From the ECS State Policy Database Special Populations--Foster Care

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary CA Signed into law 09/2012 P-12 Foster Children (Including Pupils with Disabilities), and Disciplinary Issues A.B. 1909 From bill summary: Requires each local education agency (LEA)'s educational liaison for foster children, if so designated by the LEA superin... More... CA Signed into law 09/2012 P-12 Foster Children, Including with Special Needs S.B. 121 From bill summary: Requires that, if a foster child's parent or guardian, or other person holding the right to make educational decisions fo... More... CA Signed into law 09/2012 P-12 Continuation of Former Foster Child in School of Origin S.B. 1568 From bill summary: Requires a local educational agency to allow a former foster child to continue his/her education in the school of origin ... More... CA Signed into law 07/2012 P-12 Residency Requirements for Foster Children A.B. 1573 Provides a pupil who is a foster child who remains in his/her school of origin has met the residency requirements for school attendance (pre... More... MO Signed into law 06/2012 P-12 Students in Foster Care H.B. 1577 Requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to ensure that specified criteria are implemented in every district regarding ... More... CT Signed into law 06/2012 P-12 Educational Availability for Foster Youth S.B. 293 Requires that a permanency plan of a child in the care and custody of the Commissioner of Children and Families include information regardin... More... LA Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 School Enrollment of Foster Care Youth H.B. 269 Amends current law to allow a child who is in foster care to remain enrolled in the public school in which the child was enrolled at the tim... More... WA Signed into law 03/2012 P-12 Educational Success for Youth and Alumni of Foster Care Act. H.B. 2254 Establishes the educational success for youth and alumni of foster care act. Includes in the purpose of the passport to college promise prog... More... CA Signed into law 10/2011 P-12 Enrollment of Foster Children A.B. 709 From bill summary: Specifies that the new school is required to immediately enroll a foster child even if he or she is unable to produce med... More... CA Signed into law 10/2011 P-12 Awarding of Credit for Certain Pupils in Foster Care S.B. 578 From bill summary: Requires a school district and county office of education to accept coursework satisfactorily completed by a pupil in fos... More... TX Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Liaison Officer to Facilitate Foster Child Enrollments and Transfers H.B. 826 Directs each district to appoint at least one employee to act as a liaison officer to facilitate the enrollment in or transfer to a public s... More... VT Signed into law 05/2011 P-12 Postsec. Special Needs S.B. 100 - Disabilities Sections Requires schools and local districts coordinate educational services to children and adolescents with a severe emotional disturbance with th... More... GA Signed into law 05/2011 P-12 Foster Care Student Attending Court Proceedings H.B. 314 Provides that a foster care student who attends court proceedings relating to the student's foster care must not be counted as an absence, e... More... AZ Signed into law 04/2011 P-12 Special Populations S.B. 1256--Special Populations Designates the definition of home school district for students who are wards of the state and enrolled in accommodation school at a juvenile... More... MS Signed into law 03/2011 P-12 Alternative School Placement H.B. 1178 Provides criteria for districts to make a determination on an individualized basis before placing compulsory-school-age children returning f... More... CA Signed into law 09/2010 P-12 Educational Stability for Foster Youth S.B. 1353 From bill analysis: Makes findings and declarations about the importance of a child's education; the negative effects on foster children of ... More... CA Signed into law 09/2010 P-12 Attendance of Foster Children A.B. 1933 From bill analysis: Requires an LEA, at the initial detention or any subsequent change in a foster child's placement, to allow that child to... More... CA Vetoed 09/2010 P-12 Special Needs Students in Foster Care System S.B. 1059 From bill analysis: Clarifies which local educational agency is responsible for the provision and payment of special education services for ... More... RI Signed into law 06/2010 P-12 Education of Youth in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems H.R. 8109, S.R. 2872 Creates the Task Force on the Education of Children and Youth in the Care of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Directs the ta... More... CT Signed into law 06/2010 P-12 Children In the Care of the Department of Children and Families/School of Residence SB 31 Creates a presumption that it is in the best interest of a child that the department of children and families (DCF) places in out-of-home ca... More... SC Signed into law 06/2010 P-12 Education Bill of Rights for Children in Foster Care S.B. 1134 Establishes the Education Bill of Rights for Children in Foster Care; requires school districts to have in place procedures to ensure seamle... More... WV Signed into law 03/2010 P-12 Foster Care Pilot Program H.B. 4164 Creates a pilot program for the placement of children four to ten years of age in foster care which shall be known as Jacob's Law; states th... More... ME Signed into law 03/2010 P-12 Residence of Student Not Residing with Legal Parent/Guardian S.B. 588 - Sec. 1 Provides that a student who is placed by the state department of health and human services with an adult who is not the parent or legal guar... More... MI Signed into law 12/2009 P-12 Residency Status of Foster Care Students H.B. 5298 Modifies residency status for certain pupils placed in foster care; provides that if a child who is under court jurisdiction is placed in fo... More... MI Signed into law 12/2009 P-12 Foster Care Student Enrollment H.B. 5299 Revises definition of membership for certain pupils placed in foster care by providing that a pupil enrolled in a district other than the pu... More... CA Vetoed 10/2009 P-12 Preschool Enrollment for Children of Juvenile Court Wards A.B. 769 States findings and declarations regarding children of youth who are in custody, or on probation or in the foster care system. Requires prio... More... CA Signed into law 10/2009 P-12 Graduation Requirements Waiver for Certain Foster Care Students A.B. 167 Requires a school