The Fostering Connections Resource Center gratefully acknowledges the National Conference of State Legislatures for sharing its tracking information about pending and enacted legislation. Please visit NCSL for additional information.
Enacted Education Legislation
Department of Human Services
State: Iowa
Bill: SB 152; Status: Enacted
Summary: Relates to administrative and planning requirements involving children for whom the Department of Human Services has responsibility under state or federal law. Revises transition planning for older children in foster care who are age 16 or older and approaching adulthood to include health care coverage planning, opportunities to have a mentor, and education and housing assistance. Requires documentation of the educational stability of the child while in foster care. Mandates the department to send a notice to all adult relatives of the child in custody explaining their options to provide care for the child.
Sponsored by Senate Human Resources Committee
School Enrollment and Foster Care
State: Louisiana
Bill: HB 590; Status: Enacted
Summary: Requires public school governing authorities to ensure that children in foster care are allowed to remain enrolled in the same public schools in which they were enrolled when entering foster care. Provides that if the placement is outside the jurisdictional boundaries of the public school in which the child is enrolled, the governing authority of such school shall be responsible for providing free transportation for the child.
Sponsored by Representative Clem
Foster Care
State: Missouri
Bill: HB 154; Status: Enacted
Summary: Requires the state to make diligent efforts to contact and locate the grandparents of a child for emergency placement, except when the children's division determines this to not be in the best interest of the child. Defines "diligent efforts" to include a good faith attempt documented in writing by the children's division, which exercises reasonable efforts and care to utilize all available services and resources related to meeting the ongoing health and safety needs of the child, to locate a grandparent or grandparents of the child. Creates a "Foster Care Education Bill of Rights" which designates an educational liaision from each school district to each child in foster care. Establishes that each child placing agency shall promote the educational stability for foster care children when making placement decision by considering their current school attendance area.Ê
Sponsored by Representative Ruestman
Education Reform
State: Missouri
Bill: SB 291; Status: Enacted
Summary: Creates a "Foster Care Education Bill of Rights" which designates an educational liaision from each school district to each child in foster care. Establishes that each child placing agency shall promote the educational stability for foster care children when making placement decision by considering their current school attendance area.
Sponsored by Senator Shields
Children
State: Oklahoma
Bill: HB 1734, Chap. 338; Status: Enacted
Summary: Creates a Passport Program in the Department of Human Services to compile education, medical, and behavioral health records for children in protective custody, kinship care, and foster care. The Passport shall accompany each child to wherever the child resides so long as the child is in the custody of the Department .
Sponsored by Representative Peters
Education of Children in Foster Care and Fostering Connections to Success Act
State: Utah
Bill: HB 63; Status: Enacted
Summary: Amends education requirements related to enrollment and attendance in order to comply with the requirements of the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act. Requires a court to attempt to keep sibling groups of minors together.
Sponsored by Representative Harper
Education Laws
State: Maine
Bill: SB 588; Status: Enacted
Summary: Provides that a student placed by the Department of Health and Human Services with an adult who is not the child's parent or legal guardian in accordance with the educational stability provisions of the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 is considered a resident of either the school administrative unit where the student resides during the placement or the school administrative unit where the student resided prior to the placement based on the best interest of the student. The Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the school administrative units, shall determine which school is appropriate and notify that unit in writing of its determination.
Sponsored by Senator Diamond
Pending Education Legislation
Education of Children in Foster Care, Independent Living Skills Training
State: Alaska
Bill: HB 126; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Ensures the continued education of a child in out of home placement in their school of origin. Relates to tuition waivers, loans, and medical assistance for a child placed in out-of-home care by the state. Establishes that the state design a program that continues independent living skills training for youth who are likely to remain in foster care until age 21.
Sponsored by Representative Gara
Education of Homeless
State: Alaska
Bill: SB 105 ; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Ensures the continued education of a child in out of home placement in their school of origin. Relates to tuition waivers, loans, and medical assistance for a child up to age 21 who is placed in out-of-home care by the state.
Sponsored by Senator Davis
Foster Care Age Limit and Tuition Waiver
State: Alaska
Bill: SB 27; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: States that a person who was in foster care is entitled to a waiver of undergraduate tuition and fees. Extends subsidy payments for children up to age 18 or up to age 23 if they are living in foster care at that time.
Sponsored by Senator Davis
Education of Homeless Students and Children in Foster Care
State: Alaska
Bill: SB 28; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Amends the act to continue the public education of a homeless student or student awaiting foster care placement. Ensures that a child placed in foster care should continue to attend the child's school of origin.
Sponsored by Senator Davis
Children in Foster Care: School Proximity
State: California
Bill: AB 1067; Status: Pending
Summary: Revises provisions of existing law related to the educational stability of children in foster care. Establishes that the child welfare and educational agencies shall determine the appropriateness of the child's educational stability plan, i.e. remaining in his or her school of origin, transportation to school, etc.
Sponsored by Assembly Member Brownley
Administrative and Planning Requirements
State: Iowa
Bill: HSB 112; Status: Pending
Summary: Establishes that when a child is 16 years of age or older, a written transition plan of services to assist the child in transitioning from foster care into adulthood must be developed. Some of the areas to be addressed in the transition plan include health care coverage, opportunities to have a mentor, and education and housing assistance. Requires documentation of the educational stability of the child while in foster care. Mandates the department to send a notice to all adult relatives of the child in custody explaining their options to provide care for the child.
