Foster Care Plan
Foster Care Plan
The Caney Valley Public School District is committed to provide all students with sound educational experiences. We recognize that foster children are at an increased risk of grade retention, gaps in academic achievement, low high school graduation rates, and postsecondary enrollment. These provisions promote greater stability for children in foster care so that they can continue their education without disruption, maintain important relationships with peers and adults, and have the opportunity to achieve college- and career readiness.
School District Assurances
- Each placement of the child in foster care takes into account the appropriateness of the current educational setting and the proximity to the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement.
- The state child welfare agency will coordinate with appropriate local educational agencies to ensure that the child remains in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement.
- The Best Interest Determination Evaluation tool will be used to assist the team with decisions regarding best placement for the student.
- If it is not in the best interest of the child to return to the resident school, the child will immediately be provided the appropriate enrollment to the Caney Valley Public School District.
- The Caney Valley Public School District will gather and maintain educational records and promptly send them to any district where the student moves.
Foster Care Child Liaison (POC)
The Caney Valley Public School District will assign at least one person to serve as a Foster Care Child Liaison, or Point of Contact (POC). The Foster Care Child Liaison will work in the best interest of the child to ensure that all educational requirements are being met. The Foster Care Child Liaison for Caney Valley Public Schools is:
- Mary Butterfield
- mbutterfield@caneyvalleyschool.org
- 918-535-2205
The liaison will work closely with state and tribal child welfare agencies to:
- Coordinating with the corresponding child welfare agency,
- Leading the development of a process for making the best interest determination,
- Documenting the best interest determination,
- Facilitating the transfer of records and immediate enrollment,
- Facilitating data sharing with child welfare agencies, consistent with FERPA and other privacy protocols,
- Developing and coordinating local transportation procedures,
- Managing best interest determinations and transportation cost disputes,
- Ensuring that children in foster care are enrolled in and regularly attending school, and
- Providing professional development and training to school staff on the Title I provisions and educational needs of children in foster care.
Identification of Foster Students
Within one day of placing a child in foster care, the Oklahoma Child Welfare Agency (OCWA) or other foster care agency (such as tribal agency) will notify the POC for Caney Valley Public Schools to begin the process of determining the best interest of the child for school attendance. As soon as Caney Valley is notified by the foster care agency that a student who is currently enrolled in Caney Valley Public Schools has been placed in a foster home, Caney Valley Public Schools and the foster care agency will work to determine if it is in the best interest of the child to remain in the school of origin or to transfer to the local zoned school in which the foster parents reside.
Enrollment of Students
Foster care parents, social workers or other legal guardians will be allowed to immediately enroll children in Caney Valley Public Schools. We understand that all necessary paperwork (birth certificates, shot records, academic records, special education records, etc.) may not be immediately available and want to provide a smooth transition for the student into our district. We will contact the home school district for the records and make adaptations as needed. After enrollment the following guardianship or legal custody documents shall be provided for verification by the foster family or CWA:
- Power of attorney
- Affidavit
- Court Order
IDEA Students
The IDEA, Part B directs school districts must make a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) available to all eligible children with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). FAPE under IDEA includes the provision of special education and related services at no cost to the parents in accordance with properly developed Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each child’s placement decision must be made by a group of knowledgeable persons.
The Caney Valley Public School District will operate in accordance with all state and federal laws regarding special education students. Special education services will be provided to foster care students as they are to all students following the guideline below.
- Educational placement will be determined annually and will be based on the child’s IEP in accordance with the child’s individual needs
- The child will be placed in the least restrictive environment and unless they require some other arrangement they will attend the school that he/she would attend if not disabled.
- Timely and expedited evaluations and eligibility determinations for highly mobile children with disabilities will be made when possible.
- Children in foster care will have access to related aids and services that are designed to meet their educational needs.
- Children will have access to comparable services including summer and extended school year services if applicable.
- Children in foster care will not be discriminated against and are considered a protected group.
EL Students
The Caney Valley Public School District will ensure that EL students in foster care will participate meaningfully and equally in educational programs by doing the following:
- Identifying and assessing all potential EL students in a timely, valid and reliable manner;
- Provide EL students with a language assistance program that is educationally sound and proven successful;
- Avoid unnecessary segregation of EL students;
- Ensure that EL students with disabilities are evaluated in a timely and appropriate manner for special education and disability-related services and that their language needs are considered in these evaluations and delivery of services;
- Meet the needs of EL students who opt out of language assistance programs;
- Monitor and evaluate EL students in language assistance programs following federal guidelines;
- Continue to evaluate the effectiveness of school districts language assistance program and progress of each students;
- Ensure meaningful communication with the parents of the students.
Transportation
The Caney Valley Public School District will collaborate with the CWA to develop and implement clear written procedures governing how transportation is provided to maintain children in foster care in their schools of origin. The Caney Valley Public School District will also work with the CWA to reach an agreement in regards to covering the transportation costs. The agreement will cover how the transportation will be provided, arranged, and funded for the duration of the child’s time in foster care. Each agreement can/will vary greatly because the needs of each child should be considered in making the decision on transportation.
Student Records
The Caney Valley Public School District will share education records with the CWA that are allowed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This allows educational agencies to disclose without parental consent educational records, including IDEA, of students in foster care to State and Tribal agencies.