Verification of meal eligibility status
is required when meal statuses are determined through the application
process. Requirements for the
verification process are established in Section 9(b)(3) of the National School
Lunch Act and 7CFR 245.6 a (c)(1). Local
Education Agencies (LEA)s must follow these regulatory procedures.
Districts
are required to request and receive
State Agency approval to perform an alternative verification sampling
method. If a district chooses to use an
alternative sampling method, the attached Alternative
Sampling Method Request form must be completed and emailed to ade.chnutverify@ade.arkansas.gov no later than Friday, September 17, 2021. Districts will be notified of their status by
the end of the day on Thursday, September 30, 2021. Any district not applying for approval to use
an alternative sampling method will use the Standard Sampling Method. Districts
placed on the attached 2021-22 Required
Standard Sampling List due to verification errors in School Year 2020-2021
do not qualify to use an alternate sampling method.
Standard Sample Size:
Standard
- Three percent of all applications approved by the LEA for the school year, as of October 1 of the school year, selected from the error prone applications; or
- 3,000 error prone applications approved by the LEA for the school year, as of October 1 of the school year.
Alternate Sample Sizes Available to Qualified LEAs
Alternate I – Sample
size equals the lesser of:
- Three percent of all applications approved by the LEA for the school year, as of October 1, selected at random; or
- 3,000 applications approved by the LEA for the school year, as of October 1, selected at random.
Alternate II – Sample
size equals the lesser of the sum of either:
- 1,000 of all applications approved by the LEA, as of October 1, selected from error prone applications; or
- One percent of all applications approved by the LEA, as of October 1, selected from error prone applications; PLUS
- 500 applications approved by the LEA, as of October 1, which provide case numbers in lieu of income information; or
- One-half of one percent (0.05 %) of applications approved by the LEA, as of October 1, that provide case numbers in lieu of income information.
Qualifying to Use an Alternate Sample Size:
There are two ways an LEA may annually qualify
to use an alternate sample size based on lowered non-response rates.
• Lowered
Non-Response Rate [7 CFR 245.6a(d)(2)]: Any LEA may use an alternate sample
size for any school year when its non-response rate for the preceding school
year was less than 20 percent. For example, for SY 2021-2022, an LEA could have
used an alternate sample size if in SY 2020-2021 the LEA’s non-response rate
was 18 percent.
• Improved Non-Response Rate [7 CFR
245.6a(d)(3)]: An LEA with more than 20,000 children approved by application as
eligible, as of October 1 of the school year, may use an alternate sample size
for any school year when its non-response rate for the preceding school year
was at least 10 percent below the non-response rate for the second preceding
school year.
Additional
information on the sampling methods may be found in the Eligibility Manual for School
Meals Determining and Verifying Eligibility Eligibility Manual for School Meals (arkansas.gov)
located on the Division of Elementary and
Secondary Education, Child Nutrition Unit webpage.
Attachments:
Alternative Sampling Method Request Form
2021-22 Required Standard Sampling List