Responsibilities of the Foster Care Liaison
Contact all foster families with children enrolled at a Denton ISD campus to make them aware of services and support for their children, which includes but is not limited to the assurance that:
• Children in foster care receive free lunch without an application
• Children in foster care receive school supplies
• Children in foster care, who are bus eligible, have access to transportation
• Foster parents have access to information and referral to community and governmental resources, to include counseling and mental health options
• Our district identifies barriers and gaps in services, in order to support children in foster care and their families
• Enrollment, withdrawal and records transfer of children in foster care is efficient and effective
• Our campuses are informed and respectful of the academic and social/emotional needs of children in foster care and are seen as advocates for their success within our district
Streamlining the enrollment process for students in Foster Care
• Children in foster care are entitled to immediate enrollment at a new school or district.
• CPS caseworkers are required to enroll a child in school within 3 days of the child being placed or moving to a new school district.
• The caseworker has up to 30 days to provide all necessary enrollment paperwork (to include birth certificates).
• If a birth certificate is missing, records from the most recently attended school and or immunization records, legal documents, court orders, or Placement Authorization forms can be used to prove identity or verify information about the student.
Information required for enrollment
• Identity of parent or legal guardian/legal authority (foster parent or designated caregiver, CPS caseworker or other staff, CASA or student’s guardian ad litem, residential facility staff, child placing agency staff)
• Proof of residency (utility bill, lease agreement)
• Proof of child’s identity (birth certificate or other acceptable document)
• Immunization records (provisionally enroll if immunization records are incomplete)
• School records from last school attended
• For children under age 11, records from ALL students previously attended schools
Documents that prove legal authority
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Placement Authorization Form 2085, which is given to caregivers/foster parents, indicates who has the authority to make education decisions for the child
OR
A court order names DFPS as Temporary Managing Conservator (TMC) or Permanent Managing Conservator (PMC) of the child
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Educational stability of students in Foster Care
Denton ISD will collaborate with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and continue to develop procedures as to how to maintain a student in foster care in his or her school of origin, through the highest grade level offered by that school, even if the student exits foster care.
Denton ISD will direct students to programs that help them graduate from high school and plan for post-secondary education and career opportunities.
Foster care means 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parent or guardian and for whom the child welfare agency has placement and care responsibility. This includes but is not limited to placements in:
• Foster family homes
• Homes of relatives and kin
• Group homes
• Emergency shelters
• Residential facilities
• Childcare institutions
• Pre-adoptive homes
Denton ISD will collaborate and share joint responsibility to ensure the educational stability of students in foster care. DFPS will determine whether it is in the student’s best interest to remain at his or her school of origin.
If it is determined that the student remain in their school of origin (the school the student was enrolled in at the time of placement in foster care or a change of placement), Denton ISD agrees that this transportation will be provided promptly and in a cost effective manner.
In the event of a dispute regarding transportation of students in foster care, Denton ISD will ensure that transportation is provided until the dispute is resolved.
Additional Information on Foster Care:
Foster Care and Student Success Guide