district to exempt a pupil in foster care from all coursework and other requirements adopted by the district's governing b... More... CA Signed into law 08/2009 P-12 Foster Student Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities A.B. 81 Requires that a foster child who changes residences pursuant to a court order or decision of a child welfare worker be immediately deemed to... More... OH Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Reimbursement for Students in Residential Facilities H.B. 1 - Section 3313.64 From DOE summary of H.B. 1: Requires school districts that owe tuition for a regular education student housed in a residential facility to ... More... OH Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Assignment of Surrogate Parent H.B. 1 - Section 3323.05 From DOE summary of H.B. 1: Modifies existing procedural guidelines established for the department of education to protect the rights of a c... More... LA Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Foster Care Students and Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children H.B. 590 Requires public school governing authorities to ensure that children in foster care are allowed to remain enrolled in the same public school... More... MO Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Foster Care Education S.B. 291--Foster Care Education Bill of Rights Establishes "Foster Care Education Bill of Rights." Each district must designate a staff person to be an educational liaison for foster care... More... AZ Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Foster Care S.B. 1049 Creates a separate fingerprint clearance card for foster and prospective foster and adoptive parents in accordance with the Adam Walsh Child... More... TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Postsec. Foster Care Students S.B. 2248 Directs the state education agency to assist the transition of foster care students from one school to another by specified means, including... More... TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Evaluation of Educational Outcomes of Foster Care Students S.B. 939 Directs the state education agency and the department of family and protective services to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) re... More... FL Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Education for Children in Shelter Care or Foster Care and Exceptional Students S.B. 1128 Relates to education and children in shelter care or foster care; includes exceptional students; provides for a surrogate parent for educati... More... IN Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Board for the Coordination of Programs Serving Vulnerable Individuals H.B. 1289 - Section 1 Creates the board for the coordination of programs serving vulnerable individuals to coordinate the delivery of services to vulnerable indiv... More... IN Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Postsec. Foster Care H.B. 1681 Relates to educational assistance for foster care youth; requires the state student scholarship commission to annually report to the legisla... More... UT Signed into law 03/2009 P-12 Enrollment of Foster Care Youth H.B. 63 Amends education requirements related to enrollment and attendance in order to comply with the requirements of the federal Fostering Connect... More... CO Signed into law 03/2009 P-12 Foster Parent Training H.B. 1078 Requires that the department of human services make available to foster parents training concerning individualized education programs. http:... More... MI Signed into law 01/2009 P-12 Postsec. Community College Foster Care Trust Fund and Foster Care Board H.B. 6089 Establishes the Foster Care Trust Fund in the Department of Human Services as a charitable and educational endowment fund; establishes the S... More... MI Signed into law 07/2008 P-12 Postsec. Community College Foster Care Services H.B. 4481 Creates the Foster Care Independence Act; provides services for child abuse victims who are aging out of foster care; establishes the Foster... More... LA Signed into law 07/2008 P-12 High School Dropout Prevention Act of 2008 H.B. 1091 Provides that before a student between the ages of 17 and 18 may drop out, the student and student's parent must attend an exit interview, i... More... OR Adopted 06/2008 P-12 Postsec. Community College Foster Care Educational Services OAR 413-100-0900, -0905, -0910, -0915, -0920, -0925, -0930, -0935,-0940 Describes the activities required to assure that regular education, special education, pre-school, and post-secondary education services are... More... CO Signed into law 04/2008 P-12 Transfer of Education Records for Foster Children H.B. 1019 Requires each school district to appoint a person to act as the child welfare education liaison; provides that when a student in out-of-home... More... IL Signed into law 08/2007 P-12 Special Education Classes for Wards of the State S.B. 398 Amends the School Code regarding special education classes for children from orphanages, foster family homes, children's homes, or in-state ... More... IN Signed into law 05/2007 P-12 Placement of Foster and Juvenile Court Students S.B. 330 Provides that a student who is placed in a foster family home or the home of a relative or other unlicensed caretaker may attend school in e... More... IN Signed into law 05/2007 P-12 Postsec. Eligibility for 21st Century Scholars Program H.B. 1266 Provides that a student who is in foster care or placed in the home of a relative or other unlicensed caretaker may enroll in the 21st Centu... More... WA Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Postsec. Passport to College Promise Program Pilot H.B. 1131 Declares an intent to create the passport to college promise pilot program that will have two primary components, as follows: (1) Significan... More... AZ Signed into law 06/2006 Postsec. Tuition Grants for At Risk and Foster Children S.B. 1164 Establishes the displaced pupils choice grant program under which each custodian of a qualifying pupil who completes an application for a gr... More... TN Signed into law 05/2006 P-12 Financial Support for Children in State Care S.B. 3922 Concerns Education; specifies that when the education of a child becomes the state's direct responsibility for any reason, the commissioner ... More... KS Signed into law 04/2006 P-12 Postsec. Tuition Waivers for Foster Children S.B. 85 Section 1-10 Establishes the Kansas Foster Child Educational Assistance Act. Provides that the purpose of the act is to establish an educational assista... More...