SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today issued the following statement in response to plans announced by Governor Gavin Newsom to fully reopen California’s economy by June 15 if vaccine supply remains sufficient and hospitalization rates stay low. Under these conditions outlined today
, the Governor stated that schools should plan to conduct full-time, in-person instruction in the fall, in compliance with Cal/OSHA emergency temporary standards and public health guidelines.
“I share Governor Newsom’s optimism that as conditions continue to improve—and as all Californians continue common sense measures such as continuing to wear a mask and getting vaccinated—there is a clear pathway to a safe and full return to in-person teaching and learning this fall.
“To support school districts as they continue to welcome more and more students back to campuses, the California Department of Education (CDE) has spent recent weeks connecting school leaders to the best strategies and resources to implement the layered safety measures public health experts encourage—such as rapid COVID-19 testing and proper ventilation—that will facilitate a safe and sustainable return to in-person learning for students, school staff, teachers, and their families.
“We must prepare for the possibility that there will be some families who cannot or may choose not to send their students back to school campuses this fall, and schools may need the flexibility to offer some form of remote learning. I look forward to engaging with the Governor’s Office and lawmakers on next steps that are designed to ensure we are meeting the health, safety, and learning needs of every California student.
“While we are encouraged by the improving conditions, we must also continue to proceed with caution and with a continued focus on science and safety. There are still many unknowns about the COVID-19 variants that public health officials are monitoring and have observed spreading among some youth. Additionally, I am heartened by the early research on vaccine effectiveness in adolescents and am hopeful more of our youth will be able to get vaccinated in the months ahead.
“Returning to in-person instruction must include an urgent focus on addressing opportunity gaps experienced most among students who were already at a disadvantage before the pandemic disrupted learning. I have convened state leaders, equity groups, superintendents, school employee groups, and other partners to better understand and identify ways we can support the immediate and long-term academic needs of our students, as well as strategies for prioritizing relationships, addressing trauma, and supporting social emotional wellness. At my direction, this working group will be making recommendations to school districts as they finalize plans for this critical next phase of public education.”# # # #
Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
The California Department of Education Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Community Nutrition Programs Unit (CNPU) is pleased to announce that the 2021 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) annual online Mandatory Training is now available.
Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, sections 225.7(a) and 225.15(d)(1), requires all participating sponsors to annually attend state agency training and to train all administrative staff and site staff before they undertake their responsibilities. This training requirement must be met by all current, new, or returning SFSP sponsors by the SFSP Application deadline of May 15th or 30 days prior to the first day of service (in the case of new or inactive sponsors), whichever comes first.
The 2021 Mandatory Training is a two-part training consisting of 11 independent courses and a separate Mandatory Training Assessment.
SFSP Mandatory Training Courses Part 1
Sponsors will be required to designate a supervisory personnel staff member or authorized representative responsible for the food service to complete the 11 individual online trainings which cover SFSP regulations, how to run a successful summer program, and best practices for operating meal sites. This training is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service 2016 SFSP Administration Guide. Please note that the Administration Guide has not been updated to include current information on program thresholds and policy rescissions. To review current policy and regulations, please visit the CDE Summer Food Management Bulletin web page.
In addition to the 11 training courses, sponsors are required to review and follow - all existing and new regulations and policies pertaining to their program operations, which are located on the following web pages:
- CDE Summer Food Management Bulletin web page
- USDA Policy Memorandum web page
- Covid-19 Guidance in the Child Nutrition Program – SFSP web page
- CDE SFSP Information web page
The required course work for the SFSP Mandatory Training is available on the SFSP Information web page under the training tab. The course list is as follows:
- Course 6 SFSP Program Eligibility
- Course 7 SFSP Sponsor and Site Identification
- Course 8 SFSP Sponsor Application
- Course 9 SFSP Meal Requirements
- Course 10 SFSP Vending Options
- Course 11 SFSP Procurement and Bid Procedures
- Course 12 SFSP Staff Duties and Training
- Course 13 SFSP Program Integrity
- Course 14 SFSP Program Costs and Reimbursement
- Course 15 SFSP Recordkeeping
- Course 16 SFSP Food Safety
Certificates of completion will be available to print after successfully completing each course. Sponsors are also welcome to record their certificates of completion through screen captures. Please note that you must select Submit after printing or capturing your certificate of completion. If you do not submit the survey, we may receive incomplete data with which to verify completion of courses. Sponsors will be required to upload their designated supervisory personnel staff member or authorized representative’s certificates of completion for each of these trainings into their Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) Application Packet. Please submit certificates under the Meal Pattern checklist item for consistency. After successfully viewing and submitting all required certificates of completion, CNPU analysts will verify course completions and provide sponsors access to the second training component: the SFSP Mandatory Training Assessment. Sponsors are encouraged to notify their assigned CNPU analyst of course completion only after all 11 courses have been completed.
To review how to submit checklist items, please review the job aid instructions included in the CNIPS. These can be found on the Download Forms page, Form ID SFSP Job Aid 2 Application Packet. Checklist item instructions begin on page 45, Checklist Summary. Please submit your certificates under the Meal Pattern checklist item for consistency.
Mandatory Training Assessment Part 2
The SFSP Mandatory Training Assessment consists of 30 scored questions based on the content covered in the 11 courses. All questions must be answered. A score of 80 percent or more must be achieved to move on to the final certificate of completion. Sponsors that do not meet this minimum score will be notified to return to their course material and to take the assessment again until a passing score is achieved.
For your convenience, A 2021 Mandatory Training—Step by Step “How To” guide on completing the training is available on the SFSP CNIPS Download Forms section as Form ID SFSP Job Aid 8.
Contact Information
For questions regarding this subject, please contact the NSD CNPU by email at SFSP@cde.ca.gov.