HSB 654 (LSB 6154YC (1) 85)

HOUSE FILE _____

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON JORGENSEN)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to continuity of learning for children receiving foster care services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 273.2, Code 2014, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  10.  The area education agency board shall employ a child welfare liaison to provide services and guidance to local school districts to facilitate the efficient and effective transfer and enrollment of a child receiving foster care services to another school district, including but not limited to guidance relating to the transfer of credit earned for coursework taken by the student, enrollment transition planning, facilitating information sharing between education and child welfare agencies, and developing systems designed to ameliorate the transition issues faced by a child receiving foster care services who is transferring to and enrolling in a school district.
    Sec. 2.  Section 280.29, Code 2014, is amended to read as follows:
   280.29  Enrollment of children in foster care —— transfer of educational records —— services.
   1.  In order to facilitate the educational stability of children in receiving foster care services, a school district, upon notification by an agency of the state that a child in receiving foster care services is transferring into to and enrolling in the school district, shall provide for the immediate and appropriate enrollment of the child.  The school district shall do the following:
   a.  Work with an area education agency child welfare liaison in accordance with section 273.2, subsection 10, to develop systems to ease the enrollment transition of a child receiving foster care services to another school.
   b.  Develop procedures for awarding credit for coursework, including electives, completed by a child receiving foster care services while enrolled at another school.
   (1)  Credits and grades earned and offered for acceptance shall be based on official transcripts and shall be accepted without validation unless required under the receiving school district’s accreditation requirements.
   (2)  If the child earned less than a two point on a four-point scale for a unit of coursework, the school district may require the child to retake the class in middle or high school. If the school district determines the child’s proficiencies in an elementary grade are substantially deficient, the child’s parent or guardian shall be notified and intensive instructional services and supports pursuant to section 279.68, or an individualized education plan in accordance with chapter 256B, shall be provided if appropriate.
   c.  Promote practices that facilitate access by a child receiving foster care services to extracurricular programs, summer programs, and credit transfer services.
   d.  Establish procedures to lessen the adverse impact of the enrollment transfer of a child receiving foster care services to another school.
   e.  Enter into a memorandum of understanding with the department of human services regarding the exchange of information as appropriate to facilitate the enrollment transition of children receiving foster care services from one school to another school.
   f.  Provide other assistance as identified by the area education child welfare liaison.
   2.  A school district or an accredited nonpublic school, upon notification by an agency of the state that a child in foster care is transferring enrollment from the school district or accredited nonpublic school to another school district or accredited nonpublic school, shall promptly provide for the transfer of all of the educational records of the child not later than five school days after receiving the notification.
    Sec. 3.  STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED.  In accordance with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under section 257.16. This specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to continuity of learning for children placed in foster care by requiring every area education agency to employ a child welfare liaison to provide services and guidance to school districts in the area to facilitate the efficient and effective enrollment transfer of a child receiving foster care services. The bill directs school districts to work with the liaison to develop systems to ease the transition of a child receiving foster care services to another school.
   The services and guidance the liaison must provide to local school districts include but are not limited to guidance relating to the transfer of credit, transition planning, facilitating information sharing between education and child welfare agencies, and developing systems designed to ameliorate the enrollment transition issues faced by a child receiving foster care services who is transferring to and enrolling in a school district.
   School districts must develop procedures for awarding credit for coursework, including electives, completed by such a child while enrolled at another school. If the child earned less than a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for a unit of coursework, the school district may require the child to retake the class. If the child’s proficiencies in an elementary grade are substantially deficient, the district must provide intensive instructional services and supports or an individualized education plan if appropriate.
   School districts must also promote practices that facilitate access by such a child to extracurricular programs, summer programs, and credit transfer services; establish procedures to lessen the adverse impact of enrollment transition to another school; and enter into a memorandum of understanding with the department of human services regarding the exchange of information to facilitate the enrollment transition of foster care children from one school to another school.
   The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under Code section 257.16. The specification is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.