SHB 2679 -
By Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education
ADOPTED 03/07/2008
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 28A.310
RCW to read as follows:
Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose,
the Puget Sound educational service district shall designate a foster
care program supervisor to coordinate programs and services for
students in foster care. The foster care program supervisor shall:
(1) Facilitate the use of education system resources to improve
educational stability and other measurable outcomes for children in
children's administration out-of-home care and enrolled in a school
district within the Puget Sound educational service district;
(2) Develop and distribute model school district policies to
improve services and supports to children in children's administration
out-of-home care and enrolled in a school district within the Puget
Sound educational service district;
(3) Provide training to public school staff on the impact of child
abuse and neglect, school preparedness, and the child welfare system
upon children who live in children's administration out-of-home care,
the likely need for students in children's administration out-of-home
care to have a strong relationship with one or more adults at school
and academic and behavioral remediation, and the need to determine
eligibility of students in children's administration out-of-home care
for the many programs for which they qualify that are provided in
schools;
(4) Provide technical assistance to schools concerning interagency
agreements and children's administration policies relative to the
education of children who live in children's administration out-of-home
care;
(5) Coordinate with the McKinney-Vento education of homeless
children and youth program supervisor within the office of the
superintendent of public instruction on issues that relate to the
definition of children's administration out-of-home care and
homelessness;
(6) Coordinate with the office of the superintendent of public
instruction the legal interpretations of the family education rights
and privacy act and the health insurance portability and accountability
act relative to data exchange;
(7) Provide technical assistance to school districts within the
Puget Sound educational service district to facilitate local data
exchange;
(8) Coordinate with regions 4 and 5 children's administration
education leads to facilitate completion of interagency agreements for
top priority school districts within the Puget Sound educational
service district; and
(9) Establish a model information and data-sharing agreement
between school districts and the children's administration and
facilitate completion of information and data-sharing agreements.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 28A.300
RCW to read as follows:
The superintendent of public instruction shall provide an annual
aggregate report to the legislature on the educational experiences and
progress of students in children's administration out-of-home care.
This data should be disaggregated in the smallest units allowable by
law that do not identify an individual student, in order to learn which
school districts are experiencing the greatest success and challenges
in achieving quality educational outcomes with students in children's
administration out-of-home care.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 28A.310
RCW to read as follows:
(1) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this
purpose, the Puget Sound educational service district shall create a
grant program for local school districts to improve stability and
educational outcomes for students in foster care. Grants shall be
awarded to school districts with the highest incidence of child
protective services removals and foster care placements under chapter
13.34 RCW.
(2) School districts receiving grants under this section shall
agree to the following:
(a) The grant shall not supplant funding already in place for all
students.
(b) The grant shall be used to supplement and enhance educational
stability and educational outcomes for students in foster care.
(3) Grant activities may include but are not limited to the
following:
(a) Dedicated staff time for:
(i) Additional counselor support for students in foster care and
foster parent support;
(ii) Facilitation of education planning meetings with children's
administration caseworkers, students, foster and relative caregivers,
other community providers, and birth parents when appropriate;
(iii) Coordination with programs for which students in foster care
may be eligible including: Title I, Upward Bound, free and reduced
meals, etc.;
(iv) Tutoring;
(v) Temporary arrangements for transportation to enhance
educational stability;
(vi) Coordination with the McKinney-Vento education of homeless
children and youth program activities within the office of the
superintendent of public instruction and local school district Title X
liaisons;
(vii) Activities promoting engagement of foster parents in school
programming activities;
(viii) Outreach to birth parents, when appropriate;
(ix) Assurance of timely and accurate record and data transfer when
a student in foster care moves to a different school;
(x) Support for school-based foster parent recruitment; and
(xi) Additional school staff training concerning the
characteristics and needs of students in foster care including
protecting the right to privacy for students in foster care;
(b) Fees normally covered by parents for extracurricular activity
participation, school pictures, yearbooks, ASB cards, school fines,
etc.
(4) The Puget Sound educational service district shall annually
submit a report to the legislature on grant program outcomes under this
section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 74.13 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Subject to availability of funds appropriated specifically for
this purpose, the department of social and health services, within the
children's administration, shall fund two school district-based foster
care recruitment pilots in one or more of the school districts with the
highest number of child protective services removals and out-of-home
placements under chapter 13.34 RCW. Pilots must coordinate with
existing foster care recruitment contracts and the family-to-family
model. Funds can be used to expand existing contracts or fund
children's administration staff.
(2) The department of social and health services shall annually
report to the legislature on the increase or decrease of foster homes
within the pilot areas.
Sec. 5 RCW 28A.150.510 and 2000 c 88 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
In order to effectively serve students who are ((under the
jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system as)) dependent pursuant to
chapter 13.34 RCW, education records shall be ((released upon))
transmitted to the department of social and health services within two
school days after receiving the request ((to)) from the department ((of
social and health services)) provided that the department ((of social
and health services)) certifies that it will not disclose to any other
party the education records without prior written consent of the parent
or student unless authorized to disclose the records under state law.
The department of social and health services is authorized to disclose
education records it obtains pursuant to this section to a foster
parent, guardian, or other entity authorized by the department ((of
social and health services)) to provide residential care to the
student.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 If specific funding for the purposes of this
act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by
June 30, 2008, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and
void."
SHB 2679 -
By Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education
ADOPTED 03/07/2008
On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "care;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 28A.150.510; adding new sections to chapter 28A.310 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 74.13 RCW; and creating a new section."