The purpose of this memorandum is to provide updated guidance on the child nutrition program flexibilities available during unanticipated school closures. Schools may face unanticipated closures due to natural disasters, unscheduled major building repairs, court orders relating to school safety or other issues, labor-management disputes, or, when approved by the state agency, a similar cause.
The FNS Southwest Regional Office convened a state workgroup comprised of seven state agencies with recent disaster experience to discuss concerns and best practices regarding D-SNAP implementation, program integrity, and program access.
In a continuous effort to provide state agencies with opportunities for greater flexibility, FNS will provide longer approval periods for the administrative waivers listed below as these waivers have been shown to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of SNAP operations.