[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73582-73584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30667]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 29, 2011 / 
Notices  

[[Page 73582]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Community Eligibility Option Evaluation

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new 
information collection for the Community Eligibility Option Evaluation.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by January 30, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions that were used; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. Comments may be sent to: John 
Endahl, Senior Program Analyst, Office of Research and Analysis, Food 
and Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1004, 
Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the 
attention of John Endahl at (703) 305-2576 or via email to 
[email protected]. Comments will also be accepted through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov, and 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans, 
contact John Endahl, Senior Program Analyst, Office of Research and 
Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service/USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
1004, Alexandria, VA 22302; Fax: (703) 305-2576; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Community Eligibility Option Evaluation.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date of Approval: Not yet determined.
    Type of Information Collection Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (the 
Act) of 2010 provides the Community Eligibility Option (the CE Option) 
for Local Educational Authorities (LEAs) and schools, as an alternative 
to household applications for Free or Reduced Price meals. Under the CE 
Option, families are not required to submit applications for free or 
reduced-price meals, and schools are required to provide free meals to 
all students. The Act sets a reimbursement formula based on the 
percentage of students directly certified or otherwise approved without 
application (the Identified Student Percentage or ISP). The potential 
benefits are that more students participate, meals are more nutritious, 
and LEAs may experience reductions in administrative burden and errors. 
In order to understand how the CE Option is implemented, incentives and 
barriers for LEAs and schools, as well as the impacts on LEAs, schools 
and children, Congress has mandated that FNS conduct an evaluation of 
the CE Option. The objectives of the study are:
     To estimate the number of eligible LEAs and schools that 
do not choose the CE Option;
     To assess the barriers to participation in the CE Option 
in non-participating but eligible LEAs and schools;
     To describe the LEAs and schools participating in the CE 
Option;
     To examine the impacts of the CE Option on (1) Program 
integrity, (2) availability of School Breakfast Program, (3) 
nutritional quality of meals, (4) program participation by students, 
(5) program administration, (6) foodservice revenues and costs; and
     To provide input to FNS deliberations about the key 
parameters for the CE Option: The multiplier for determining the 
percentage of meals reimbursed at the free rate (currently 1.6 times 
the ISP) and the threshold value of the ISP for determining eligibility 
to implement the option.
    The activities to be undertaken subject to this notice include:
     Interviews with State Child Nutrition (CN) Directors, LEA 
Foodservice Directors, School Cafeteria Managers, and School 
Administrators
     Telephone Survey of State CN Directors
     Web based Implementation Survey of LEA Foodservice 
Directors (participating, eligible non-participating, and near 
eligible)
     Participation, Enrollment, Attendance, and Revenue Web 
Survey of LEA Foodservice Directors
     Pre-visit LEA Foodservice Director Questionnaire
     Pre-visit School Information Questionnaire (School 
Cafeteria Managers)
     Menu Survey
     Data abstraction from certification records
     Cashier observations
     Meal counts and claims review
    Affected Public: State and Local Governments.
    Type of Respondents: 51 State CN Directors, 1400 LEA Foodservice 
Directors, 353 School Cafeteria Managers, and 125 School 
Administrators.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 1,929.
    Frequency of Response: Each instrument will be administered once to 
each respondent with two exceptions. State CN Directors in seven of 
eleven States will be interviewed twice over the course of the study 
(once annually);

[[Page 73583]]

