The district only provides modified meal components on menus to accommodate students with a disability. A parent/guardian wishing to request dietary accommodations for their student with a disability must submit to the district’s Director of Child Nutrition a medical statement completed by a State licensed healthcare professional, which includes:

• Physicians, including those licensed by:
  • The Arkansas State Medical Board;
  • The Arkansas State Board of Chiropractic Examiners (Chiropractors);
  • The Arkansas Board of Podiatric Medicine (Podiatrists);
• Nurse Practitioners (APRNs in family or pediatric practice with prescriptive authority);
• Physician Assistants (PAs who work in collaborative practice with a physician); and
• Dentists.

The medical statement should include:

1. A description of the student’s disability that is sufficient to understand how the disability restricts the student’s diet;
2. An explanation of what must be done to accommodate the disability, which may include:
   1. Food(s) to avoid or restrict;
   2. Food(s) to substitute;
   3. Caloric modifications; or
   4. The substitution of a liquid nutritive formula.

If the information provided in the medical statement is unclear, or lacks sufficient detail, the district’s Director of Child Nutrition shall request additional information so that a proper and safe meal can be provided.

When choosing an appropriate approach to accommodate a student’s disability, the District will consider the expense and efficiency of the requested accommodations. The District will offer a reasonable modification that effectively accommodates the child’s disability and provides equal opportunity to participate in or benefit from the program, which may include a generic version of a product.

Parents may file a grievance regarding the request for accommodations with the District’s 504 Coordinator3, who will schedule a hearing on the grievance to be held as soon as possible. The 504 coordinator shall provide a copy of the procedures governing the hearing, including that the parent has the right to be accompanied by counsel, and the appeal process upon request.

The district will not prepare meals outside the normal menu to accommodate a family’s religious or personal health beliefs.