For the purpose of this part, the following terms shall be defined to mean:

1. (1) “Child Nutrition (CN) Director” means the local education agency or school district employee who administers a school district’s federal child nutrition program through the interpretation of state rules and federal regulations;
2. (2) “Child Nutrition (CN) Manager” means the local education agency or school district employee who directly supervises and manages the federal child nutrition food service program in one (1) or more schools/serving sites;

3. (3) “Child nutrition programs in Arkansas” means the federal child nutrition programs operated by Arkansas public and charter schools, which include the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the After-School Snack Program, the Special Milk Program, and the Summer Feeding Program as established by the:

   1. (A) Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, Pub. L. No. 89-642; and
   2. (B) Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended through Pub. L. No. 108-269, July 2, 2004;
4. (4) “Child Nutrition (CN) Worker” means the local education agency or school district employee who prepares nutritious food by standardized recipes for specified quantities and serves food to program participants according to state rules and federal regulations;

5. (5) “Continuing education for Director Certification”. The requirements for continuing education are:

   1. (A) Determined by the organization issuing the certification or credential; and

   2. (B) In two (2) categories:

      1. (i) Maintenance of certification status for Department of Education Certified Child Nutrition Director requires ten (10) hours of continuing education annually based on criteria established by the Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Unit; and
      2. (ii) Those Child Nutrition Directors certified or credentialed by the School Nutrition Association (SNA) must meet the continuing education requirements established by SNA to maintain that certification or credential;

6. (6) “Continuing education for Manager Certification”. Maintenance of certification status requires that the Certified Manager must attend a Department of Education Child Nutrition Unit Recertification course:

   1. (A) Within six (6) years of initial certification; and
   2. (B) Every six (6) years thereafter;

7. (7) “Director Certification” means the credential awarded to persons who complete the requirements for certification by one (1) of three (3) avenues:

   1. (A)

      1. (i) Certification by the Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Unit for those Child Nutrition Directors with fewer than ten (10) years’ experience as a Child Nutrition Director.
      2. (ii) Course content is based on the competencies established through research by the National Food Service Management Institute;

   2. (B)

      1. (i) Grandfather.
      2. (ii) Until July 1, 2006, ten (10) years’ or more administrative experience as a Child Nutrition Director will be sufficient to meet the Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Unit Director Certification requirements; or
   3. (C) Completion of the requirements established by the School Nutrition Association, formerly the American School Food Service Association, for Level 3 Certification or credentialing as a School Food Service Nutrition Specialist;

8. (8)

   1. (A) “Full-time worker” means a food service employee that works a minimum of twenty (20) hours per week.
   2. (B) Source, Arkansas Code § 6-17-2202(2); and
9. (9) “Manager Certification” means the credential awarded after completion of the requirements of the Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Unit Manager Certification Program, which is based on competencies established through research by the National Food Service Management Institute.

Codification Notes: Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act is codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq. The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 is codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1771 et seq.