CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

Community Eligibility Provision

Meals for all enrolled students, including breakfast and lunch, are at no cost for the school year. Tallassee City Schools will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). No further action is required for parents and there is no need to submit a meal application. School meals will follow the USDA guidelines for healthy school meals with no discrimination because of race, sex, color, national origin, age, or disability.

CEP does not apply to adults and there is a charge for A la Carte purchases.

Meal Pattern

Child Nutrition provides breakfast and lunch for all students every school day. All meals follow the menu pattern and nutritional guidelines established by the  United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Our participation in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) provides breakfast and lunch at no cost for all students. Tallassee City Schools follows the traditional food-based menu pattern for all student meals in accordance with USDA regulations. In 2010 the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act created the most intense changes in school nutrition in a generation. New requirements include increased emphasis on fruits and vegetables, with careful control of calories and saturated fat.

Offer vs. Serve

Breakfast components are milk, fruit/juice/vegetable, and grains. Every morning four items will be offered at breakfast and students must select at least three of the items, with one item being 1/2 cup fruit and/or vegetable. It is acceptable to select all four items.

Lunch components are meat/meat alternate, fruit, vegetables, grains, and milk. Students must select, at a minimum, 1/2 cup serving of fruit and/or vegetables plus any two other full components. We encourage students to fill up on all five components for a healthy meal that will nourish them for classroom learning and physical activity.

Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data for School Meal Programs

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires all School Meal Program sponsors to collect race and ethnicity data of applications and participants. The purpose of this data collection effort is to determine how effectively School Meal Programs are reaching potentially eligible students. Responses have no effect on eligibility.

  • The purpose for collecting race and ethnicity data is to determine how effectively School Meal Programs are reaching potentially eligible students,

  • Provision of this data is voluntary,

  • Responses are kept confidential, and

  • Responses have no effect on eligibility.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity* and sexual orientation*), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted 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; or

  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

  3. email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

 This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

*The enclosed “non discrimination” language herein was added pursuant to the May 5, 2022, USDA memorandum. However, although included as currently required for audit compliance by the USDA, the State of Alabama objects to its inclusion, applicability and the application of this language due to currently pending legal challenges in the matter of The State of Tennessee, et al. v. USDA, et al., Case No. 3:22-cv-00257, and may be subject to change or removal.

Para todos los demás programas de asistencia de nutrición del FNS, agencias estatales o locales y sus subreceptores, deben publicar la siguiente Declaración de No Discriminación:

De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), esta entidad está prohibida de discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluyendo identidad de género y orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o retorsión por actividades previas de derechos civiles.

La información sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicación para obtener la información del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con el USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.

Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el reclamante debe llenar un formulario AD-3027, formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, el cual puede obtenerse en línea en: https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource-files/usdaprogram-discrimination-complaint-form-spanish.pdf, de cualquier oficina de USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida a USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre del demandante, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la acción discriminatoria alegada con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y fecha de una presunta violación de derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completado o la carta debe presentarse a USDA por:

(1) correo:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

(2) fax: (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o

(3) correo electrónico: program.intake@usda.gov

Esta entidad es un proveedor que brinda igualdad de oportunidades.