PEIMS and Identifying Students in Foster Care

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PEIMS and Identifying Students in Foster Care

• David Ray, Region 10 ESC

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Contact Information

• David Ray
• Region 10 Education Service Center
• 972.348.1786
• David.Ray_at_Region10.org
• www.Region10.org/mvh
• www.Region10.org/fostercare

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TEA Contact

• Foster Care Education Policy Coordinator
• Kelly Kravitz
• 512.463.9235
• Kelly.Kravitz_at_tea.texas.gov
• TEA Website

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TX DFPS Contact

• Education Specialists
• http//tea.texas.gov/FosterCareStudentSuccess/CPS/
  

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Agenda

• 1. Fostering Connections to Success and
  Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Public Law
  110-351
• 2. Texas Education Code
• 3. PEIMS Standards
• 4. Guidance from TEA
• 5. When CPS is involved
• 6. Nutrition Policies Procedures
• 6. Scenarios
• 7. Questions

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Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing
Adoptions Act of 2008

• This law requires state child welfare agencies to
  collaborate with their state and local education
  agencies to promote school stability and improve
  educational outcomes for children in foster care

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Texas Education Code

• Data sharing and data collection requirements in
  PEIMS
• Immediate school enrollment without records
• Attendance in the school the student was enrolled
  immediately before entering conservatorship, even
  when placed outside of the district attendance
  zone, until the student successfully completes
  the highest grade level offered by the school
• Excused absences for court-ordered appointments
• Free eligibility for PRE-K
• Accelerated instruction (at-risk indicators and
  compensatory education)
• School districts and open enrollment charter
  schools are required to appoint a Foster Care
  Liaison and notify TEA of their Foster Care
  Liaison appointment

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Texas Education Code

• Sec. 7.029. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
  REGARDING EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS IN
  FOSTER CARE. (a) The agency and the Department
  of Family and Protective Services shall enter
  into a memorandum of understanding regarding the
  exchange of information as appropriate to
  facilitate the department's evaluation of
  educational outcomes of students in foster care.
  The memorandum of understanding must require
• (1) the department to provide the agency each
  year with demographic information regarding
  individual students who during the preceding
  school year were in the conservatorship of the
  department following an adversarial hearing under
  Section 262.201, Family Code and
• (2) the agency, in a manner consistent with
  federal law, to provide the department with
  aggregate information regarding educational
  outcomes of students for whom the agency received
  demographic information under Subdivision (1).
• (b) For purposes of Subsection (a)(2),
  information regarding educational outcomes
  includes information relating to student academic
  achievement, graduation rates, school attendance,
  disciplinary actions, and receipt of special
  education services.
• (b-1) To facilitate implementation of Subsection
  (a)(2), the agency shall, in the manner
  established by commissioner rule, collect data
  through the Public Education Information
  Management System (PEIMS) as to the foster care
  status of students.

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Texas Education Code

• Sec. 25.002. REQUIREMENTS FOR ENROLLMENT. (a)
  If a parent or other person with legal control of
  a child under a court order enrolls the child in
  a public school, the parent or other person or
  the school district in which the child most
  recently attended school shall furnish to the
  school district
• (1) the child's birth certificate or another
  document suitable as proof of the child's
  identity
• (2) a copy of the child's records from the
  school the child most recently attended if the
  child has been previously enrolled in a school in
  this state or another state and
• (3) a record showing that the child has the
  immunizations as required under Section 38.001,
  in the case of a child required under that
  section to be immunized, proof as required by
  that section showing that the child is not
  required to be immunized, or proof that the child
  is entitled to provisional admission under that
  section and under rules adopted under that
  section.

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Texas Education Code

• (g) A school district shall accept a child for
  enrollment in a public school without the
  documentation required by Subsection (a) if the
  Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
  has taken possession of the child under Chapter
  262, Family Code. The Department of Protective
  and Regulatory Services shall ensure that the
  documentation required by Subsection (a) is
  furnished to the school district not later than
  the 30th day after the date the child is enrolled
  in the school.

