The operators of large nonprofits filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the Minnesota Department of Education to illegally stop it from promoting nutritious meals to thousands of needy children. He claimed that he was forced to do so.

Partners in Nutrition, which operates as Partners in Quality Care, says that state Department of Education (MDE) regulators have turned down most of our meal delivery subcontractors, including more than 300 that provided free after-school snacks and dinners. He claims to have let him escape from the organization. .

The lawsuit comes after federal agents raided the offices of a competing nonprofit, Feeding Our Future, and caused disruption to a federally funded meal program overseen by the Department of Education in Minnesota. It was done a month later.

Partners Interim Executive Director Robyn Tousignant said:

Partners has fought MDE for years. The group’s initial application to join the federal diet program was denied by the education department in 2016, leading to a lengthy legal battle that Partners won. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the MDE’s dismissal was “arbitrary and capricious.”

The department moved to end Partners’ participation in federal child nutrition programs in January after the FBI unsealed a search warrant alleging widespread fraud centered around Feeding Our Future. Both nonprofits focused on serving minority communities.

According to the warrant, Partners paid more than $25 million to three subcontractors who “spent little money buying food or feeding the children.” According to the warrant, these three subcontractors also received millions of dollars in allegedly fraudulent payments through Feeding Our Future.

To date, no Partners employee or officer has been charged with a crime. The lawsuit said the nonprofit was “not identified for federal criminal investigation.” Partners had previously said it immediately severed ties with the subcontractors named in the warrant.

“It would be inappropriate for MDE to comment on pending lawsuits,” MDE spokesman Kevin Burns said in a statement Friday. We continue to work to ensure access to healthy, nutritious meals for [Partners] You can continue to serve your children. ”

MDE officials say they did all they could to protect taxpayers by quickly alerting federal officials to alleged fraud on Feeding Our Future, but some legislators has criticized the ministry for not taking stronger measures to limit losses.

Partners “should not be scapegoats for MDE’s dereliction of duty,” the lawsuit states. “After five rounds of administrative proceedings and associated delays, this lawsuit is being filed to put an end to MDE’s abuse of government power, ultimately hurting the communities that need it most. ”

A federal investigation forced Feeding Our Future to shut down in February, leaving over 100 dining sites without sponsorship.

Lafayette Butler-Robinson, a consultant who works at more than 100 childcare centers, recently said most of her clients had abandoned their diet programs in recent months for fear of being caught in an ongoing investigation. said they are now paying for their meals out of their own pockets.

The state also allows childcare centers to sponsor themselves, but Butler-Robinson said it’s a difficult process, especially for immigrants unaccustomed to cumbersome paperwork.

“The state is not helping,” said Butler Robinson. “Minnesota is a great state to live in, but it’s not a great state if English isn’t your first language.”

Some day care providers who previously worked with Feeding Our Future said MDE officials recently suggested they contact Providers Choice, which has participated in federal children’s nutrition programs since 1985.

Lubna Malik, manager of Rochester’s Kids Choice, said she was grateful when an MDE rep suggested contacting the provider after recently losing a sponsor due to the closure of Feeding Our Future.

“Personally, I am very happy,” Malik said. “We eat halal and they were very flexible in choosing a menu that suited the Somali community.”

In the lawsuit, Partners accuses MDE of engaging in “revenge” aimed at luring clients to providers, alleging the division made it clear Partners was not “MDE’s preferred” sponsor. .

According to the lawsuit, Partners’ founders left Providers’ Choice “because they felt that Providers’ Choice did not adequately meet the needs of Minnesota’s minority communities, particularly immigrant communities from East Africa.” .

“Providers’ Choice declines to comment on pending litigation, but Providers’ Choice is ready and able to serve children and child care providers in Minnesota and and the capacity to undertake additional licensed child care centers that meet the Adult Care Food Program’s (CACFP) requirements,” the organization said in a written response to questions on Friday.

Burns said in a phone interview that the department did not show any “bias” in favor of providers.

Burns acknowledged that MDE employees recently recommended meal providers contact Providers Choice if they were looking for sponsorship, but the department said the YouthPrise, The YES Network, Minneapolis said it has also introduced donors to five other nonprofits, including the public school system of Saint Paul and Osseo.

“We refer people to places where we know they have the ability and willingness to consider additional sponsorship,” Barnes said. There is no inherent prejudice about how we support.”

Partners in Nutrition is asking the court to issue a temporary injunction allowing the St. Paul-based organization to continue to participate in the federal child nutrition program.