Civil Rights Complaint Process

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement for Child Nutrition Programs

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 Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, 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:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

Fax: 833-256-1665 or 202-690-7442; or

Email: USDA Program Intake

SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS

Selkirk School District adheres to the National School Lunch Program guidelines regarding accommodations for special dietary needs. If your child has a medical condition that affects their diet, they can submit a Special Dietary Needs Request Form. All students with dietary disabilities will receive school meals appropriate for their needs. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities” such as allergies, or an impairment that affects a major bodily function such as digestion. All students with these types of disabilities will be accommodated, however student personal diet or religious preferences cannot be accommodated at this time.

All students have the right to refuse certain food items on the lunch menu. Each day for lunch, students are offered 5 meal components including protein, whole grain, fruit, vegetables, and milk. Of these 5 components, students must choose 3, including at least ½ cup of fruit or vegetable. For non-medical dietary preferences, students may refuse any two meal components they do not wish to eat. However, when a medical condition is present, parents are strongly encouraged to submit a Special Dietary Needs Request Form so that their student can be given alternate meals when necessary.

To request a special dietary accommodation please contact our school nurse, Misty Reed, RN (mreed@selkirkschools.org) or call the office.

>>Click here for a printable Request for Special Dietary Accommodations Form<<

At the start of each school year, student handbooks are provided to all families which includes information on the availability of special dietary accommodations in their back-to-school packet. In addition, all students complete new health forms annually which are reviewed by the school nurse.
Any reports of a child with a food allergy or other impairment that affects their diet must be reported to the school nurse, Misty Reed, RN.
If the school nurse is informed of a special dietary need, or if a parent submits a Health History form identifying a food allergy or any other impairment that may affect their child’s diet, the nurse will notify the family that in order to facilitate the special dietary need, the school must receive a completed Special Dietary Needs Form signed by a recognized medical authority. Families will also be informed of the offer vs serve policy in school meals for children without a medical impairment.
If families would like to have a special dietary accommodation for their child, the nurse, or the office will send them a copy of the Special Dietary Needs Request Form.
If the district is aware a meal modification is needed, our district will not delay providing the modification while awaiting the medical statement. Instead, the school will begin providing a reasonable modification immediately to keep the child safe, and request the family provide a medical statement signed by a State Recognized Medical Authority to support the meal modification as soon as possible.
Kitchen staff will be informed of the new accommodation and either introduced to the child &/or given a copy of the child’s picture. A copy of the accommodation and child’s photo will be posted in the kitchen.
If the family does not return the form within 30 days, the school will determine on a case-by-case basis if the dietary need will be accommodated while continuing to attempt to contact the family.
If a family returns an incomplete form, the family is notified that more information is needed and is given 60 days to return a completed form. The child’s special dietary need is accommodated during that time. If the completed form is not returned after 60 days, the family is notified that the child’s dietary needs may not be accommodated until a completed form is received by the school.
All Special Dietary Accommodation Forms will be kept with the school nurse. Copies are made and shared with all staff in cafeteria and kept in a binder in the office.