State CN directors in four States will be interviewed once. School 
cafeteria managers will complete the Menu Survey on each day of the 
five-day site visit.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 4,300.
    Estimate of Time per Respondent and Annual Burden: Public reporting 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 
forty-five (45) minutes per State CN Director interview, ninety (90) 
minutes per LEA Foodservice Director interview, thirty (30) minutes per 
School Cafeteria Manager interview, and forty-five (45) minutes per 
School Administrator interview. Reporting burden is estimated at twenty 
(20) minutes per State CN Director telephone survey. Reporting burden 
is estimated at twenty-five (25) minutes per completed implementation 
web survey for the LEA Foodservice Directors and one hundred seventy 
(170) minutes per completed Participation, Enrollment, Attendance, and 
Revenue web survey for LEA Foodservice Directors. The reporting burden 
is estimated at ten (10) minutes per completed LEA Foodservice Director 
pre-visit questionnaire and fifteen (15) minutes per completed School 
Cafeteria Manager pre-visit questionnaire. Estimated reporting burden 
for Menu Surveys is forty-five (45) minutes per complete. The burden 
for the Data Abstraction Form/Certification Record Review Form is 
estimated at thirty (30) minutes per completed form and the Meal 
Counting and Claiming Review Form is estimated at forty-five (45) 
minutes per completed form. Estimated burden for the Meal and Cashier 
Observation form is 10 minutes per completed form. The initial sample 
in the School Community Eligibility Study includes 51 State CN 
Directors (with 11 completing interviews and survey, plus 40 completing 
survey only), 1,400 LEA Foodservice Directors, 353 School Cafeteria 
Managers, and 125 School Administrators. We expect responses from 45 
State CN Directors, 1,120 LEA Foodservice Directors, 318 School 
Cafeteria Managers, and 100 School Administrators. The annual reporting 
burden is estimated at 2,573.5 hours (see table below).

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                                                                                                                         Average burden
                                                                            Estimated     Frequency of      Estimated       hours per      Total annual
    Data collection activity         Respondents                            number of       response      total annual    response  (in  burden estimate
                                                                           respondents                      reponses         hours)         (in hours)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Implementation Study Interviews  State CN Director.  Completed.........              11      1 to 2 \1\              18            0.75             13.5
 (telephone).
                                                     Attempted.........               0               2               0            0.05              0
State Survey (telephone).......  State CN Director.  Completed.........              45               1              45            0.33             15.0
                                                     Attempted.........               6               1               6            0.05              0.3
Implementation Web Survey......  LEA Foodservice     Completed.........           1,120               1           1,120            0.42            470.4
                                  Directors.
                                                     Attempted.........             280               1             280            0.05             14.0
Participation, Enrollment,       LEA Foodservice     Completed.........             240               1             240            2.83            679.2
 Attendance and Revenue Web       Directors.
 Survey.
                                                     Attempted.........              60               1              60            0.05              3.0
Pre-visit LEA Questionnaire....  LEA Foodservice     Completed.........             106               1             106            0.17             18.0
                                  Directors.
                                                     Attempted.........              27               1              27            0.05              1.4
Interviews.....................  LEA Foodservice     Completed.........             106               1             106            1.50            159.0
                                  Directors.
                                                     Attempted.........              27               1              27            0.05              1.4
                                 School Cafeteria    Completed.........             318               1             318             0.5            159.0
                                  Managers.
                                                     Attempted.........              35               1              35            0.05              1.8
                                 School              Completed.........             100               1             100            0.75             75.0
                                  Administrators.
                                                     Attempted.........              25               1              25            0.05              1.3
Data Abstraction Form/           LEA Foodservice     Completed.........             106               3             318            0.50            159.0
 Certification Record Review      Directors.
 Form.
                                                     Attempted.........               0               1               0            0.05              0
Pre-visit School Information     School Cafeteria    Completed.........             156               1             156            0.25             39.0
 Questionnaire.                   Managers.
                                                     Attempted.........              39               1              39            0.05              2.0
Menu Survey Booklet............  School Cafeteria    Completed.........             156               5             780            0.75            585.0
                                  Managers.
                                                     Attempted.........              39               1              39            0.05              2.0
Meal and Cashier Observation     School Cafeteria    Completed.........             156               1             156            0.17             26.5
 Form.                            Managers.
                                                     Attempted.........              39               1              39            0.05              2.0
Meal Counting and Claiming       School Cafeteria    Completed.........             156               1             156            0.75            117.0
 Review Form (School).            Managers.
                                                     Attempted.........              39               1              39            0.05              2.0
Meal Counting and Claiming       LEA Foodservice     Completed.........              52               1              52            0.50             26.0
 Review Form (LEA).               Directors.
                                                     Attempted.........              13               1              13            0.05              0.7
    Total......................  ..................  ..................           3,457               -           4,300            0.60           2573.5
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\1\ Seven States will complete twice, four States will complete once.



[[Page 73584]]

    Dated: November 22, 2011.
Jeffrey J. Tribiano,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-30667 Filed 11-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P