Sponsored by House Human Resources Committee
Educational Stability for Foster Children
State: Massachusetts
Bill: SB 41; Status: Pending
Summary: Promotes educational stability for foster children. States the commissioner of the department of children and families, in consultation with office of the child advocate and the secretary of education, shall develop a statewide plan for the educational stability of children placed in foster care.
Sponsored by Senator Galluccio
Implementation of the Federal Fostering Connections
State: New York
Bill: SB 3867; Status: Pending
Summary: Relates to implementation of the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 with respect to subsidized kinship guardianship, educational stability, transition plans and sibling visitation and contact.
Sponsored by Senator Montgomery
Out of home Juvenile Transition Public School
State: Colorado
Bill: HB 1274; Status: Pending
Summary: Determines that for children in out-of-home placements, the Department of Human Services shall provide notification to the child welfare educational liaison of the pending enrollment in a public school. Establishes that the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education shall enter a memorandum of understanding that includes a consistent and uniform approach to sharing medical, mental health, sociological, and scholastic achievement data about students between a school district, charter school, or institute charter school and the county department of social services to better facilitate the creation of transition plans for those students and ensure the safety of the people in the school community.
Sponsored by Representative Schaefer
Budget Recommendations
State: Connecticut
Bill: SB 31; Status: Pending
Summary: Establishes that whenever a child is placed in out-of-home care by the Department of Children and Families the child may continue to attend his or her school of origin. If it is determined that it is in a child's best interests to remain in his or her school of origin, the Department and the Board of Education shall collaborate on a transportation plan for the child from the town in which the child is placed to the school of origin.
Sponsored by Senator McKinney
Foster Care
State: Connecticut
Bill: SB 439; Status: Pending
Summary: States that the Department of Education shall study issues involving educational stability for children in foster care in the state.
Sponsored by Joint Committee on Education
Child Educational Stability
State: New Jersey
Bill: AB 2137; Status: Pending
Summary: Companion to SB 1333. Provides for educational stability of children placed in resource family homes and that school district of residence for the child shall be present district of residence of parent or guardian.
Sponsored by Assemblymember Conners
Child Educational Stability
State: New Jersey
Bill: SB 1333; Status: Pending
Summary: Companion to AB 2137. Provides for educational stability of children placed in resource family homes and that school district of residence for the child shall be present district of residence of parent or guardian.
Sponsored by Senator Vitale
State Education Bill of Rights
State: South Carolina
Bill: SB 1134; Status: Pending
Summary: Provides that school districts shall take certain measures to help ensure that the education needs of children in foster care are met by assisting with enrollment, school records and credit transfers, access to resources and activities, and excused absence make-up requirements.
Sponsored by Senator Peeler
Education of Homeless
State: Alaska
Bill: SB 105 ; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Ensures the continued education of a child in out of home placement in their school of origin. Establishes that persons under 21 years of age who were in the custody of the department and who were placed in out-of-home care for a period of not less than six consecutive months on or after reaching 16 years of age are eligible for medical assistance. Creates a program related to independent living skills for a child in state custody who was placed in out-of-home care and identified as being likely to remain in out-of-home care until reaching not less than the age of 18.
Sponsored by Senator Davis
Foster Care Age Limit and Tuition Waiver
State: Alaska
Bill: SB 27; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: States that a person who was in foster care is entitled to a waiver of undergraduate tuition and fees. Extends subsidy payments for children up to age 18 or up to age 23 if they are living in foster care at that time.
Sponsored by Senator Davis
Education of Homeless Students and Children in Foster Care
State: Alaska
Bill: SB 28; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Amends the act to continue the public education of a homeless student or student awaiting foster care placement. Ensures that a child placed in foster care should continue to attend the child's school of origin.
Sponsored by Senator Davis
Fostering Connections to Success Act
State: California
Bill: AB 12; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Requires the department to amend its foster care state plan to extend care to specified individuals up to 21 years of age. Requires the court to ensure that the child's transitional case plan is reviewed periodically and includes a plan for the child to meet one or more criteria that would allow the child to remain a nonminor dependent, and to ensure that the child has been informed of his or her right to seek the termination of dependency jurisdiction. Extends the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) to include children under 21 years of age who turned 16 years of age before the adoption assistance agreement became effective.
Sponsored by Assembly Members Beall and Bass, with principal co-author, Senator Liu
Educational Stability for Foster Children
State: Massachusetts
Bill: SB 41; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Promotes educational stability for foster children. States the commissioner of the department of children and families, in consultation with office of the child advocate and the secretary of education, shall develop a statewide plan for the educational stability of children placed in foster care.
Sponsored by Senator Galluccio
Implementation of the Federal Fostering Connections
State: New York
Bill: SB 3867; Status: Pending-Carryover
Summary: Relates to implementation of the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 with respect to subsidized kinship guardianship, educational stability, transition plans and sibling visitation and contact.
Sponsored by Senator Montgomery
Education
State: Vermont
Bill: HB 67; Status: Pending - Carryover
Summary: Authorizes the commissioner for children and families to require that a state-placed child finish the school year in the district in which he or she was most recently enrolled, even if the student's foster placement changes during the school year.
Sponsored by Representative Donahue
