Field Local School DistrictLocal Government

Non-Federal entities must establish and maintain effective internal controls over Federal awards that provide reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing Federal awards in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. During fiscal year 2024, the District participated in Child Nutrition Cluster program, for which the Federal Government reimburses the District for eligible children. During the course of the school year, the District is required to establish a child's eligibility to receive program benefits. The District accepted paper and online applications for free and reduced meals, with which eligibility was determined based on several factors, including, but not limited to family size and income. The District contracted with PaySchools Central for eligibility determination services. Application information was entered into the PaySchools Central software by parents or guardians or by the District if a paper application was received. The option selected within PaySchools Central by the District was for the portal applications to be approved as entered (if the eligibility criteria was met) with no additional review, rather than applications being in pending status until reviewed and approved by the District. As such, the District had no procedures in place to ensure PaySchools Central determined the proper eligibility status based on the information provided in the application. Failure to implement controls over all eligibility applications could result in ineligible students receiving benefits. We recommend the District implement control procedures for online applications to ensure only eligible students are receiving benefits and the correct level of benefit (free or reduced).