Finding 1205229 (2025-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-03-31

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District lacks effective controls to ensure accurate eligibility determinations for Federal meal program applications.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with Federal statutes and regulations regarding eligibility for Federal awards is not being met.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement control procedures for online applications to verify that students are correctly classified as paid, free, or reduced.

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. The Federal Government reimburses the District for meals served to eligible children as part of the Child Nutrition Cluster program. The District is required to determine a child's eligibility to receive program benefits. The District accepted both paper and online applications for free and reduced-price meals, and eligibility was determined based on factors such as family size and income. The District contracted with i3 Verticals to use their PaySchools system to determine eligibility for both types of applications, either completing an application in the system through their online account, or by using paper applications where the applications were manually input into PaySchools. The District had no procedures in place to ensure the system determined the proper eligibility status for 45 of the 60 applications tested based on the information provided in the online applications. Failure to implement controls over online eligibility applications could result in ineligible students receiving benefits. The District should implement control procedures for online applications to ensure students are properly marked as paid, free or reduced.

Corrective Action Plan

All free and reduced meal applications are completed electronically by the parent or guardian through the District's online application system. The parent/guardian inputs household and financial information used to determine eligibility in accordance with the income eligibility guidelines established by the State of Ohio and the National School Lunch Program. To ensure internal controls are in place and that eligibility determinations are accurate, the District will implement a review process whereby all electronic applications submitted by parents or guardians will be reviewed by the Cafeteria Supervisor or a designated staff member prior to final approval. The reviewer will ensure that all required fields are completed, the information provided appears reasonable, and the eligibility determination generated by the system is appropriate based on the information provided on the application. If any application appears incomplete or contains questionable information, the Cafeteria Supervisor or designee will contact the parent or guardian for clarification or correction prior to approving the application. Documentation of the review will be maintained by a checklist or retained electronically to demonstrate that the review occurred. Periodic monitoring of the process will be performed to ensure the control procedures continue to operate as intended and that applications are properly reviewed before eligibility is finalized. Anticipated Completion Date Effective immediately and ongoing. Responsible Contact Person Cafeteria Supervisor Dawn Nelson

Categories

Eligibility School Nutrition Programs Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1205226 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1205227 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1205228 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.010 TITLE I GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $452,574
84.027 SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS TO STATES $428,196
10.555 NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM $363,008
10.553 SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM $171,114
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $105,010
84.367 SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION STATE GRANTS (FORMERLY IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS) $65,423
84.424 STUDENT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $35,931
10.582 FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM $17,995
84.425 EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND $8,222