TAPLINK

Support for
Pennsylvania
Adoptive & Foster Families

Taproot issue 49 - May 2005

State Agrees to Prompt Enrollment Of Foster Children In School

For the past several years, foster care parent organizations and ElC have been working to get the state to agree that children who change foster homes also often need to change schools –and that the process should be quick and easy.

There are approximately 21,000 school-aged children in foster care in Pennsylvania.

New regulation, promoted by ELC, have now taken effect requiring school districts to make sure foster children are enrolled in and attending school in their new districts within five days.

Everyone’s goal should be to get these kids in school and learning as quickly as possible. These children have already put up with enough.

In the past, some school districts required piles of records before they would consider enrolling the child, such as court documents, school files, psychiatric evaluation and details of why the child is in foster care. While all these papers were beings sough and copied, the child remained at home with no schooling at all.

Under the old rules, each of Pennsylvania’s 501 districts set its own rules and timetables. Now, a standardized procedure is in place that allows a school district to only delay a child’s enrollment if it hasn’t received proof of the student’s age and place or residence, or immunization records.

The state’s new rules also stop school officials from asking families about their immigration status or demanding to see immigration papers.

Foreign-born children living in the United States are allowed by law to attend public school here, even if they entered the country illegally or stayed longer than their visa allowed.

“This was just another method used to intimidate and delay,” said Janet Stotland, Esq., Co-Director of ELC. “ Everyone’s goal should be to get these kids in school and learning as quickly as possible. These children have already put up with enough.”

For more information, and for copies of the Basic Education Circular (BEC) issued by the Department of Education and the Bulletin issued by DPW to ensure the process is implemented quickly, go to ELC’s web site at www.elc-pa.org.