Food and Nutrition Programs

Permanent Agreements for the Child Nutrition Program Sponsors

All Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), Sponsoring Organizations (SOs), and Institutions that participate in the federally funded Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) must have a Permanent Agreement (Agreement) for all programs they administer in accordance with 7 CFR Part 210, 215, 220, 225, 226, and 250.

This Agreement meets the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) requirement for the State Agency (SA) to provide each LEA, SO or Institution with an Agreement when a SA administers any combination of CNPs. The LEA, SO or Institution agrees to administer the CNPs approved in this Agreement in accordance with federal regulations including policy and instructions issued by the USDA and SA.

A paper version of this Agreement was signed when your organization began operating CNPs and periodically, when regulations change, the Agreement must be updated. The Agreement will now be an electronic document and maintained in the DESE security portal. This updated Agreement replaces all previous versions of Agreements with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office for Food and Nutrition Programs (FNP) for each CNP. The Agreement can be found by navigating to "Nutrition School Lunch" upon entering the DESE security portal. The "Permanent Agreement" heading is in the "Applications" section of each respective CNP operated by the LEA or SO. A designated official with signatory authority must review the agreement, check the certification box, save, and submit. For LEAs, SOs and Institutions operating multiple CNPs, the process need only be completed once.

For the purposes of this Agreement, any mention of LEA references the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) while any mention of SO or Institution references the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

The Agreement is now available for certification by the LEA's, SO's or Institution's signatory and must be certified to continue operating CNPs. Failure to complete this requirement determines the LEA, SO or Institution to be non-compliant with USDA regulations and payment of claims for reimbursement may be withheld.

If you have questions about this or other requirements of Child Nutrition Programs, contact your DESE consultant or our main office at nutrition@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-6480.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.