SY 2026-2027 Prospective Waiver Allowing Non-Congregate Service during Unanticipated School/Facility Closures - June 8, 2026 – Status: PENDING – TDA is requesting from USDA the discretion to allow School Food Authorities (SFAs) and CACFP operators to operate a non-congregate service during unanticipated school/facility closures due to natural disasters, unscheduled major building repairs, court orders relating to building safety or other issues, labor-management disputes, or, when approved by TDA, for a similar unanticipated cause. If approved, TDA can approve area eligible SFAs in good standing to operate the Summer Food Service Program, Seamless Summer Option, or CACFP At-risk at the school site or a non-school site. Schools implementing virtual instruction during the closure may be eligible to operate a non-congregate NSLP service. CACFP operators in good standing may be approved to serve non-congregate meals under their current CACFP program. If approved, non-congregate service will be approved for up to 10 days. TDA will develop and post to SquareMeals a request form for contracting organizations facing an unanticipated closure.
Summer 2026 Prospective Waiver Allowing Non-Congregate Service during Extreme Heat and/or Poor Air Quality Conditions - March 23, 2026 – Status: APPROVED – TDA is requesting the discretion to allow SFSP and SSO sponsors, in good standing, to operate outdoor meal sites without temperature-controlled alternative sites as non-congregate sites on days
- When the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Heat Advisory, an Excessive Heat Warning, or an Excessive Heat Watch for the area where the site is located, and/or
- When the area is experiencing an Air Quality Index (AQI) that reaches a “purple” flag level or higher, as indicated at https://www.airnow.gov/.
If approved, TDA will provide additional information on how to access the Extreme Heat/Poor Air Quality Notification Form.