§7427 — Title 20 Education | U.S. Code

§7427 Student Eligibility Forms

Title 20 › Chapter 70— STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › Subchapter VI— INDIAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND ALASKA NATIVE EDUCATION › Part A— Indian Education › Subpart 1— formula grants to local educational agencies › § 7427

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Local school districts that apply for this grant must keep a file for every Indian child they serve. Each file must have a form that proves the child is eligible. The form must either list the child’s tribe and, if available, the child’s enrollment number and the group that keeps the tribe’s membership records, or, if the child is not a member, the same information for a parent or grandparent the child uses to claim eligibility. The form must also say whether the tribe is federally recognized, give the parent or guardian’s name and address, have the parent or guardian’s signature to confirm the facts, and include any other information the Secretary needs. Individual data must be kept private by the school and only summary numbers may be sent to the Secretary. An enrollment number is not required; other proof can be used to show membership. Once a child is found eligible, the district must keep that record and not redo the decision later. Forms that met the rules and were on file the day before December 10, 2015 stay valid. The Secretary will do yearly checks of some grant recipients. A district that gives false information cannot get more grants and must return any unspent grant money. A student who gives false information cannot be counted for grant funding. Tribal schools that also get Bureau of Indian Education grants may choose either the Bureau’s certified student count or the count of students with eligibility forms. To count students for a grant, a district must pick one date or a period no longer than 31 days before the application deadline and count students enrolled and receiving a free public education on that date or during that period.

Title 20, §7427

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall require that, as part of an application for a grant under this subpart, each applicant shall maintain a file, with respect to each Indian child for whom the local educational agency provides a free public education, that contains a form that sets forth information establishing the status of the child as an Indian child eligible for assistance under this subpart, and that otherwise meets the requirements of subsection (b). All individual data collected shall be protected by the local educational agencies and only aggregated data shall be reported to the Secretary.

(b)The form described in subsection (a) shall include—

(1)either—

(A)(i)the name of the tribe or band of Indians (as defined in section 7491 of this title) with respect to which the child claims membership;

(ii)the enrollment number establishing the membership of the child (if readily available); and

(iii)the name and address of the organization that maintains updated and accurate membership data for such tribe or band of Indians; or

(B)the name, the enrollment number (if readily available), and the name and address of the organization responsible for maintaining updated and accurate membership data, of any parent or grandparent of the child from whom the child claims eligibility under this subpart, if the child is not a member of the tribe or band of Indians (as so defined);

(2)a statement of whether the tribe or band of Indians (as so defined), with respect to which the child, or parent or grandparent of the child, claims membership, is federally recognized;

(3)the name and address of the parent or legal guardian of the child;

(4)a signature of the parent or legal guardian of the child that verifies the accuracy of the information supplied; and

(5)any other information that the Secretary considers necessary to provide an accurate program profile.

(c)Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect a definition contained in section 7491 of this title.

(d)(1)For purposes of determining whether a child is eligible to be counted for the purpose of computing the amount of a grant award under section 7423 of this title, the membership of the child, or any parent or grandparent of the child, in a tribe or band of Indians (as so defined) may be established by proof other than an enrollment number, notwithstanding the availability of an enrollment number for a member of such tribe or band. Nothing in subsection (b) shall be construed to require the furnishing of an enrollment number.

(2)Once a child is determined to be an Indian eligible to be counted for such grant award, the local educational agency shall maintain a record of such determination and shall not require a new or duplicate determination to be made for such child for a subsequent application for a grant under this subpart.

(3)An Indian student eligibility form that was on file as required by this section on the day before December 10, 2015, and that met the requirements of this section, as this section was in effect on the day before December 10, 2015, shall remain valid for such Indian student.

(e)(1)(A)For each fiscal year, in order to provide such information as is necessary to carry out the responsibility of the Secretary to provide technical assistance under this subpart, the Secretary shall conduct a monitoring and evaluation review of a sampling of the recipients of grants under this subpart. The sampling conducted under this subparagraph shall take into account the size of and the geographic location of each local educational agency.

