Kathleen Hoehne Foster Care Consultant Office of Field Services Michigan Department of Education Ann Rossi Education Analyst Education and Youth Services Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ID: 705237
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Foster Care Provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act
Kathleen HoehneFoster Care ConsultantOffice of Field ServicesMichigan Department of Education
Ann Rossi
Education AnalystEducation and Youth ServicesMichigan Department of Health and Human Services
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Today’s Agenda
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015State Requirements
Local District Requirements
Points-of-Contact ResponsibilitiesTransportation Collaboration2Slide3
National Statistics for Youth experiencing foster care
National Foster Youth Institute- 2016Approximately 400,000+ children nationally are in foster care Higher rate of mobility during the school year
Higher rate of identification for special education
Dropout rate three times higher than non-foster youth Approximately 50% drop out of high school Over 40% experience educational difficulties (suspension/expulsion, segregation from peers, relational issues, etc.) Less than 3% attain a four-year post-secondary degree*ALMOST EVERY YOUTH EXPERIENCED TRAUMA
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Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
Education provisions of Fostering Connections require:All case plans include assurances of educational stability.
Child welfare staff consider appropriateness of school and proximity to school of origin when making foster care placements/replacement.
Child welfare staff work with school staff to ensure children remain in the school of origin at time of placement.4Slide5
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 Cont.
When remaining in the school of origin is not found in the best interest of the student, the case plan must include assurances that the child welfare agencies have worked with the schools to:Provide immediate and appropriate enrollment in a new school regardless of the availability of enrollment forms.
Provide all of the educational records of the child to the school.
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Notification and records Release form
The DHS-942, Education Notification and Record Release form is required to be sent to the school:When a student first enters foster care, whether a school move is required or not.Any time a student moves foster home placements while in care, whether a school move is required or not.
Any time a student transfers schools.
When a case worker is completing the case service plan. 6Slide7
Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015
(ESSA)New Federal Education Law Passed in December 2015
Updates Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Replaces the No Child Left Behind ActAmends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act7Slide8
Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015
Requires, for the first time, that ALL students be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and career.
Requires new federal data reporting at the state level for: graduation, academic achievement and attendance.
Intends to reduce the burden of testing.Guarantees steps are taken to help students and their schools improve.Upholds critical protections for disadvantaged and high-need students, including foster and homeless students.8Slide9
ESSA – McKinney-Vento Amendments
ESSA amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and removes the term “awaiting foster care placement” from the definition of “homeless.”As of December 10, 2016
, “awaiting foster care placement” has been removed from the law.
Foster youth will NO LONGER be considered homeless under McKinney-Vento at this time. *Foster youth can no longer receive district MV services on the basis of foster status alone.MDHHS has the responsibility for any additional costs for transportation. 9Slide10
ESSA - Foster Care Provisions, State
State Title I PlanMust describe the steps that the State Education Agency (SEA) will take to ensure collaboration with state child welfare agency to ensure education stability of students who are in foster care:
The SEA must designate a state Point of Contact for child welfare agencies and LEAs, who will oversee the implementation of these responsibilities at the LEA level.
This person cannot be the same as the State Coordinator for McKinney-Vento Programs. (It can be at LEA level).Collaborate with the state agency responsible for administering state plans under the Fostering Connections Act and LEAs.10Slide11
ESSA - Foster Care Provisions, Local
Local Title I Plans:
Must contain assurances that the local educational agency (LEA) will collaborate with the child welfare agency to:
Designate a point of contact in the EEM by September 6, 2016.Develop and implement procedures for how transportation to maintain foster youth in their schools of origin, when in their best interest, will be provided, arranged and funded.Develop procedures to maintain foster youth in their school of origin during any dispute around transportation funding.
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Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Memos
MDE has issued Memos to the field regarding the identification of a district foster care liaison in the EEM. August 25, 2016 August 16, 2017 *NOTE: Title I, Part A funds approved in districts 2017-18 Consolidated Application will
NOT
be available until a person is identified and entered into the EEM as the foster care liaison.Directions for entering information into the EEM are available on the MDE-OFS website.12Slide13
www.Michigan.gov/eem
*Person entering information must have appropriate privileges in the EEMLocate the Foster Care Liaison on drop-downOpen the entityEntity information page has its own toolbar, click “Edit Entity”
Click on “Admin/Contacts” tab found at the bottom
Click on the “Add Contact” buttonComplete the required information13Slide14
Best Interest Factors
Foster care workers must consider the following factors regarding school placement: The parents or guardians and child’s school of preference.
Educational input from school personnel and district liaison.
The child’s/youth’s: Social and emotional state Academic achievement/strengths/weaknessesContinuity of relationships
Special education programming
Extra-curricular activity participation
Distance/travel time to and from current school/new placement and the impact of commute on the child
Supportive relationships and/or services
Length of anticipated stay in placement and permanency plan
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Best Interest Factors – Additional Questions
How would changing schools affect the child or youth’s ability to earn full academic credit, proceed to the next grade or graduate on time?How many schools has the child attended over the past few years?What schools do the siblings attend?
Can a move wait until the end of a semester?
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Best Interest Checklist
From a Brief, National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)MDHHS/MDE may edit this checklist for Michigan as experience with the new law and policies indicate.
