BP 6173.1 — Education for Foster Youth

Section: 6000 - Instruction
Status: Active

Adopted: 2018-09-25

Revised: 2023-08-17

Policy text

EDUCATION FOR FOSTER YOUTH

The Governing Board recognizes that foster youth may face significant barriers to achieving academic success due to their family circumstances, disruption to their educational program, and their emotional, social, and other health needs. To enable such students to achieve state and district academic standards, the Superintendent or designee shall provide them with full access to the district’s educational program and implement strategies identified as necessary for the improvement of the academic achievement of foster youth in the district’s local control and accountability plan (LCAP).

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that placement decisions for foster youth are based on the students’ best interests as defined in law and administrative regulation. To that end, they shall designate a staff person as the district liaison for foster youth to help facilitate the enrollment, placement, and transfer of foster youth.

The Superintendent or designee and district liaison shall ensure that all appropriate staff, including, but not limited to, each principal, school registrar, and attendance clerk, receive training on the enrollment, placement, and transfer of foster youth and other related rights.

The Board desires to provide foster youth with a safe, positive learning environment that is free from discrimination and harassment and that promotes students’ self-esteem and academic achievement. The Superintendent or designee shall develop strategies to build a foster youth’s feeling of connectedness with their school, including, but not limited to, strategies that promote positive discipline and conflict resolution, the development of resiliency and interpersonal skills, and the involvement of foster parents, group home administrators, and/or other caretakers in school programs and activities.

To address the needs of foster youth and help ensure the maximum utilization of available funds, the Superintendent or designee shall collaborate with local agencies and officials including, but not limited to, the county placing agency, social services, probation officers, and juvenile court officers. The Superintendent or designee shall explore the feasibility of entering into agreements with these groups to coordinate services and protect the rights of foster youth.

At least annually, when there are at least 15 foster youth students in the district or a district school, and in accordance with the established timelines, the Superintendent or designee shall report to the Board on the outcomes for foster youth regarding the goals and specific actions identified in the LCAP, including, but not limited to, school attendance, student achievement test results, promotion and retention rates by grade level, graduation rates, and suspension/expulsion rates. As necessary, evaluation data shall be used to determine and recommend revisions to the LCAP for improving or increasing services for foster youth.

Annually, the Superintendent or designee shall report to the California Department of Education, in accordance with Education Code 51225.1, the number of foster youth graduating from the fourth or fifth year of high school who, for the prior school year, graduated with an exemption from district-established graduation requirements that are in addition to statewide coursework requirements.