DOE explains FLEID vault, matching rules and data quality steps to House subcommittee
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Summary
The Department of Education presented how Florida student identification numbers (FLEIDs) are assigned and managed: records are matched against a secure FLEID "vault" using name, date of birth and location; near matches require local validation and DOE supports merges, splits and retirements.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner Shawna Reed explained to the PreK—2 Budget Subcommittee that the Florida Education Identifier (FLEID) is a 14-character alphanumeric identifier assigned when a student first enrolls in a public K–12 district. Reed said DOE assigns FLEIDs after validating submitted files and matching records against a secure FLEID "vault." Strong matches are assigned the existing FLEID, near matches are flagged for local review, and unmatched records receive new FLEIDs.
Reed described the vault as a secure SQL Server database in DOE's environment that stores enrollments and associated FLEIDs. She said the vault currently contains over 15 million FLEIDs, with roughly 7.5 million coming from district public schools and about 4 million from the Florida College System. The system accepts district and scholarship participant files via a secure transfer area in a predefined format; files that fail validation are returned to the source for correction.
On data quality, Reed outlined processes for merges (combine duplicate records), splits (separate records wrongly combined), retirements (remove erroneous FLEIDs) and automated district-initiated corrections or legal changes (for example, name changes after adoption). She said districts are the only sources that can review vault records for their students and that the vault's data classification is "medium." Reed said processing is largely real time: when districts submit files, FLEIDs are assigned typically within 10 minutes to an hour.
Committee members raised questions about vault content, retention, optional social security number collection and whether the FLEID could be required on SFO accounts. Reed said DOE can assign FLEIDs if it receives files and that social security numbers are collected by districts where available but are not required; districts must submit at least one identifier to enable assignment. Reed said records remain in the vault and are not routinely purged; FLEIDs may be retired on request.
Members requested further clarity on integration options between SFO account systems and the FLEID vault to reduce future cross-check conflicts. The committee paused for follow-up and adjourned without action.