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PEIMS Data Standards

• FOSTER-CARE-INDICATOR-CODE (E1528) indicates
  whether a student is in the conservatorship of
  the Department of Family and Protective Services
  (DFPS) currently, or for certain students that
  were previously in the conservatorship of DFPS.
• The general term foster care for education
  purposes includes all students in the managing
  conservatorship (legal custody) of the Texas
  Department of Family and Protective Services
  (DFPS). This includes students placed by DFPS
  with a Kinship caregiver, when the child remains
  in the legal custody of Texas DFPS. The Texas
  Legislature only authorized TEA permission to
  collect the foster care status of students in
  Texas DFPS Managing Conservatorship. Students in
  foster care from other states must not be
  reported as foster care for PEIMS reporting
  purposes.
• The Foster Care Indicator Code is reported in
  fall, summer, and extended year submissions
  (submissions 1, 3, and 4). The data is needed in
  submission 4 to comply with TEC 25.007 concerning
  the Agencys legislative requirement to
  facilitate access to credit recovery, high school
  completion, and dual credit programs.

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PEIMS Data Standards
Foster Care Indicator Code Student Age Student Grade Level Student Foster Care Status
0 Any Any Student is not currently in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
1 Any Any Student is currently in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
2 3 or 4 on September 1 PK Pre-kindergarten student was previously in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary hearing held as provided by Section 262.201, Family Code
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PEIMS Data Standards

• For Foster Care Indicator Code 1, schools may
  accept any official Texas Department of Family
  and Protective Services form, listed below, that
  designate that a student is in Texas DFPS
  Managing Conservatorship. A school may also
  accept a copy of the court order for this
  purpose.
•  
• Acceptable Documentation
• All forms in the 2085 series
• Foster Care/Residential Care - 2085 FC
• Kinship or Other Non-Foster Caregiver - 2085 KO
• Verified Kinship Foster Caregiver - 2085 KF
• Legal Risk - 2085 LR
• Home and Community-based Services (HCS) - 2085
  HCS
• Supervised Independent Living - 2085 SIL
• Designation of Education Decision-Maker - 2085 E
• Designation of Medical Consenter - 2085 B
• DFPS Kinship Caregiver Agreement - 0695
• Court-Order naming Texas DFPS as the Temporary
  Managing Conservator (TMC) or Permanent Managing
  Conservator (PMC).

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PEIMS Data Standards

• For Foster Care Indicator Code 2, the
  Pre-kindergarten student is enrolling in school
  for the purpose of participating as an eligible
  student in a Pre-kindergarten program and
  eligibility documentation must be provided. At
  least annually, the Texas DFPS and Child
  Protective Services will mail verification
  letters of PK eligibility to the parents and
  caregivers of eligible children who in turn must
  provide this verification documentation to the
  school at enrollment.

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PEIMS Data Standards

• The foster care status of students is highly
  confidential. Foster care status and related
  information should be handled with the utmost
  sensitivity and in accordance with all FERPA
  guidelines. All foster care related documents
  should be stored under lock and key with other
  privacy protected records. Providing training
  for registrars, counselors, and school staff on
  confidentiality and sensitivity when enrolling
  students in foster care is highly recommended.

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TEA Guidance

• Guidance from TEA on PEIMS coding for Students in
  Foster Care
• http//tea.texas.gov/FosterCareStudentSuccess/
• Year-long eligibility.

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CPS Involvement

• Foster Care or Homeless? (produced by the Texas
  Homeless Education Office)

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Nutrition Policies Procedures

• Students in foster care are categorically
  eligible for all U.S. Department of Agriculture
  (USDA) child nutrition programs. Caregivers for
  children and youth in foster care do not have to
  complete a separate application to participate in
  these programs
• http//www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/Eli
  Man.pdf (p. 12 p. 13 p.14-15 and p. 45)

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Scenario 1

• Ben is enrolled by his foster parent, who
  presents form 2085-E at enrollment. Ben is 4
  years old and will be attending school for the
  first time. How should Ben be coded in PEIMS?

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Scenario 2

• Katie enrolls in your school this year with a
  form 2085 and a foster parent. The form 2085 is
  dated 2013. Can you still enroll this student?
  How should they be coded in PEIMS?

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Scenario 3

• Sam was adopted on September 13th. However, when
  Sam enrolled in your school with his 2085 form he
  was considered foster care. Should Sams PEIMS
  code be changed? Will Sams nutrition eligibility
  change?

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Questions?