Promoting Academic Success for Foster Youth in Mississippi

1. Mississippi Department Of Education Mississippi Department of Human Services/Division of Family and Children’s Services MDE AND DFCS Working Together to Provide Academic and Behavioral Success for Youth in Foster Care Julie Propst, LMFT Education Program Administrator, DFCS Brenda McIntosh Education Liaison, South Mississippi Cynthia Moore Hardy, MS Education Liaison, Central Mississippi Trisha Kessler, LMSW Education Liaison, North Mississippi

2. Agenda The Educational Truth for Youth in Foster Care-Annie E Casey Federal Laws to Support Educational Needs of Youth in Foster Olivia Y Modified Settlement Agreement-Where are We Now? DFCS Collaboration with MDE and LEAs Current Education Training Opportunities and Education Resources for DFCS Staff

3. The Educational Truth for Youth in Foster Care National Statistics from the Annie E Casey Foundation

4. Harsh Realities from the Annie E. Casey Foundation • Every time foster youth moves to a new school, they lose 4-6 months of academic progress. • Only 50% of the 400,000 foster care children in the United States complete high school by age 18. Even less graduate with a typical diploma. Most exit with a certificate of completion or other exit options not a diploma. • A GED is often not an option for our youth in foster care because of an increase in required knowledge base. Even if they are able to acquire a GED, youth are limited in post secondary options. Graduates with a GED are not able to apply to the Armed Forces which is a major resource for our youth who want to attend college. • Students in foster care average 1-2 moves a year. Over 1/3 will have experienced 5 or more school moves. • A national study of 1,087 foster care alumni found that “youth who had even one fewer change in living arrangements per year were almost twice as likely to graduate prior to leaving foster care.”

5. Olivia Y. Modified Settlement Agreement Where Are We Now?

6. Educational Services Required • DFCS Caseworkers shall review the educational record of each child who enters custody for the purpose of identifying the child’s general and if applicable, special educational needs and shall document the child’s educational needs within 30 calendar days of his/her entry into foster care. • DFCS shall take reasonable steps to ensure that school-age foster children are registered for and attending accredited schools within three business days of initial placement or any placement change, including while placed in shelters or other temporary placements. • DFCS shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure the continuity of a child’s educational experience by keeping the child in a familiar or current school and neighborhood, when this is in the child’s best interests and feasible, and by limiting the number of school changes the child experiences.

7. Federal Laws Supporting Educational Needs of Youth in Foster Care

8. : The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 Requires DFCS to have a plan in place ensuring education stability is in place while child is in foster care. (MDE/MDHS JOINT POLICY) FERPA-The Uninterrupted Scholars Act- January 2014 Grants DHS access to education records previously rendered Private under FERPA (family educational rights and privacy act) McKinney-Vento Act- Youth in foster care are considered homeless until there is a permanent placement. If Youth in foster care is in an Emergency Shelter-They are to review education services within 24 hours of admission. These Federal laws can assist in getting timely enrollment, transfer of credits, (especially true when transferring from Block to 7 period schedules) and unnecessary repetition of partially completed courses.

9. MDE and MDHS/DFCS Joint Process For Timely Admissions SCHOOL ENROLLMENT FOR OUR FOSTER YOUTH

10. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act 2008 A federal mandate that ensures school stability for children in out-of-home care. The act requires child welfare agencies (i.e., department of social services, child-placing agencies, etc.) to coordinate with local educational agencies (LEA) to ensure educational stability for every child in foster care.  Educational delays and challenges significantly impede positive educational outcomes of students in foster care. Although, laws have been established in the areas of education and child welfare, school enrollment obstacles still exist. • Requires state child welfare agencies and local education agencies to immediately coordinate efforts to improve educational stability and outcomes for children in foster care in four primary areas: School enrollment (within three {3} school days); • School stability; an assurance that each placement of the child takes into account the appropriateness and proximity to the current placement of the current educational setting, coordination with the local education agency to ensure that the child can remain in that school; or if remaining in that school is not in the best interests of the child, an assurance to enroll the child immediately in a new school with all educational records provided; • School transportation; costs of travel to a school allowed as part of foster care maintenance payments; and, • Development of a transition plan; a plan for educational stability in the case plan for each child in foster care.

11. MDE-MDHS/DFCSSchool Placement Determination

12. Local Education Agencies (LEA) and Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS/DFCS) Shalljointlydetermine the child’s best interest for school placement. For general education students and for students with disabilities (after the FAPE determination is made that the child can be enrolled in either school), the MDHS, and appropriate school representative/IEP team must work together to determine the child’s best interest for school placement and ensure educational stability for the child. The presumption is that the child will remain in the current school where he/she was last enrolled, unless contrary to the child’s best interest. The MDHS and the school representative/IEP team, in collaboration with the child and other key partners, make a determination as to whether the child should: • remain in the school where the child was enrolled at the time of placement in the new residence, taking into account the appropriateness of the educational setting; or • change schools and enroll in the school of residence for the child’s new residence placement, if remaining in the current school is not in the child’s best interest.   The child must be enrolled immediately and appropriately with all educational records provided to the new school. It is recommended that the records be received within five (5) days of enrollment.

