Finding Text
Non-Federal entities must establish and maintain effective internal controls over Federal awards that provide reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing Federal awards in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award.
During fiscal year 2024, the School District participated in Child Nutrition Cluster programs, for which the federal government reimburses the School District for eligible children. During the school year, the School District is required to establish a child's eligibility to receive program benefits. The School District accepted online applications for free and reduced meals, with which eligibility was determined based on several factors, including, but not limited to family size and income.
For fiscal year 2024, the eligibility process was 100% online through PaySchools to determine eligibility for free and reduced meals. The option selected within PaySchools by the School District was for the portal applications to be approved as entered (if the eligibility criteria was met) with no additional review, rather than applications being in pending status until reviewed and approved by the School District. As such, the School District had no procedures in place to ensure the system determined the proper eligibility status based on the information provided in the application.
Failure to implement controls over all eligibility applications could result in ineligible students receiving benefits.
The School District should implement control procedures for online applications to help ensure students are properly marked as paid, free or reduced.