The standard used in collecting free and reduced price meals data changed from approved to eligible in 1998.The data in the attached file represents the first data collected under the new, more stringent eligibility standard. Some districts had great difficulty collecting these data and SDE believes it is possible that there may be some disctricts that did not strictly follow SDE guidelines. Your school and district bears full responsibility in demonstrating to Program Integrity Assurance of the E-rate program that the FRL eligibility data collection is fully compliant. In no case will SLD accept a feeder school model or similar method to estimate FRL counts. You can still elect to use the FRL figures on the basis of actual students served.
Local districts have prerogative as to what method to use.
In most cases, however, significant increases in discount rates will result. German Bermudez, Ph.D. State Educational Technology Coordinator Technology Office - Division of School Improvement Connecticut State Department of Education 165 Capitol Ave.