(B)A local educational agency may not be held liable to the United States or be subject to any penalty, by reason of the findings of an audit that relates to the date of completion, or the date of submission, of any forms used to establish, before April 28, 1988, the eligibility of a child for an entitlement under the Indian Elementary and Secondary School Assistance Act.

(2)Any local educational agency that provides false information in an application for a grant under this subpart shall—

(A)be ineligible to apply for any other grant under this subpart; and

(B)be liable to the United States for any funds from the grant that have not been expended.

(3)A student who provides false information for the form required under subsection (a) shall not be counted for the purpose of computing the amount of a grant under section 7423 of this title.

(f)Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in calculating the amount of a grant under this subpart to a tribal school that receives a grant or contract from the Bureau of Indian Education, the Secretary shall use only one of the following, as selected by the school:

(1)A count of the number of students in the schools certified by the Bureau.

(2)A count of the number of students for whom the school has eligibility forms that comply with this section.

(g)For purposes of determining the number of children to be counted in calculating the amount of a local educational agency’s grant under this subpart (other than in the case described in subsection (f)(1)), the local educational agency shall—

(1)establish a date on, or a period not longer than 31 consecutive days during, which the agency counts those children, if that date or period occurs before the deadline established by the Secretary for submitting an application under section 7424 of this title; and

(2)determine that each such child was enrolled, and receiving a free public education, in a school of the agency on that date or during that period, as the case may be.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Indian Elementary and Secondary School Assistance Act, referred to in subsec. (e)(1)(B), is title III of act Sept. 30, 1950, ch. 1124, as added by Pub. L. 92–318, title IV, § 411(a), June 23, 1972, 86 Stat. 335, which was classified generally to subchapter III (§ 241aa et seq.) of chapter 13 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 100–297, title V, § 5352(1), Apr. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 414.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 7427, Pub. L. 89–10, title VII, § 7117, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3727, related to intensified instruction for limited English proficient students, prior to the general amendment of former subchapter VII of this chapter by Pub. L. 107–110.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(1), inserted at end “All individual data collected shall be protected by the local educational agencies and only aggregated data shall be reported to the Secretary.” Subsec. (b)(1)(A)(i). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6001(b)(7)(A), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7491 of this title. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6001(b)(7)(B), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7491 of this title. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(4), added subsec. (d) and struck out former subsec. (d). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “For purposes of determining whether a child is eligible to be counted for the purpose of computing the amount of a grant award under section 7423 of this title, the membership of the child, or any parent or grandparent of the child, in a tribe or band of Indians (as so defined) may be established by proof other than an enrollment number, notwithstanding the availability of an enrollment number for a member of such tribe or band. Nothing in subsection (b) of this section shall be construed to require the furnishing of an enrollment number.” Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (e) as (d) and struck out former subsec. (d) which related to forms and standards of proof. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(3), redesignated subsec. (f) as (e). Former subsec. (e) redesignated (d). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(5), which directed substitution of “Bureau of Indian Education” for “Bureau of Indian Affairs” in subsec. (f) as redesignated by section 6002(i)(4) of Pub. L. 114–95, was executed by making the substitution in introductory provisions of subsec. (f) as redesignated by section 6002(i)(3) of Pub. L. 114–95, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(3), redesignated subsec. (g) as (f). Former subsec. (f) redesignated (e). Subsec. (f)(3). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6001(b)(7)(C), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7423 of this title. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(6), which directed substitution of “subsection (f)(1)” for “subsection (g)(1)” in subsec. (g) as redesignated by section 6002(i)(4) of Pub. L. 114–95, was executed by making the substitution in introductory provisions of subsec. (g) as redesignated by section 6002(i)(3) of Pub. L. 114–95, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(3), redesignated subsec. (h) as (g). Former subsec. (g) redesignated (f). Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6002(i)(3), redesignated subsec. (h) as (g). Subsec. (h)(1). Pub. L. 114–95, § 6001(b)(7)(D), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7424 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.