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Foster Care

Students in Foster Care


Per the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, State educational agencies (SEA) hold specific responsibilities aimed at supporting the educational rights and opportunities of students in Foster Care; this also falls within requirements established under Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). 

Foster Care student rights include:

  • access to immediate enrollment in schools regardless of access to records or additional requirements;
  • free transportation to and from school;
  • access to free meals services, and 
  • support engaging in academically and socially enriching activities offered by their school district.

Within this context, Foster Care is defined as: 

substitute care for children placed by the Department of Human Services or a tribal child welfare agency away from their parents and for whom the department or agency has placement and care responsibility, 
  • including placements in foster family homes, 
  • foster homes of relatives, 
  • group homes, 
  • emergency shelters, 
  • residential facilities, 
  • child care institutions and 
  • pre-adoptive homes.

State Foster Care Liaisons / Points of Contact

The Every Student Succeeds (ESSA) Act requires that all school districts identify a Point of Contact assigned to work with staff and provide assistance for students experiencing houselessness. Each school district must also have a designated liaison tasked with overseeing the coordination and application of these supports. This is done through collaboration with caseworkers and other human services representatives, training staff within their district on the unique needs of students in Foster Care, and engaging with community organizations and agencies to ensure that students and families are receiving adequate services under ESSA/ESEA.

    • District contact information is due at the beginning of each school year (see Updating District Contact Information below for further details). 

Roles / Responsibilities

Foster Care Point of Contact / Liaison

Each district Foster Care POCs / Liaisons must:

    • Collaborate with caseworkers, Resource parents, Tribes, and community partners; 
    • Train school staff on their role in supporting students in Foster Care; and 
    • Engage with ODE on matters of professional development and technical assistance (see Office Hours information below).
District
Districts are responsible for maintaining current information as staff changes occur and for ensuring Points of Contact are aware of their role.
ODE 
To maintain accuracy, ODE runs a monthly contact list report generated from the data entered into the 2024-25 SY Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget Narrative (BN) Application and update our list accordingly. If you have submitted an update that is not yet reflected, please let us know. 

2024-25 Foster Care Contact Lists

Contact List Legend Defined

 

Office Hours

State Foster Care and Transportation Point of Contacts are welcome to join us for Office Hours (OH). This forum offers the opportunity to receive updates to share across the district, connect with other districts to learn about their best practices, and ask questions pertaining to the work. 

Schedule

  • Office Hours take place on the second Tuesday of every month, 1:00 - 2:00 pm PT
  • Zoom Registration is required and attendance is limited to state education contacts
    • Emails that do not belong to a district are subject to removal (Contact us if you have a question about participation eligibility)
  • The Foster Care newsletter is sent to state points of contact within two weeks after each OH and includes:
    • Office Hours meeting slide deck
    • Links referenced
    • Q & As from the meeting
    • Important updates and topics for the following month
    • Past newsletters can be found in the archive on ODE's Key Messages webpage by entering 'Foster Care' in the search box
    • The Federal Programs team sends a weekly Office Hour reminder to subscribers of the Title I-A newsletter

Foster Care Transportation

Reimbursement Schedule

Quarter   Service Dates        Due Dates for SY 2024-25

             Q1            Jul 1 -  Sep 30        2nd Friday in Nov (11/15/2024)     

        Q2            Oct 1 - Dec 31        2nd Friday in Feb (02/14/2025)

        Q3            Jan 1 - Mar 31        2nd Friday in May (05/09/2025)

        Q4            Apr 1 - Jun 30         2nd Friday in Aug (08/08/2025)

  • Be sure to submit the current SY Foster Care Transportation Reimbursement Form
  • Submissions are ONLY accepted through ODE's District Central Login via Secure File Transfer application 
  • Reimbursement forms sent by email violate Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and will be deleted
    • Secure Student Identification Numbers (SSIDs) and other confidential personally identifiable student data must always remain secure and must not be associated with a student’s name in an unsecured place or manner. Displaying student SSIDs with student names on any non-secure materials compromises the security of confidential student information (see House Bill 2715).
  • Late submissions are subject to denial 
    • Exceptions may be considered when an extension has been requested and pre-approved, but not guaranteed  
  • Forms should only include the service dates outlined in the relevant quarter 
    • Previous quarter reimbursements are unable to roll over

Foster Care Resources






Oregon Specific Support


​Some foster students in the care and custody of DHS Child Welfare will need transportation to remain in their school district/school of origin. To facilitate transportation for these students, an LEA must collaborate with ODE to ensure that transportation for children in foster care is provided, arranged, and funded. An LEA must develop and implement clear written procedures governing how transportation will be provided to maintain foster care students in their school district/school of origin.


ORS 329.451 has been amended by the State Legislature in 2017 in such a way to allow students who have been in foster care, at some point during grades 9 to 12, to earn a high school diploma by meeting the high school diploma standards established by the State Legislature. In order to do this, the local school district must grant a waiver of diploma requirements established by the LEA board of education. In this situation, the definition of foster care student would include those students in DHS Child Welfare custody as well as those foster students placed in Development Disability foster home. These changes take place on 7/1/17.


Adolescents face a range of developmental issues, and as teens approach adulthood, living independently becomes a significant goal. While youth with intact families may struggle to achieve self-reliance, youth in foster care face formidable obstacles. The following resources provide information on helping teens in foster care transition to adulthood and live independently.


The DHS, Seniors and People with Disabilities offers 24-hour out of home services for children with developmental disabilities who can no longer continue to live in their family's home. These services are accessed through your local Community Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP). The local CDDP determines an individual's eligibility. The various service sites are located in communities throughout the state and are operated under contracts with state or county government.

Certified and trained foster families assist children with their activities of daily living, providing supervision and guidance in a nurturing setting to maintain the child's health and safety while working to increase levels of self-confidence and independence. Foster providers support children in their school programs, in community activities, in adult transition planning and when it is a part of the child's individual plan, maintaining connection with the child's family. Each child in foster care has an Individual Support Plan (ISP) which is updated annually.


​Special Education staff within ODE has the primary responsibility for assuring that young children and students with disabilities receive an appropriate education program in the least restrictive environment. This happens through collaboration with families, districts, agencies, and programs to ensure quality services. Our website is a resource to parents, teachers and administrators and provides access to available information, documents and guidelines.​

Oregon Laws


Oregon Administrative Rules:​​​​

Oregon Revised Statute:

Oregon Administrative Rule:

​​Oregon Administrative Rule:

Oregon Revised Statutes:

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Oregon Administrative Rule:

​Oregon Revision Statute:

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For additional information or support, please contact the Foster Care team by