Tennessee DOE trains school nutrition staff on accommodating students with disabilities, highlights new milk substitute and medical-statement policies

Trista Snider, Northwest Regional Nutrition Consultant for the Tennessee Department of Education’s School Nutrition Program, led an online training for school nutrition staff on how to accommodate students with disabilities in school meal programs and on recent policy changes affecting milk substitutes and medical-statement authority.

Snider opened by defining disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and advising that diet restrictions related to bodily functions (digestive, bowel, endocrine) can qualify as disabilities requiring reasonable accommodations. She told attendees that SFAs should not delay providing accommodations while collecting documentation and recommended a team approach — including 504 teams, school nurses, and nutrition staff — to implement safe, confidential processes. “If this happens, it's really important that you contact the parent or guardian immediately and get as much information as possible so that you can start the request,” she…