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Educational Advocacy for FCMs – Part 1 - Printable Slides and Script

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Slide 1 - Welcome

Audio Script::

Welcome to training on Educational Advocacy, part 1, General Education Laws and Regulations that Affect Children in Care, developed for Family Case Managers with the Indiana Department of Child Services. This training is the first in a two part series on Educational Advocacy. As you proceed through this training, you will be asked some periodic review questions about its content. You must answer at least 8 out of 10 questions correctly in order to receive credit for completing this training. When you are ready to begin, click on one of the students on your screen.

After user clicks:

Congratulations! You are going to learn some important information about how to become an effective educational advocate for the children in your care. Now, lets get started.


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Slide 2 - Objectives

Audio Script:

At the end of this session, you will be aware of Indiana statutes that apply to students in care. Be familiar with DCS Policies related to children in care, and education. Be aware of where to find forms and information students and resource parents may need, and have some tools to assist youth moving on to post secondary education.


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Slide 3 - Educational Advocacy

Audio Script:

Educational Advocacy refers to monitoring a child’s educational progress, and speaking up to ensure each child is receiving the educational opportunities he or she needs. Educational Advocacy includes Communicating with the child’s school, monitoring the child’s class schedule, enrolling the child in necessary tutoring and mentoring programs, and ensuring each child is receiving the educational opportunities to which he or she is entitled. Like many institutions, schools are places where the squeaky wheel gets the grease. With no one speaking up on their behalf, foster children are often ignored.


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Slide 4 - Why is Educational Advocacy Needed 1

Audio Script:

Let’s take a look at the data that supports the case for educational advocacy. According to a study conducted in 2002, when students change schools, they lose an average of 4 to 6 months of educational progress. In 2010, another study was conducted as a collaborative effort to provide the first comprehensive view of how former foster youth are faring as they transition to adulthood. In its report, the midwest study cites that at ages 23 and 24, nearly 25% of the young adults who were formerly in foster care did not have a high school diploma or GED, and only 6% had a two or four year degree. These alarming statistics help demonstrate why children in care need someone assisting them with achieving their educational goals.


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Slide 5 - Why is Educational Advocacy Needed 2

Audio Script:

These statistics, coupled with the fact that a basic education is essential to living an independent, fulfilling life, help strengthen the case for educational advocacy. Children in care need someone to advocate for their educational needs because school officials often fail to identify the special needs of students who experience changes in caregivers and schools. Many children and youth who are in foster care have been victims of abuse and neglect, which affects their ability to do well in school.


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Slide 6 - Basic Education Right 1-0

Audio Script:

Children in care in Indiana are granted three fundamental rights regarding their education. First and foremost is that children have the right to attend public school in the school corporation where they live, even if they have just moved to the area or will live in the area for only a short time. In addition, children in care may attend either the school where they were placed or the school where they have legal settlement. State law requires the court to make findings regarding the legal settlement of all children placed in residential or other out-of home placement. Legal settlement defines which school corporation has responsibility for payment of education costs. Second, schools must make prompt decisions regarding enrollment. And third, schools may make exceptions to their usual rules or take other special steps needed to provide equal educational opportunities to out of home students. In the next several slides, you will be presented with information pertaining to each of these fundamental rights.


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Audio Script:

According to the National Working Group on Foster Care and Education, while many factors contribute to poor educational outcomes for children and youth in foster care, school mobility issues have been identified as a major barrier to school success by numerous studies. School mobility refers to a student changing schools. In order to address the issue of school mobility, Indiana law allows DCS, and those involved with the child’s care to determine the best school placement for the child. Title 20, Article 26, Chapter 11, Section 8, Subsection D, of the Indiana Code is displayed on your screen. When you are finished, click continue.


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Audio Script:

The Indiana Child Welfare Manual Chapter 8, Section 20, provides a number of ways that FCMs can attempt to minimize the effects of school disruption on the child. These include placing the child with a resource family living in the same school district; assisting the resource family living in a different district with arranging transportation for the child, so that he or she can continue to attend the same school; delaying a change in placement until the end of a school semester or year, so long as waiting does not endanger the child’s safety or well-being; scheduling medical and court appointments during non-school hours whenever possible, and contacting other schools in the same or an adjoining school district regarding the requirement for and the availability of school provided transportation between the school and the resource family home.


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Audio Script:

The Indiana Child Welfare Manual Chapter 8, Section 22, states that as the child’s FCM, you must assist the resource family in arranging transportation in an effort to allow the child to remain at his or her home school. According to Indiana Code, if a child’s foster care home is in the same school corporation as their school of origin, but is outside the attendance area of their school of origin, then the school of origin must provide transportation for the child if they do not change schools. If the child’s school of origin is in a different school corporation than that of the child’s foster home; the school of origin is in a school corporation that adjoins that of the foster home; and the student does not elect to attend the school where the foster home is located, then the two school corporations must enter into an agreement concerning who is responsible for transportation and how the cost of transportation will be divided between the school corporations. If the school corporations cannot come to an agreement, the both the responsibility for transporting and the cost will be shared equally between the two.

Using the Notification of Change of Placement in School Corporation form, notify the appropriate school corporation if transportation cannot be arranged and the child is unable to remain at his or her school of legal settlement. Please note that the Notification of Change of Placement in School Corporation form is to be completed only if the child transfers to a new school outside of the school corporation of legal settlement.


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Audio Script for Slide 9 - Basic Education Right 1-3 (continued)

This is required because the school corporation of legal settlement is required to pay transfer tuition to the new school corporation where the child will attend school. You must also provide the court with the address of the child’s current placement, and the address where the child’s parent, guardian or custodian currently resides, so that the court may determine legal settlement.


