Updated August 24, 2004

It's Now Easier for School Districts to Reduce Paperwork
and Streamline School Meal Service

On Wednesday, June 30, 2004, President Bush signed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 into law (Public Law 108-265). One important provision of the Act allows school districts and groups of schools, in addition to individual schools, to operate under special school meal provisions that allow them to reduce their paperwork requirements and streamline school meal service.

"Provision 2" and "Provision 3" are options in the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program for schools to reduce paperwork and simplify the logistics of operating school meal programs. Before the Act was passed, school districts were required to operate Provision 2 or 3 independently in each school. The act now allows school districts to operate Provision 2 or 3 districtwide or for groups of schools, further simplifying the administration of school meal programs:

• Provision 2 or 3 schools, groups of schools or school districts do not collect and process school meals applications, keep track of meal categories, or conduct income verifications for at least three out of every four years.
  
  
• In exchange for this paperwork reduction, schools, groups of schools or school districts that opt for Provision 2 or 3 serve meals to all students at no charge.
  
  
• With all students allowed to have school meals at no charge, Provision 2 or 3 schools, groups of schools or school districts generally see significant increases in school meal participation.
  
  
• Provision 2 or 3 schools, groups of schools or school districts pay the difference between the cost of serving meals at no charge to all students and the federal reimbursements they receive for the meals.
  
  
• The economies of scale from serving more meals and the administrative streamlining of Provision 2 or 3 mentioned above help offset any cost differentials.

Schools, groups of schools or school districts with high percentages of students eligible for free or reduced price school meals are the most likely to succeed with Provision 2 or 3. Schools that have implemented Provision 2 or 3 have found that they can offset cost differentials with as few as 60 to 75 percent of students eligible for free or reduced price school meals.

Any school, group of schools or school district that participates in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program may opt for Provision 2 or 3. Even those without high percentages of students eligible for free or reduced price school meals may decide to opt for Provision 2 or 3 in order to improve the diets and academic performance of their students.

Click here for guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on this of expansion of Provisions 2 and 3 districtwide (PDF file).

Click here for more information about Provision 2 (PDF file).

Click here for more information about the School Breakfast Program.

Click here for more information about the National School Lunch Program.

Click here for highlights of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.

Click here to return to FRAC's Child Nutrition Reauthorization Implementation website.

Factsheets on Child Nutrition Programs School Breakfast  |  School Lunch  |  Afterschool  |  Summer Food Women, Infants, and Children  |  Child and Adult Care Food Program

Prepared by the Food Research & Action Center, 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009; 202-986-2200; www.frac.org