H-3930.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2356

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By House Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Kagi, McIntire, Santos, Dickerson, Tokuda, Darneille, Clements, Schual‑Berke and Wood)

Read first time 02/04/2002.  Referred to Committee on .

Creating a working group to address school age children who enter short-term foster care.

    AN ACT Relating to school placement for school age children in foster care; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  (1) Within existing resources, the department of social and health services, in cooperation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall convene a working group to prepare a plan for the legislature which addresses educational stability and continuity for school age children who enter into short term foster care.  The working group shall be comprised of representatives from:

    (a) The children's administration of the department of social and health services;

    (b) The special education, transportation, and apportionment divisions of the office of the superintendent of public instruction;

    (c) The Washington state institute for public policy;

    (d) School districts;

    (e) Organizations that regularly advocate for foster children;

    (f) Foster parents; and

    (g) Other individuals with related expertise as deemed appropriate by the working group.

    (2)(a) The working group shall develop a plan for assuring that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration in the school placement of a child in short‑term foster care.  The plan must:

    (i) Determine the current status of school placement for children placed in short‑term foster care;

    (ii) Identify options and possible funding sources from existing resources which could be made available to assure that children placed in short‑term foster care are able to remain in the school where they were enrolled prior to placement;

    (iii) Submit recommendations to the legislature by November 1, 2002,  to assure the best interest of the child receives primary consideration in school placement decisions.

    (b) The plan shall be developed within existing resources.

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