Administrative Reviews

National School Lunch Program Administrative Review Process

Program integrity is an essential aspect of administering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). The New Mexico Public Education Department contributes to the Program integrity by conducting Administrative Reviews (AR) of school food authorities (SFAs) in accordance with Federal and State regulations to ensure NSLP and SBP requirements are met.

The AR process provides a comprehensive evaluation of school nutrition programs. The AR process covers critical and general areas that are thoroughly monitored by pre-visit and post visit procedures. The four key components of an administrative review are:

• Performance Standard 1 – Meal Access and Reimbursement
• Performance Standard 2 – Meal Pattern and Nutritional Quality
• Resource Management
• General Program Compliance
• Other Federal Nutritional Program Reviews such as; Afterschool Snack Program; Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program; Seamless Summer Option.

Administrative Review Results Summary

Transparency Requirements

Section 207 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) amended Section 22 of the National School Lunch Act (NLSA) (42 U.S.C.1769c). The amendment focused on increased accountability through more frequent and detailed reviews of school meal programs, publicly reporting the results of the reviews in a transparent manner that includes a format that is easily understood by the public, and a focus on compliance to ensure compliance with nutritional standards and the appropriate distribution of school meals.

The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) is required to post a summary of the most recent final administrative review results for each School Food Authority (SFA) (school districts, charter schools, private schools, parochial schools, and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools) participating in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) school meal program, on the NMPED’s website.

The results summary must include access and reimbursement (including eligibility and certification review results), and SFA’s compliance with the meal pattern and the nutritional quality of school meals, the results of the review of the school nutrition environment (including food safety, local school wellness policy, and competitive foods), compliance related to civil rights, and general program participation.

The NMPED must post the results summary no later than 30 days after the PED provides the final results of the administrative review to the SFA. The results summary must remain available until a more recent results summary becomes available.

For additional information regarding administrative review results summary, see USDA memo SP 56-2016.

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NOTICE OF RIGHT TO INSPECT PUBLIC RECORDS

The PED must also make a copy of the final administrative review report available to the public upon request. The final administrative review report can be requested through the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA). The request for the final administrative report must be submitted to PED’s Public Information Office.

The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) follows procedures contained in the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (NMSA 1978, Chapter 14, Article 2). By law, under the Inspection of Public Records Act, every person has the right to inspect public records of the PED. The Act also makes compliance with requests to inspect public records an integral part of the routine duties of the employees of the PED. This provides notice of the public’s right to inspect public records.

School Year 2024-25 AR Reports

Webinar- Coylar Administrative Review Training

AR Appeal Process

School Nutrition Complaint Form

PED-RFP, 24-92400-00001, SSWB Administrative Review Software (Final)

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