The Community Eligibility Provision is a federal meal provision established to increase access to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) under The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) authorized by Congress in 2010. 

CEP allows eligible schools to offer free meals to attending students regardless of individual income. CEP eliminates the burden of collecting household applications to determine eligibility for school meals, relying instead on information from other means tested programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), CalFresh and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), CalWORKs, etc.

Schools qualify for CEP meal status based on the number of students who are directly certified to receive free meals per their participation in CalFresh, CalWorks, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Head Start programs or who are identified as homeless, foster, migrant, or runaway as a percentage of total site enrollment.

California SB 138: Universal Meal Service mandates that districts convert schools that meet the “very high poverty” definition to Provision 2, Provision 3, or Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) by September 2018. A very high poverty school is a school where the ISP is at least 62.5%. All meals served at schools with an ISP of 62.5% are reimbursed at the free rate.

Although CEP does not require families to fill out meal application forms, a household income survey will be used to help allocate state funds via the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), Title 1 and At-risk programs. Therefore, schools will still need to collect household information for each student who is not Directly Certified and for every newly enrolled student. Schools not participating in CEP will need to complete the traditional free and reduced meal application.

Confidential Family Surveys will be sent home to all participating CEP sites with additional copies available in the school office for new enrolled students. Forms will need to be returned by August 31, 2018 to the schools. Schools will send forms back to Nutrition Education via school mail no later than September 7, 2018.

Once a school or group of schools is eligible for CEP, the provision and the claiming rate may be applied for the next four years. Districts may choose to restart the CEP cycle in order to regroup sites, add sites or if the ISP increases. An LEA may terminate participation in CEP at any time and apply for another meal provision or return to standard application and counting and claiming procedures.

Each student can receive one breakfast and one lunch at no cost. Menus are planned according to the USDA’s nutrition guidelines, and include fresh fruit and vegetables. During the meal service, Offer vs Serve will continue to apply. Students must be offered all of the components, and must choose at least three components, including at least one serving of fruit or vegetable.

Nutrition Education will continue to use the Point of Service to track each meal served. The meals will be tracked by individual student account (without any meal charges) –students will continue to come through the line by classroom and use their cards or PIN.

Free school meals are intended for students at the qualifying sites. Adults interested in receiving a meal can purchase a meal at the adult price.

If a student transitions (e.g. graduates or transfers) to another site that is not eligible for CEP, the family will need to submit a traditional meal application in order to determine eligibility (free, reduced, paid) for school meals.

The Ed Code 17453.1 reads:

1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a school district may sell or lease Internet appliances or personal computers to parents of pupils within the school district, for the purpose of providing access to the school district’s educational computer network, at a standard price, not to exceed the cost incurred by the school district in purchasing the Internet appliance or personal computer. A school district that elects to sell or lease Internet appliances or personal computers, as authorized by this section, shall provide access to the school district’s educational network for those families that cannot afford access to the school district’s educational network. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in conducting a sale or lease pursuant to this section a school district shall not be required to call for bids or to sell or lease Internet appliances or personal computers to the highest bidder. For purposes of this section, an “Internet appliance” is a technological product that allows a person to connect to, or access, an online educational network. 
2. The Legislature finds and declares that the Internet appliances or personal computers that are sold or leased pursuant to this section are not an essential part of the school district’s educational program, but are supplemental to that program. 

District policy does match the above referenced Ed Code 17453.1.

The computers are supplemental materials not foundational. 

The student devices will be treated like a textbook. It is a tool that will help your child discover an exciting and enriching learning environment. Students will be required to accept one of the devices.

The devices are an educational requirement of Manteca Unified School District. There are no other options. Please note this is just like a textbook, the devices are a key supplemental part of the educational program being implemented in the Manteca Unified School District.

K-4 will be in carts in the classroom; teachers of grades 5-12 SDC LH will take them home. Teachers for grades 5-12 SDC SH will determine whether or not a student may take their device home (also determined by student’s IEP). There will be carts in the classrooms to store the devices.

Information from California Education Code (EC) regarding damage to student-issued instructional materials. 

EC Section 60010 (h) defines instructional materials: 

“Instructional materials” means all materials that are designed for use by pupils and their teachers as a learning resource and help pupils to acquire facts, skills, or opinions or to develop cognitive processes. Instructional materials may be printed or nonprinted, and may include textbooks, technology-based materials, other educational materials, and tests. 

EC Section 60119(c)(1) defines sufficient textbooks or instructional materials as follows: 

Each pupil, including English learners, has a standards-aligned textbook or instructional materials, or both, to use in class and to take home. 

