| (a) Eligibility. (1) Any public institution of higher education as defined by Texas Education Code, §61.003, is eligible to participate in the Educational Aide Exemption Program. (2) No institution may, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability exclude an individual from participation in, or deny the benefits of the program described in this subchapter. (3) Each participating institution must follow the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI (Public Law 88-353) in avoiding discrimination in admissions. (b) Approval. (1) Agreement. Each approved institution must enter into an agreement with the Board, the terms of which shall be prescribed by the Commissioner. (2) Approval Deadline. An institution must be approved by April 1 in order for qualified students enrolled in that institution to be eligible to receive grants in the following fiscal year. (c) Responsibilities. (1) Probation Notice. If the institution is placed on probation by its accrediting agency, it must immediately advise scholarship recipients of this condition and maintain evidence in each student's file to demonstrate that the student was so informed. (2) Disbursements to Students. (A) Documentation. The institution must maintain records to prove the receipt of program funds by the student or the crediting of such funds to the student's school account. (B) Procedures in Case of Illegal Disbursements. If the Commissioner has reason for concern that an institution has disbursed funds for unauthorized purposes, the Board will notify the Program Officer and Financial Aid Director and offer an opportunity for a hearing pursuant to the procedures outlined in Chapter 1 of this title (relating to Agency Administration). Thereafter, if the Board determines that funds have been improperly disbursed, the institution shall become primarily responsible for restoring the funds to the Board. No further disbursements of scholarships shall be permitted to students at that institution until the funds have been repaid. (3) Reporting. Each participating institution must meet Board reporting requirements, in particular the submission of the Financial Aid Database Report, in a timely fashion. (4) Program Reviews. If selected for such by the Board, participating institutions must submit to program reviews of activities related to the Educational Aide Exemption Program. |
