Adopted:  02/20/1984

                                                                                                                                                                                761

School District of Prairie Farm

Free and Reduced Meal Verification Procedures

1)         Each school year, after October 31, the District Administrator, or designee, will compile a written report of free meal recipient families in the schools, to the District Treasurer, listing the following information:

            a)         Name and address of qualifying family

            b)         Name of all household members

            c)         Social security numbers of all adult household members, or an indication  that an adult has no social security number.

            d)         Total household income

2)         Recipient families whose eligibility will be verified will be selected free of discrimination due to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age or handicap.

3)         The number of approved applications will be totaled, and three percent of this total will be computed to determine the number of verifications to be completed each year.

4)         All of the approved applications will be put in a numerical order, a number between 1 and 25 will be identified, and that number will be used to complete a random selection process to receive the three percent we are to verify.

5)         Selected households will be notified via a letter sent them; they will also receive a sheet of verification documentation information to aid them, and form letters they might use to get verification from Food Stamp and/or Social Security officials.

6)         If a selected household refuses to cooperate with the request for documentation to expedite verification of income, eligibility will be terminated.  Notice will be sent, allowing ten (10) school days of the benefit to continue following the date of notice.

7)         Households given notice of termination have ten (10) days to appeal the termination notice will include the details regarding an appeal.

8)         Each year the secretary of the District Administrator will complete a record file showing the following information:

            a)         A summary of the verification efforts

            b)         The total number of applications on file on October 31

            c)         The percentage or number of applications verified.

9)         Records will be kept for three years, following the close of the fiscal year.  The secretary will maintain, in addition to the items listed in #8 above, the following information:

            a)         How applications were selected

            b)         How applications were verified

            c)         The dates notice were sent

            d)         Notes on any contact made

            d)         The results of verification

            f)          The reason for any denial or change of eligibility

            g)         The signature of the verifying official confirming that verification records  are accurate

10)              A family's right of privacy will be respected and maintained during the verification process.