B-8. SFA Study Notification E-Letter

APPENDIX B-8. SFA STUDY NOTIFICATION E-LETTER

OMB Number: 0584-NEW

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Dear [SFA CONTACT NAME],

This letter serves as notification that [STATE] has been selected to participate in the Evaluation of the School Meal Data Collection Process (“School Meal Forms Study”), and your School Food Authority (SFA) has been selected as one of ten SFAs in the State that will be visited for this study. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has contracted with Westat, Inc. to help conduct the study to understand the data collection process for three FNS school meal program forms: the FNS-10 Report of School Program Operations, FNS-742 School Food Authority Verification Collection Report, and FNS-834 State Agency (NSLP/SNAP) Direct Certification Rate Data Element Report forms. Additional information on the study can be found in the attached FAQ document.

We would like to schedule an on-site interview with you between [DATE-DATE]. The interview questions will address how the SFA collects and submits data on school meal counts, how the SFA reports the results of the free and reduced price certification and verification process, and suggestions you have to improve the reporting process. The School Meal Forms Study is a research study, not an audit or review. The thoughts and opinions that you share during our discussion will be kept private.

Next Steps

We will contact you within the next few days to answer any questions you may have, and confirm your participation. If you feel that one of your colleagues is better positioned to answer one of the interview topics noted above, we are happy to include them in the interview. This study also includes interviews with the School Food Managers. The research team will request your guidance on how to reach out to up to three schools within your SFA to better understand data collection at the school-level.

Participation in this study is voluntary. Be assured that there will be no penalties if you decide not to respond, either to the information collection as a whole or to any particular questions. The information you provide will be kept private and will not be maintained or disclosed in identifiable form to anyone outside the research team or except as otherwise required by law.

Please feel free to contact the Project Director, Allison Roeser at [study phone number] or via email at [insert study email address] if you have any additional questions. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE]

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Attachment:

1. Frequently Asked Questions document

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-NEW. The time required for the School Food Authority to provide this information collection is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the collection of information.

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