Finding Text
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - 10.553, 10.555 (Child Nutrition Cluster), U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Lunch Program Commodities, National School Lunch Program, Supply Chain Assistance, and School Breakfast Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - 2022/2023 and 2023/2024
Pass-through Entity - Michigan Department of Education
Finding Type - Significant deficiency
Repeat Finding - No
Criteria - According to 7 CFR Sections 225.15(f), 245.1(a), and 245.3(c), any child enrolled in a participating school or summer camp, or attending a SFSP meal service site, who meets the applicable program’s definition of “child,” may receive meals under the applicable program. The School District is required to review data received by/for students regarding their eligibility for free or reduced lunch.
Condition - The School District relies on the Infinite Campus software to determine eligibility, but does not currently have a control in place whereby a review of the eligibility of student's applications entered into Infinite Campus takes place, which could result in a student incorrectly being determined as either eligible or ineligible.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - It was noted that the School District does not have controls in place for the appropriate review of eligibility to occur for applications received. Applications for free and reduced lunch make up less than 20 percent of total eligible students who participate in the program.
Cause and Effect - The absence of a secondary review of applications comparing eligibility inputs received and entered into Infinite Campus could result in inaccurate determinations of eligibility.
Recommendation - The School District should implement a control where an individual reviews student's eligibility information from applications entered into Infinite Campus for accuracy before final eligibility is determined.
Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan - The School District agrees with the recommendation. The School District recognizes that relying solely on the Infinite Campus software without an additional layer of verification could lead to errors in determining eligibility. While the system has been generally effective, we agree that enhancing controls will mitigate the risk of incorrect determinations and strengthen our compliance with federal requirements under 7 CFR Sections 225.15(f), 245.1(a), and 245.3(c).