Accommodations
Academy Nutrition Services
Special Diet Accommodations FAQ Sheet
Nutrition Overview
John Adams Academy strives to offer healthy, well-balanced meals that are required to meet the strict nutritional guidelines and standards for the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs governed by the USDA. Scholars must select at least 3 components from the 5 offered components to comprise a reimbursable lunch; meat/protein, grain, milk, fruit, and vegetable. At breakfast, scholars must select 3 out of the 4 components.
1. Who is eligible to receive a special diet accommodation?
John Adams Academy (JAA) is dedicated to meeting the nutritional needs of its scholars, including scholars with documented medical disabilities. USDA regulations require that substitutions or modifications be made in school meals for children whose disabilities restrict their diets when that need is certified by a licensed healthcare professional. Under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 a “person with a disability” means any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.” The term “physical or mental impairment” includes many conditions including but not limited to: Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Diabetes, Food Anaphylaxis (severe food allergy), Heart Disease, and Phenylketonuria (PKU). The licensed healthcare professional who completes the “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form needs to indicate if a child’s medical condition is considered a disability.
A “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form is only needed when a menu needs to be modified or substituted and the scholar is planning on eating school meals. A form does not need to be completed if the scholar is not planning on eating school meals, but there is a food allergy concern.
Families wanting to manage diabetes, food allergies, etc., without submitting a “Medical Statement” form, may view information regarding nutrition, carbohydrate content, and major food allergies by contacting their campus health aide/school nurse.
It is your choice whether or not to have the “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form completed. However, once this form is approved, we must follow the licensed healthcare professional’s orders to the full extent until the physician indicates otherwise.
No. In order for meal substitutions or modifications to be made, there must be a medical reason documented by a licensed healthcare professional. There are 2 sections on the “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form that must be completed. Part I is to be completed by the parent or guardian. Part II is to be completed and signed by a licensed healthcare professional. Any forms not completed and signed by a licensed healthcare professional will be returned to the parent or guardian to be signed.
In the state of California, a state licensed healthcare professional is a licensed physician, a physician assistant, or a nurse practitioner.
A current “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form is available on our website under FAMILIES on the navigation bar across the page. Parents/legal guardians can also obtain a copy from the front desk at their scholar’s campus.
Submit this form by:
- Email: [email protected]
- Mail: Academy Nutrition Services, 1 Sierra Gate Plaza, Roseville, CA 95678 Attn: Karen Hansen
You may submit this form to the school nurse, front office, or cafeteria manager, but doing so may delay the processing of your request.
It is not necessary to provide a new form every school year if there are no dietary updates or changes. It is necessary to provide a new form if the licensed healthcare professional marks the “This diet order is Temporary” box on the “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form.
No. The licensed healthcare professional completing the “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form must include the specific diet information that your child needs to follow for school meals.
A new “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form is required to make any changes to a scholar’s current diet order. Diets can be cancelled by parents in writing, which could include an email to [email protected]. Any modifications to the diet order must come from a licensed healthcare professional. Once a special diet order is cancelled by a parent, a new “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form, completed and signed by a licensed healthcare professional, will be required before the diet can be reinstated.
We can accommodate medical disabilities that require the avoidance of dairy; however, we do not provide milk substitutes. Scholars are not required to take milk as part of their meal. Therefore, those scholars who need to avoid dairy can simply decline the milk portion of their meal while still choosing three items from the fruit, vegetable, grain, and meat/meat alternate groups. Scholars have access to water (drinking fountain or cup) every day in the cafeteria to drink with their meals. Water bottles will not be an available substitute for milk. According to USDA regulations, juice is not a nutritionally equivalent beverage for milk and therefore cannot be provided as a substitution in a meal.
We cannot store outside food in the cafeteria. There are many factors that affect this including food storage space, food safety, and cross-contamination issues.
No. While it is not possible to guarantee a “peanut-free” or “nut-free” school, designating areas in the cafeteria “peanut safe” or “nut safe” is reasonable and appropriate. Please keep in mind there are no restrictions on the products other scholars can bring in their lunches from home and JAA is not responsible for ensuring lunches brought from home are peanut free.
Special diets often come with added time, effort, and costs to JAA. It is important for parents to communicate with the cafeteria manager. Parents can email the cafeteria manager directly prior to breakfast and lunch meal service: [email protected], LIN.cafeteria@johnadamsacademy.org, [email protected]. Calling in an absence to the school front office is not sufficient as the office does not advise the cafeteria of absences.
Once JAA has a completed “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form on file, it can take 10-15 business days for a diet to become available at the scholar’s campus. This gives Nutrition Services time to modify menus that meet the child’s needs, ensure that the appropriate foods are available, and instruct cafeteria managers & staff in regards to each special diet. Parents are encouraged to review with their child the approved special diet menu.
PLEASE NOTE: John Adams Academy cannot guarantee a fully allergen-free cafeteria or school environment due to several factors including scholars and staff bringing meals from home. If your child has a severe allergy, it is important to communicate with his/her school nurse, cafeteria manager, and appropriate school staff.
For questions about the “Medical Statement for Special Dietary Accommodations” form or special diets in general, please contact [email protected].