Beginning July 1 school nutrition program directors will be required to meet new hiring standards as a result of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent ruling establishing national professional standards for all school nutrition employees.
The final rule establishes reasonable, minimum hiring standards for school nutrition directors based on district size. School staff currently completing these functions are grandfathered. This rule is for new staff only.
The Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition Services Team currently offer several training opportunities to help food service staff meet the new requirements including the “Back to Basics” workshop held in the fall. Discounts will be given for this workshop for new school nutrition program directors and any training attended on or after April 1 will count towards the annual professional standards requirements for SY 2016. Training opportunities can be found on the Maine DOE professional development calendar at http://www.maine.gov/doe/calendar/.
For more information or technical assistance related to the new federal requirements, please contact Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition Specialist Walter Beesley at walter.beesley@maine.gov or 624-6843.