Use this form if the Contracting Entity (CE) has a total student enrollment of 2,499 or less. CEs with a total student enrollment of MORE than 2,499 are not eligible for this exemption.

If the candidate you have selected meets ONE of the following minimum education and experience requirements for this position, THE WAIVER IS NOT NEEDED.  

Bachelor's Degree		Associates Degree	High School Diploma or GED
Bachelor's degree in nutrition or related major	Bachelor's degree or equivalent educational experience in any academic major & At least 1 year of relevant PAID food service experience	Associates degree or equivalent educational experience in a nutrition-specific or related major & At least 1 year of relevant PAID food service experience	High school diploma (OR GED) & At least 3 years of relevant PAID food service experience

*Nutrition-specific and related majors include food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, business, or a related field.

Directions: To request an exemption to the professional experience requirement for the hiring professional standard for a program director to be hired after July 1, 2015, take the following actions.

1. Complete the Hiring Professional Standards Exemption Request for Contracting Entities (CE) With a Total Student Enrollment of 2,499 or Less (This form)

2. Ensure that the request form is signed (electronic signature) by a duly authorized representative of the CE operating the NSLP for the current program year (July 1 to June 30) and attest to the information provided in the request form.

3. Submit the request to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) by clicking Submit at the end of this form.

Questions about this form may be submitted to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) by email to SNPWaivers@TexasAgriculture.gov. Hiring Exemption should be recorded in the email subject line.

For additional information on the hiring standards and the flexibility options, see Administrator's Reference Manual (ARM), Section 27, Professional Standards.

Please describe the efforts in which you attempted to hire a qualified candidate that meets the Hiring Professional Standards. Please include actions related to advertising for the position, recruiting, and/or unsuccessful position interviews. If the district received applications from candidates meeting the requirements, but the district is seeking a waiver to hire lesser qualified candidate not meeting the requirements, please provide an explanation why the lesser experienced candidate is the preferred choice.

Provide a detailed explanation of your plan, including descriptions of activities and strategies that will be implemented to ensure that the candidate acquires relevant school nutrition and food service experience. Approvable plans may include, but are not limited to, professional training, coaching, shadowing, internship, and peer-to-peer mentoring. 

Note: directors hired with a high school diploma only are strongly encouraged to work toward attaining an associate's degree in an academic major in at least one of the fields listed above.

Each party acknowledges and agrees that information in this form is attested to by the name entered in the field above and shall be considered as an original signature for all purposes and shall have the same force and effect as an original signature. 

Select the Submit button to send this form to TDA.

• It may take a few minutes for the form to submit depending on your connection speed.
• You will see a confirmation message when the submission is complete. 
• Please click the Submit button only once. 

After TDA has reviewed the form, you will receive a confirmation email message which includes a copy of your submitted responses. This confirmation email with the copy of submitted responses must be retained by the CE.