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Audio Script:

Now let’s examine the second fundamental right all students in care are granted in Indiana. Schools must make prompt decisions regarding enrollment.


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Audio Script:

A school may not request that you wait to enroll a student until the next semester. A student has a right to start school immediately, even if that student is being enrolled midway through the semester. Students should be enrolled as soon as possible. The local school corporation should be contacted to see if there is an enrollment packet that contains the necessary forms. Indiana law requires the name and address of the last school attended, a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate or some other form of proof of the child’s date of birth, and proof of immunization.


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Audio Script:

Indiana law states that a student may not be permitted to attend school beyond the first day without furnishing a written statement of the student’s immunization, unless the school gives the parent of the student a waiver, or the local health department or a physician determines that the student’s immunization schedule has been delayed due to extreme circumstances. If the previous school information is provided to the child’s new school, the new school must request the child’s records within 14 days. The child’s educational records may be provided to the resource parent only after written consent is received from the parent, guardian, or custodian. DCS will encourage the child’s parent, guardian or custodian to provide consent to release the child’s educational records to the resource parent to ensure that the child receives the educational services he or she needs. As the family’s FCM, you will be assisting parents, schools and agencies involved in knowing as much as possible about the student’s educational history.


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Audio Script:

Next, let’s look at the third fundamental right granted to all students in care in Indiana. Schools may make exceptions to their usual rules or take other special steps needed to provide equal educational opportunities to out of home students.


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Audio Script:

Indiana law allows the child’s school to give the parent a 20 day waiver to obtain immunization records, or a doctor’s note explaining why immunizations cannot be completed until a later date. In your role as the student’s educational advocate, it is important that you contact the Indiana Department of Education immediately if there is difficulty enrolling a student in school. Contact information for the Indiana Department of Education is displayed on your screen. You may write down the contact information, or click on the link to visit the IDOE website. When you are finished, click continue.


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Audio Script:

As an FCM, you can make sure that students in care who need extra assistance in order to be successful receive the assistance required by Indiana statute. Schools are required to provide tutoring to students in care, if there is a need, even if the student is not identified under Article 7 as a special education student. The applicable section of the Indiana statute is displayed on your screen. Knowing the applicable laws will help you, and the resource parent be effective educational advocates for the child. When you are ready, click continue.


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Audio Script:

Children in care qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches, and reduced book rental or book fees. Click the photo on your screen to learn more about how to apply for these benefits.


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Audio Script:

The Indiana Foster Family Resource guide identifies these guidelines for applying for free or reduced cost lunch, book rental or book fees. Please take some time to read these guidelines, and then click continue.


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Slides 18 – 23 Omitted - Quiz Questions 1-6

Slide 24 - DCS Policy

Audio Script:

DCS policies regarding general education are based on requirements defined in both state and federal laws, and are found in the Indiana Child Welfare Manual Chapter 8, Sections 20, 22, and 23. Policy covering special education is covered in Chapter 8, Section 21, and will be covered in detail in Educational Advocacy - Part 2. Click on each section title to review the DCS policy manual for that section, and then click continue.

After User Clicks:

Next, we will look at a few pertinent issues regarding general education for children in care.


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Slide 25 - Home and Private Schooling

Audio Script:

DCS policy relating to home schooling and private schools for children in care states that DCS will not authorize children in out of home care to be home schooled without court authorization, except for home bound programs that are administered by a public or private school. DCS will not authorize children in out of home care to enroll in non-accredited educational programs that are not recognized by the Indiana Department of Education. DCS will not pay for the costs associated with private schooling. If private schooling is requested, the Child and Family Team should consider funding options including, but not limited to payment of tuition by the child’s parent, guardian or custodian, and scholarships offered by the school.


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Slide 26 - Post Secondary Education 1-0

Audio Script:

It is important that children in care are prepared to enroll in post-secondary education. As the child’s educational advocate, you can help ensure that youth planning to enroll complete and submit their FAFSA prior to March tenth. You should provide youth with information regarding Pell grants, Chafee grants, Federal Supplement grants, and the State Student Assistance Commission, at the Child and Family Team Meeting held when the child reaches age 17. Consult your Independent Living Specialist for additional information regarding the various post-secondary school funding options for youth in care. You may view contact information for the independent living specialist assigned to your region by visiting the web address, or by clicking the link displayed on your screen. Click continue when you are ready to proceed.


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Audio Script:

One post-secondary school funding option for youth in care that may be addressed as early as 6th grade is the 21st Century Scholars Program, which started in 1990 as Indiana’s way of raising the educational aspirations of low and moderate income families. The program aims to ensure that all Indiana families can afford a college education for their children. This program is available to students who meet the criteria listed on your screen. Click continue when you are ready to proceed.


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Audio Script:

You should provide all children in grades 6 through 12 with information about the 21st Century Scholars Program. You should also ensure that all students in grades 6 through 12 submit an application for the program. All students in grades 9 through 12 must submit an application accompanied by the 21st Century Scholars Program Enrollment Letter, which is located on the website under the Appeals tab. Each child must sign the 21st Century Scholars Affirmation Statement during his or her senior year of high school. You may access additional information, applications and online enrollment by clicking the link or visiting the website displayed on your screen. When you are finished, click continue.


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Slides 29 – 32 Omitted - Quiz Questions 7-10

Slide 33 - Thank You

Audio Script:

This concludes Educational Advocacy – Part 1, General Education Laws and Regulations that Affect Children in Care. Please remember that you must have a score of 80 percent or above to successfully complete this course. If you have scored less than 80 percent, you will need to retake this training. When you have finished reviewing your scores, please click the close button to exit. Thank You.

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