REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
The Texas Department of Agriculture has set forth the following guidelines for accommodating children with special dietary needs.

A Physician’s Request for Dietary Accommodations Form must:

• Be signed by a licensed physician
• Identify the child’s disability
• Include an explanation of why the disability restricts the child’s diet
• Identify the major life activity affected by the disability
• List the food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet and the food or choice of foods that must be substituted

All requests should be on the Brenham ISD Physician's Request for Dietary Accommodations Form located on the Brenham ISD website to reduce delays. 

NOTE: Brenham ISD Child Nutrition may make substitutions at our discretion on a case-by-case basis for students who do not have a disability but who are medically certified as having a special medical or dietary need.  This provision covers those students who have food intolerances or allergies but do not have life-threatening reactions (anaphylactic reactions) when exposed to the food(s) to which they have problems.  

All documentation should be given to the school nurse first who will then send it to the Child Nutrition Department. Dietary accommodations will be arranged once Child Nutrition receives and processes the request. During high volume times of the year, it may take up to 2 weeks for accommodations to begin. 

NOTE: Dietary accommodations that require the purchase of specific items may not be available immediately.  It may take up to 4 weeks to receive the first delivery of special order.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT
Kasandra Davis, MS, RD, LD
Director of Child Nutrition
kdavis@brenhamk-12.net
Phone: 979-277-3750


DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITY

Parents/ Guardians

• Provide a physician's request for dietary accommodations form to the school nurse, making sure that all information is completely filled out as listed on page 1.
  NOTE: If the physician’s order contains any statements requiring further clarification, special dietary accommodations will not begin until the physician provides further written clarification.
• Provide updated physician's orders as necessary. Give the school nurse a written statement signed by the physician when accommodations are no longer needed. Dietary accommodations cannot be changed prior to receiving updated documentation from the physician.
• Work with the school nurse and child nutrition dietitian to review and return modified menus as soon as possible.
• NOTE: Modified menus will not be implemented until approval is received.  It is advised that parents/ guardians provide meals for their student until accommodations are in place.
• Physician’s diet orders must be renewed every school year. Please provide an updated Physician’s statement to the school nurse during the summer, prior to the beginning of school.  Remember that there may be a delay of up to 4 weeks if special purchases are required.

School Nurse

• Send the Physician’s Request for Dietary Accommodations form to the Child Nutrition Department Attention: Kasandra Davis, MS, RD, LD by email: kdaivs@brenhamk-12.net
• Serve as liaison between the Child Nutrition Department and the parents/ guardians to gather required information and physician documentation.

Child Nutrition

What we can do:

• Provide meals which to the best of our knowledge meet the physician’s ordered dietary restrictions.
• Work with the parents/guardians and school nurse to adjust the diet as updated physician’s orders are received.
• Post an alert on our Point-of-Sale System.
• Provide accommodations for non-disabled students with medical conditions on a case by case basis.

What we cannot do:

• Interpret, revise, or change a diet order for students with disabilities.
• Provide dietary accommodations for students without a valid medical condition.
• Provide dietary accommodations without the proper physician’s documentation.
• Provide dietary accommodations for students seeking preference or religious requests. 
• Provide fruit juice as a milk substitute for non-disability students.

Non-Discrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complain Form which can be obtained online at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or email: program.intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de EE. UU. (USDA), esta institución tiene prohibido discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluida la identidad de género y la orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o represalia por actividad anterior de derechos civiles. La información del programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas además del inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieran medios alternativos de comunicación para obtener información del programa (p. ej., Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas estadounidense), deben comunicarse con la agencia estatal o local responsable que administra el programa o el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720- 2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339. Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el Demandante debe completar un Formulario AD-3027, Formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, que se puede obtener en línea en https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR% 20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, desde cualquier oficina del USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida al USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la supuesta acción discriminatoria del denunciante con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y la fecha de la supuesta violación de los derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completo o la carta deben enviarse al USDA por correo postal: Departamento de Agricultura de EE. UU. Oficina del Secretario Adjunto de Derechos Civiles 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; o fax: (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o correo electrónico: program.intake@usda.gov. Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.