State CN Agencies and Local Education Agencies (Directors and Key Staff) - SLT

OMB Approval No. 0584-####

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Appendix E1: Email to Notify States Agencies of Selected LEAs

Dear [STATE DIRECTOR NAME],

You recently completed an online survey for the FNS Evaluation of the Independent Review Process (“IRA Study”) requirement for school meals, also known as the second review of applications. For the next phase of the study, we want to understand the independent review of applications (IRA) process from the LEA perspective. We are writing to ask for your assistance in notifying these LEAs.

We have selected LEAs across the country to participate in telephone interviews. We will contact the LEA Directors for these interviews, and they may invite 1-2 key staff to join. We will then ask a subsample of these LEAs to provide us with a sample of two, nonconsecutive years of household applications for school meal programs.

The following LEA(s) in your State [has/have] been selected to participate in a telephone interview:

• [LEA1]

• [LEA2]

• Etc.

The following LEA(s) in your State [has/have] been selected to participate in a telephone interview and to provide household applications:

• [LEA1]

• [LEA2]

• Etc.

We attached to this email two versions of a letter that we would like your office to send to the LEAs listed above to encourage them to participate. One letter is for the LEAs participating only in interviews, and the other is for those LEAs participating in interviews and providing household applications. LEAs are often more willing to participate if the State demonstrates support for the study, which is why we would greatly appreciate it if you would send the appropriate letter to the LEAs identified above.

The Westat Study Team will send a study notification letter to the LEAs the week of [DATE].

If you have any questions about the study, please email us at [study email] or call us toll-free at [study phone number].

Thank you for your support of this important study.

Sincerely,

The Westat Study Team

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-XXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 3 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.