On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a final rule for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) on development and implementation of direct certification continuous improvement plans. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 required states to directly certify 95 percent of eligible students for free or reduced meals by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. The law also required states that fail to reach this benchmark to develop continuous improvement plans. The final rule published last week defines what information must be included in the continuous improvement plan, sets guidelines for implementation of the plan by states and establishes a timeline for development of a continuous improvement plan upon notification from USDA that the state failed to reach the benchmark. The final regulation is also intended to improve the accuracy of state certification rates and improve the direct certification process by making the direct certification methodology more transparent and adjusting how the state direct certification rates are collected. The rule is effective starting March 25, 2013.

 Link: Final Rule