• Racial and Ethnicity Data Collection

    The Food and Nutrition (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) require all School Meal Program sponsors to collect race and ethnicity data of applicants and participants. 

    The traditional definition of race and ethnicity is related to biological and sociological factors respectively. Race refers to a person's physical appearance from descent or heredity, such as skin color, eye color, hair color, etc. Ethnicity, on the other hand, relates to cultural factors such as nationality, culture, ancestry, language, and beliefs.

    (1) The purpose for collecting race and ethnicity data is to determine how effectively School Meal Programs are reaching potentially eligible students.

    (2) Provision of this data is voluntary.

    (3) Responses are kept confidential.

    (4) Responses have no effect on eligibility.