EC Section 48904(a)(1) holds parents or guardians responsible for the cost of replacing a textbook that is willfully defaced or not returned: 

…the parent or guardian of any minor…who willfully cuts, defaces, or otherwise injures in any way any property, real or personal, belonging to a school district or private school, or personal property of any school employee, shall be liable for all damages so caused by the minor. The liability of the parent or guardian shall not exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000). The parent or guardian shall also be liable for the amount of any reward not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) paid pursuant to Section 53069.5 of the Government Code. The parent or guardian of a minor shall be liable to a school district or private school for all property belonging to the school district or private school loaned to the minor and not returned upon demand of an employee of the district or private school authorized to make the demand. 

Thus wear or damage to instructional materials through ordinary use, or from manufacturing defect, would not apply. 

EC Section 48904 (b)(1) allows schools to withhold student grades, diploma and transcripts: 

Any school district or private school whose real or personal property has been willfully cut, defaced, or otherwise injured, or whose property is loaned to a pupil and willfully not returned upon demand of an employee of the district or private school authorized to make the demand may, after affording the pupil his or her due process rights, withhold the grades, diploma, and transcripts of the pupil responsible for the damage until the pupil or the pupil’s parent or guardian has paid for the damages thereto… 

EC Section 48904 (b)(2) provides the process: 

The school district or private school shall notify the parent or guardian of the pupil in writing of the pupil’s alleged misconduct before withholding the pupil’s grades, diploma, or transcripts pursuant to this subdivision. When the minor and parent are unable to pay for the damages, or to return the property, the school district or private school shall provide a program of voluntary work for the minor in lieu of the payment of monetary damages. Upon completion of the voluntary work, the grades, diploma, and transcripts of the pupil shall be released. 

EC Section 48904(b)(3) requires school districts to establish local policy: 

The governing board of each school district or governing body of each private school shall establish rules and regulations governing procedures for the implementation of this subdivision… 

In regards to a district specific policy, it’s important to remember that a student must have access to textbooks both in the classroom and at home, thus withholding textbooks from a student or restricting textbook use to the library would be problematic. Also, please note the requirements of EC 48904(b)(2) requiring parent notification and the necessary opportunity for the student to be able to “work off” the cost of the instructional materials. 

The school district has insured all of the devices and parents will not likely be charged for devices lost on campus. Each case will be evaluated by a site administrator.

NOTE: If the device is STOLEN while off-campus, a report must be filed with the police department and a copy must be given to the school site.

However, a failure to return the device may result in financial liability to the parents.  Parents are responsible for the cost of replacing lost devices.  Actual financial liability may vary depending on the deductible level the District is required to pay for its insurance at the time of the loss, and whether or not the family participates in the optional lease / purchase program.

The School District has insured all of the devices. Parents will not be charged for accidental breakage on the first occurrence. However, parents may be charged for second and subsequent occurrences.

Parents are financially responsible for any damage willfully inflicted on the device by their minor children. Each case will be handled by the site principal for evaluation.

Willful damage to the device will result in financial liability to the parents.  Parents are responsible for the actual cost of repairing the willful damage to the device, up to the full replacement cost.  Actual financial liability may vary depending on the deductible level the District is required to pay for its insurance at the time of the damage.

The maximum amount per device charged to the parent/ guardian is $250.00 per incident. However, if the damage is determined willful or intentional, the parent may be charged up to the full cost for replacement of the device.

In grades K-4, the computers stay in the classroom and therefore will be charged by the teacher. In grades 5-12, the devices go home and therefore should be charged at home.

Yes, students will receive a replacement device from the library media technician and/or the digital support technician.

Replacement will be provided the same day whenever possible.

Students will continue to receive textbooks at the start of the school year. Student devices are supplemental, not foundational learning tools, therefore yes, textbooks will be necessary whether they are digital or not.

The transition from traditional textbooks is not going to happen overnight, and in reality, textbooks likely won’t go away entirely. Where they’ll see the most immediate difference is with regards to the amount of 3 ring binders and notebooks they have to have. Those notebooks should be able to be "digital" almost immediately via OneNote.

Yes, so long as all students are given access to a device.

Care should be taken to ensure that students can complete the assignment without anything added to the device that the school does not provide (for instance, assignments should not require an Internet connection if students are required to complete the assignment off campus).

If you are having trouble logging into Parent Connect, please use the Login Reminder tool here, or click the graphic below!

ParentConnection Login Information
Please enter your email address. Your PIN and Password will be emailed to you. If you are still experiencing problems logging in, please contact your student's school for additional assistance.

See the Interactive Training for OneNote to learn how to use OneNote using a "follow the leader" model.

Or, see the Microsoft Office Quick Start page.

The Superintendent’s Technology Advisory Committee made the decision to not allow the student to change their username and password.

If you believe that you have a valid reason to have your password changed, please have your teacher contact the IT department.

If you are a current high school student, contact your registrar's office at your campus.

If you are a former student, please complete the transcript request form.

You may sign up at Outlook.com.

If you need more help, try using our District step by step guide here in:

English 

Spanish

We recommend students wait until the next school day and ask their teacher to submit a help desk ticket. 

Students may also wish to try contacting  Answer Desk.com, Microsoft's online support site.