Foster Care & Student Success

District Goal

San Angelo Independent School District will provide school leadership with useful information that will assist our staff in creating a positive education experience for students in foster care. The district will provide guidance to district staff on the complexities of the foster care system and the relevant laws and policies that influence a student in foster care's educational experience.

San Angelo ISD wants to centralize foster care and education information, while increasing awareness, and promoting improved cross-system practices and partnerships that benefit students in foster care. While working to achieve these goals, San Angelo ISD strives to fulfill the education provisions of the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 that promotes school stability and requires coordination across child welfare and educational systems.

District Foster Care Liaison

Each school district is statutorily required to appoint at least one employee to act as a liaison to facilitate the enrollment in and/or transfer to a public school or open enrollment charter school of students in the conservatorship of the state. The Foster Care Liaison must also facilitate the handling records of students in the legal custody of The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) when enrolling in or changing schools.

Defining the term "FOSTER CARE"

The term foster care will be used to refer to all children and youth who are in the custody of the State of Texas due to abuse and/or neglect, regardless of their living arrangement.

State Guidance

Foster Care & Student Success, housed in Texas Education Agency's Division of Federal and State Education Policy maintains resources and information for school district liaisons, educators, students, and others interested in supporting the educational success of students in foster care. The resources and materials provided are intended to provide guidance related to the unique circumstances surrounding students who live in foster care and attend Texas public schools. In Texas, over 16,000 school-age students live in foster care.

Foster Care and Student Success-Texas Education Agency

Transportation Processes and Procedures for Students in Foster Care

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) makes significant changes regarding the education of students in foster care. There are several new requirements necessitating immediate attention and action by school districts that go into effect on December 10, 2016. One of the specifications is that school districts collaborate with the state or local child welfare agency to develop and implement clear written procedures for providing, arranging, and paying for transportation to support our foster care students. The following documents include SAISD’s processes and procedures for providing the necessary transportation to our foster care students.

Transportation Procedures for Students in Foster Care