Section 102.1097 - Financial Aid for Swift Transfer Program(a) Purpose. The Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program is established to allow eligible students to enroll, at no cost to the student, in dual credit courses at participating institutions of higher education.(b) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. (1) Dual credit course--A course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under Texas Education Code (TEC), §130.008, or another course offered by an institution of higher education for which a high school student may earn credit toward satisfaction of: (A) a requirement necessary to obtain an industry-recognized credential or certificate or an associate degree;(B) a foreign language requirement at an institution of higher education;(C) a requirement in the core curriculum, as that term is defined by TEC, §61.821, at an institution of higher education; or(D) a requirement in a field of study curriculum developed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under TEC, §61.823.(2) Institution of higher education--An institution of higher education has the meaning assigned by TEC, §61.003.(c) Student eligibility. A student who is educationally disadvantaged at any time during the four school years preceding the students' enrollment in a dual credit course is eligible for the FAST program. To be considered educationally disadvantaged, a student must meet the income requirements for eligibility under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), authorized by 42 United States Code, §§ 1751, et seq. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools may use the following approved methods for determining student eligibility for the FAST program: (1) parent certification, where the parent or guardian asserts meeting the income requirements for eligibility under this subsection;(2) direct certification, where eligible children are certified for free meals without the need for a household application based on household participation in one or more federal assistance programs; or(3) direct verification, where public records are used to verify a student's eligibility for free or reduced-price meals when verification of student eligibility is required.(d) Student eligibility under an alternative method. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools with one or more campuses not participating in the NSLP may derive an eligible student count by an alternative method as determined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).(e) Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). School districts and open-enrollment charter schools with one or more campuses using the CEP must still determine each student's individual eligibility status under the income guidelines for the NSLP for purposes of the FAST program.(f) Recordkeeping. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools that participate in the FAST program pursuant to this section are responsible for obtaining the appropriate data from families of potentially eligible students, verifying that information, and retaining records.(g) Auditing procedures. TEA will conduct an audit of data submitted by school districts and open-enrollment charter schools that participate in the FAST program pursuant to this section at the discretion of the commissioner of education.(h) Data source. The FAST program will be based on each eligible student submitted by school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in the Texas Student Data System Public Education Information Management System fall submission. An indicator must be submitted for every educationally disadvantaged student and each student coded with average daily attendance (ADA) eligibility, except those students who are homeless, not enrolled, or otherwise ineligible for ADA or who reside in a residential facility and whose parents live outside the district.19 Tex. Admin. Code § 102.1097
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 33, August 16, 2024, TexReg 6214, eff. 8/22/2024