13. Education Unit Education Liaisons Statewide Training and Resources

14. Education Training Opportunities at DFCS New Hires: • Pre-Service Training-All new staff receive 4 weeks of training and the Education Unit meets with each class. • Supervisory Training-All new supervisors attend a week of specialized training. The Education Unit meets with each class. Ongoing Training: Olivia Y Modified Settlement Agreement-Education Training • All front line supervisors are required to attend a 2 hour Education Training conducted by Pam Dollar (MSPTI) and Julie Propst, (DFCS Education Unit) • Education 101- Education training in collaboration with MDE, MSPTI and the DFCS Education Unit. Additional Training Opportunities MDE-State and Regional Parent Conferences MDE trainings through the Consortiums PBIS training with REACH MS

15. Advocacy Ad-vo-cate:  To speak, plead or argue in favor of • One that pleads in another’s behalf; an intercessor advocates for abused children • One that argues for a cause; a supporter or defender; an advocate of civil rights.

16. What Do Advocates Do? • Gather Information- As you gather information and organize documents you learn about the student’s disability and educational history. • Learn the Rules of the Game- Educate yourself about the local School District. Know how decisions are made and by whom. • Plan and Prepare- Advocates know that planning prevents problems. Don’t expect school personnel to give you the answers to your questions - study the law and school records. • Keep Written Records- Documents are often the key to success. If it was not written down it was not said. • Ask Questions, Listen to Answers- Advocates are not afraid to ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. Use “Who, What, Why, Where, When and How and explain questions. • Identify Problems- Advocates learn to define and describe problems from all angles. Advocates are problem solvers. • Propose Solutions- Advocates negotiate with schools for special education services.

17. DFCS Education Resources General Education Checklist State Map of DFCS Regions and EDLs (Education Liaisons) Education Referral Form Education Staff Contact Information

18. General Education Checklist ___ Go to MDE (Mississippi Department of Education) Website and click on the school district that the youth in custody will be attending or go to the local school district website. ___1. Read the student handbook on withdrawing, admissions, or transfers. ___2. Check to see if you can withdraw or admit students online. You will still need to go to the school, but this option maybe more efficient. ___3. Whenever possible, the county of responsibility (COR) worker needs to be the one making school changes. Although the youth may be new to foster care, the COR will know the most up to date and relevant information. The new group home or foster home setting does not know the youth at admission to be able to appropriately enroll or transfer youth to a new home. Many homes are disrupted for our youth in foster care, when the school is unfamiliar to the youth and appropriate information is not shared. If the COR or ASWS is not able to make school changes, then alternate staff or resource parent need to have all relative information (psychological, IEP) and required school paperwork. ___4. Please contact the EDL (Education Liaison) in your area by completing an education referral if you need help in any way. The Map of EDL regions, education referral form, MDHS/MDE Joint Process are all located on the DFCS Connection. Please click on Resource Development in the left hand column, then on the next page click on Education. You will find many education resource materials.

19. Trisha Kessler Regions I-N, I-S, II-W, II-E 691-941-2738 cell Trisha.Kessler@mdhs.ms.gov Cynthia Moore-Hardy Regions III-S, V-W, V-E, 601-502-7429 cell Cynthia.Moore-Hardy@mdhs.ms.gov Regions III-N, IV-N, IV-S Vacant position Contact Julie Propst Julie Propst Education Program Administrator 601-359-2699 office 691-941-2738 cell Julie.Propst@mdhs.ms.gov Brenda McIntosh Regions VI, VII-E, VII-W 601-596-3653 cell Brenda.McIntosh@mdhs.ms.gov

20. Education Referral Form Referral Date: When form is completed and sent to Education Unit DFCS CONTACT COR Name: Primary person responsible for youth County: or it may say COR (county of responsibility) Region: MDHS region ASWS: Supervisor- Email: primary contact’s preferably COR and ASWS Office Phone: regional or county office Cell Phone: primary contact’s preferably COR and ASWS YOUTH’S CONTACT Name:Age: DOB: Current Grade: Does the child have an IEP? __Yes___N Special Education Eligibility: Is youth residing in a group home or residential setting? ___ Yes if so where?__________ No___ Surrogate Name: ___ Relative ___ Resource Parent ___Other(list) ______ Surrogate Needed___ School Name: Principals name, contact info: School District: Current academic or behavior/emotional issues: School or District Staff the COR worker has been in contact with: Last school placement (school and district): Requested: ___ Current IEP ___ Psychological-most current and/or from residential treatment. ___ Additional documentation needed- such as discipline referrals, letters from school, d/c info from residential, comprehensive evaluation,

21. QUESTIONS??

22. Contact Information for DFCS Education Unit Julie Propst Education Program Administrato 601-359-2699 office 691-941-2738 cell Julie.Propst@mdhs.ms.gov Trisha Kessler Regions I-N, I-S, II-W, II-E 691-941-2738 cell Trisha.Kessler@mdhs.ms.gov Cynthia Moore-Hardy Regions III-S, V-W, V-E, 601-502-7429 cell Cynthia.Moore-Hardy@mdhs.ms.gov Brenda McIntosh Regions VI, VII-E, VII-W 601-596-3653 cell Brenda.McIntosh@mdhs.ms.gov