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Michigan Revised School Code
Act 451 MCL 380.1148(2)In 2009, Michigan revised the school code:A school district must allow a student to enroll in and attend the appropriate grade in the school selected by the Department of Health and Human Services or a child placing agency
without regard to whether or not the student is residing in that district
. If the selection results in a student transferring to another school, the school records must immediately be transferred to that new school.17Slide18
Education Records Transfer
Each time a child/youth moves home placements, the caseworker must provide the new placement with ANY AVAILABLE education records at time of placement of within TWO weeks.This includes an initial placement, replacements to new foster home/relative, or reunification.
It is the schools responsibility to provide any current records for a student whose placement is changing.
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MDHHS State Education Analyst
Write education policy for foster care manuals.Provide regular ongoing training and technical assistance to Education Planners, Points-of-Contact, and other child welfare staff across the state.Maintain updated MDHHS Points-of-Contact list.
Maintain an updated MDHHS ESSA page on the public MDHHS website.
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MDHHS Education Planners
Specialized MDHHS staff that work with youth age 14 and up with open foster care cases on education issues.15 planners that currently cover 34 counties.Receive regular, ongoing detailed training:
Federal and state education law and policy
Federal and state child welfare law and policySpecial EducationBest interest determinationHigher education preparation and resourcesOlder youth resources
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MDHHS Education Points-of-Contact
Responsibilities In counties with an Education Planner, they may be the identified POC.For Education Planners that cover multiple counties, different POCs may be identified in some counties.
Received initial training about education law and the changes regarding transportation.
Received specialized training and technical assistance on process for transportation payment.Tasked with getting information to child welfare staff at MDHHS and private agencies.21Slide22
MDHHS Education Points-of-Contact
Responsibilities cont.Serve as main go-to person for district foster care liaison. Provide technical assistance and support to foster care caseworkers as they:
Notify school districts when a child has been placed in foster care in the LEA, moves out of the LEA, or when a foster care placement changes.
Coordinate transportation plans and payment.Make Best Interest Determinations.
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Foster Care Case Worker
Responsibilities Foster care case workers have full case responsibility.Although Education Planners and Points-of-Contact can assist, it is the assigned case worker’s responsibility to ensure education continuity for children/youth.
Foster care case workers report quarterly on all case progress to the court.
This includes education. 23Slide24
MDHHS Website Page
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MDHHS Website Page Cont.
Additional information to help locate district foster care liaisons and MDHHS Education Point-of-Contact
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State Foster Care Point of Contact Responsibilities
State point of contact for the education of foster youth responsibilities will include but may not be limited to:Provide professional development opportunities and technical assistance for LEA foster care liaison and other personnel regarding school stability and educational supports for children in foster care.
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State Point of Contact for Foster Care Responsibilities Cont.
Coordinate with the corresponding State and Tribal Child Welfare agency POCs to issue joint State guidance for the implementation of the Title I provisions, which include: Establish guidelines for transportation procedures, including how transportation will be addressed across district, county and State lines and what should be included in local transportation procedures.
Establish uniform criteria around the Best Interest Determination factors.
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State Point of Contact for Foster Care Responsibilities Cont. 2
Facilitate data sharing with State and Tribal Child Welfare agencies, consistent with FERPA and other Federal or State privacy laws, regulations, and policies.Monitor LEAs to ensure compliance with the Title I requirements at the LEA level.
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District Foster Care Liaison Responsibilities
District foster care liaison responsibilities will include but may not be limited to:Ensure that children in foster care are IMMEDIATELY
enrolled in and are regularly attending school.
Ensure transportation procedures are in place to maintain students in their school of origin, when determined to be in their best interest.29Slide30
District Foster Care Liaison Responsibilities Cont.
Participate with the Best Interest Determination. Facilitate the transfer of records and immediate enrollment.
Facilitate data sharing with the Child Welfare Agencies, consistent with FERPA and other privacy protocols.
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District Foster Care Liaison Responsibilities cont. 2
Coordinate with the county MDHHS POC on the implementation of the Title I provisions:Participate with Best Interest Determinations.
Implementation of the Title I provisions of ESSA (including immediate enrollment and transportation arrangements).
Develop LEA/regional transportation procedures.Facilitate transportation costs agreements between the LEA and the child welfare agency.31Slide32
Transportation Payment
Payment from MDHHS comes from Central Office allocation.Payment can be made to a transportation company, a school district, a foster parent/relative.
Anyone receiving payment must be registered in SIGMA (formally MAIN).
When payment is going to the district, the school can provide a certification letter/bill each month, listing what was paid for, for what days, the cost and signed by the district designee. This information is sent to the case worker.32Slide33
Transportation Payment cont.
Foster care case worker completes the 1582-CS.Entire packet goes to the MDHHS Local Office Designee (LOD) and then to:
Payment Processing Unit MDHHS-Accounting-PPU@michigan.gov. Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb send these to ASC 6, Shirley Harrison, HarrisonS@michigan.gov.*Billing should be completed monthly
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Collaboration
LEA POC and MDHHS POC should collaborate to:Develop formalized local processes for Best Interest Determination.Look at ALL available transportation plans and options:
Re-routing school busses
District “A” does morning run and district “B” does afternoon runTransport student to old bus stop in school of originUsing school vans Public transportation passes
Gas cards to foster parent/relative
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Resources
Best Interest Determinations ChecklistBest Interest Determination checklist Dear Colleague Letters
https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/edhhsfostercaredcl.pdf
https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/edhhseffectivedatesdcl.pdf State of Michigan Websiteshttp://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-6530_30334_51051-428655--,00.htmlhttp://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-71551_11120_78699---,00.html
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Questions
Ann RossiRossiA@michigan.gov
517-373-2851
Kathleen Hoehnehoehnek@Michigan.gov
517-373-4004
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