Food and Nutrition Programs

School Meals Communication Plan for School Year 2026-2027

To:	School Food Authorities
From:	Robert M. Leshin, Director, Office for Food and Nutrition Programs
Date:	May 27, 2026

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office for Food and Nutrition Programs (FNP) aim to clearly support Child Nutrition Program operators through consistent communication and shared best practices. FNP offers various learning opportunities for School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating all Child Nutrition Programs. Register for Tuesdays at 2 to stay informed and connected.

Tuesdays at 2

Cadence	Product	Description
1st Tuesday	Fueling the Commonwealth Newsletter	Short articles summarizing current events including changes in federal/ state requirements; current grant opportunities; and notable dates. Previous issues of the newsletter .
2nd Tuesday	Town Hall for School Meal Programs	FNP Leadership presents current events and answers questions live from attendees.
3rd Tuesday	Office Hours for School Meal Program Operators	FNP topic experts are available to review current tasks on your to-do list, answer questions specific to your SFA and provide a space for targeted group discussions in breakout rooms.
4th Tuesday	School Meals — Special Topics	There are specialized training topics that apply to small groups of SFAs operating in MA. Throughout the year we will offer targeted training on these "Special Topics". Invitations will be directly sent to the targeted district.

DESE as a Partner — In Person Workshops

These workshops are project based and provide an opportunity to network with members of FNP and other School Nutrition Professionals who have shared goals.

Regional Collaborations

New this year is the option for DESE to come to you for an in-person workshop! The workshops are available on request and will be offered on Thursdays from 10:00am–1:00pm. Workshops are available at no cost.

DESE will conduct a workshop at a host school
Must have a commitment from at least three Food Service Directors to book
Training Topics for Regional Requests include Cycle Menu Workshop — Participants will be led through an activity of building a cycle menu! Hands on support will make your goal of having a cycle menu a reality.

Workshop Thursdays

All events are at no cost, and most are held at DESE's Office, 135 Santilli Highway, Everett.
There is ample parking available along with a cafeteria with working space for those who wish to avoid traveling in high traffic times.
Public Wi-Fi will be available, and bringing your own laptops is encouraged.

Request Registration for individual events:

October 29^th School Breakfast Program: Open to any district looking to get a refresher on the breakfast meal pattern, learn strategies to optimize breakfast meal service, and learn how to identify lower sugar breakfast products and recipes.
November TBD Farm to School: Open to any district or CACFP operator interested in farm to school and food literacy.
January 28^th Cycle Menus and Production Records: Open to any district interested in starting cycle menus and wanting to use their production records as a tool for kitchen efficiencies.
February 25^th Investing in Your School Meal Program: Open to any district who has excess funds and looking on how to reinvest them in your school meal program.
March 4^th USDA Foods Entitlement Orders: Open to any district who would like support making entitlement selections and entering orders into the security portal.
April 29^th, New to District Orientation: Open to any Food Service Director or Business Manager who is new to their role or changed districts in the past 5 years.

Nuts and Bolts of School Nutrition Programs

Summer Nuts and Bolts of School Nutrition Programs
The Warren Conference Center, 529 Chestnut St, Ashland, MA 01721
August 4th & 5th 7:30am–3:15pm

The Nuts & Bolts of School Nutrition Programs 2025 Summer Conference provides an opportunity for School Nutrition Directors, Assistant Directors, and Business Managers to gather with Educational Specialists at DESE to network and learn about core regulatory concepts in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. This year's conference has a strong focus on the future of school meals and orienting participants to resources that can help them make decisions to optimize their compliant program operations. Networking opportunities will be structured into the day to allow participants to connect with fellow School Nutrition Professionals, DESE staff and partners. There is a cost to register as Breakfast and Lunch will be provided. Agenda Includes:
August 4^th: Administration and Finance
August 5^th: Nutrition and Operations

Nuts and Bolts of School Nutrition Programs OnDemand
Compliance-Focused eLearning

Through our partnership with the John C Stalker Institute, we are expanding and improving our eLearning catalog on program compliance, outlined below. We have a growing suite of courses in Nuts and Bolts of School Nutrition Programs On-Demand. These courses have been created for use by a variety of roles in School Nutrition Programs. You can sort for courses that are targeted at School Nutrition Directors vs Front Line staff. These courses will be available in the Training Toolbox to make documenting professional standards easy. New and updated courses will be released every August and January so stay tuned for future releases.

Nutrition:

Introduction to Child Nutrition Program Meal Patterns
- New Afterschool and At-Risk Snack Program and Meal Pattern
- Food Component: Fruit
- Food Component: Fluid Milk
- Food Components: Vegetables
- New Guide to Operating the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
Division of Responsibility with Meal Modifications
- Communicating Modified Meals to Families
- Ensuring Dietary Inclusivity for Religious Observance
New Understanding Religious Dietary Needs
- New Implementing a Meal Pattern Flexibility for Religious Reasons

Administration:

Civil Rights in Child Nutrition Programs
Introduction to CEP
- CEP Application Process
- Completing the April Report
Guide to Operating the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
Operating the Summer Food Service Program

Operations:

Introduction to USDA Foods
- USDA Foods: Brown Box Entitlement
  - USDA Foods: Ordering Brown Box from the Warehouse
- USDA Foods: Planning Entitlement for Processing and Diversion
- USDA Foods: DoD Entitlement (USDA Foods: Planning Your DoD Fresh Entitlement and FFAVORS)
- USDA Foods in Disaster, Emergency, and Situations of Distress
Food Safety Series: Introduction to Food Safety
- Food Safety Series: Cross Contamination
- Food Safety Series: Time & Temperature
- Food Allergies in Schools (also available in Spanish)
Introduction to Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs
- Informal Procurement
- Introduction to Local Foods in CACFP
- Buy American Provision

New Compliance Support

Throughout the school year systemic issues and questions around compliance can come up for districts. DESE will be available to provide targeted training and technical assistance on how to apply compliance requirements uniquely in your district. Virtual pre-work and reading will be required.

Requests for individual or district team in person support can be made at any time by emailing Denise.Courtney@mass.gov . DESE will coordinate to host district staff at the Everett office or at other locations as available. There is some limited availability for these sessions and registration will be accepted on a first come first served basis.

For any questions related to these resources please contact Denise Courtney at 781-338-6467 or by email at Denise.Courtney@mass.gov . You will receive confirmation of your registration via email and will be prompted to save the events in an electronic calendar for easy access to login.

Last Updated: May 27, 2026