Bill > S72

This bill establishes a plan to ensure the educational stability of children in foster care, requiring the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a memorandum of understanding by July 1, 2016, to address how these students are enrolled in public schools, including recommendations for information sharing, electronic record keeping, privacy compliance, training, and funding. Furthermore, the Commissioner of DCF, in consultation with the Office of the Child Advocate and the Secretary of Education, will develop a statewide plan to help foster children continue their education in their original school if it's in their best interest, minimize learning loss from school changes, expedite record transfers, appoint educational liaisons, secure transportation funding, ensure regular attendance, and recommend legislative actions, such as allowing local school districts to waive certain residency requirements for relocated foster children, all while ensuring that children are appropriately enrolled in new schools and their records are transferred if remaining in their original school is not feasible. Finally, this plan must be filed with legislative committees within 12 months of the act's effective date.