial aid, or other program benefit;
• Denying an individual an opportunity to participate in a program through the provisions of services or otherwise affording him or her an opportunity to participate that is different from services afforded others under the program;
• Denying a person the opportunity to participate as a member of a planning or advisory body that is an integral part of the program.

• Name, address, and telephone number or other means of contacting the complainant;
• Specific location and name of the entity delivering benefits;
• Nature of the complaint or action that led to the charges being filed.

• Basis on which the complainant feels that discrimination occurred. In order to be considered a discrimination complaint, the complainant must feel discriminated against based on one or more of the protected classes;
• Names, titles, and, if known, addresses of persons who may have knowledge of the discriminatory action or situation;
• Date(s) that the alleged discrimination occurred, or the duration of such action.