Foster Care Newsletter

September 28, 2022

Welcome Back to School!

Student Record Transfer Report

This report can help improve processes for requesting and releasing student records.

As we begin the new school year, we encourage districts to generate the Student Record Transfer report periodically to monitor compliance with the KRS 199.802 legislative expectations – as amended by House Bill 312 (2020) – which created specific time requirements for requesting and releasing records for students in foster care. Records must immediately be requested by the new school and released by the prior school on the working day the request is received.

The purpose of this report is to assist district personnel in monitoring records transfer requests for students enrolling in or withdrawing from other Kentucky school districts during the school year.

Districts are encouraged to generate and monitor the report locally for the current school year. It is important to review the timeframes to request records transfers, as well as the time it takes to release records. The report can be generated for all schools or a single school within the district. A foster indicator is included in the report output to assist in monitoring compliance.

Suggested uses for this report include generating the detail and/or aggregate report to identify enrollments with no records requests initiated, identify withdrawals with records requested that have not been released, identify withdrawals for which a records request has not been made and follow-up is needed, and monitoring timeliness of records transfer requests/releases to identify potential need for additional training or guidance.

Making sure students are enrolled and records are requested and transferred in a timely manner helps ensure students in foster care are on the path to success and are receiving all appropriate services in their new school as quickly as possible. The Student Records Transfer report is available and located under Kentucky State Reporting/KDE reports in Infinite Campus. For more information, see this Quick Reference Card.

Please note, this is not an error report for data cleanup. Records transfer data cannot be changed, but the information provided can promote improved processes.

If student records have not been requested from the student’s new school, appropriate district staff are strongly encouraged to use the student locator to identify where the student is enrolled and contact the school to determine why records have not yet been requested. System administrators should assign tool rights to the appropriate school district staff responsible for records transfer or management of that work.

Reminders

Immediate Enrollment for Students in Foster Care

When a foster youth does not remain in the school of origin, the student must immediately be enrolled in a new school, regardless of whether the youth can produce the records typically required for enrollment (e.g., immunizations records).

See ESEA Section 1111(g)(1)(E).

Students in Foster Care Automatically Qualify for Free Breakfast and Lunch

Categorical eligibility refers to all students that are certified for free meals by any means other than the submission of individual paper applications. This definition includes foster children and other children who are certified through means other than an income eligibility application.

See PL 111-296 section 9(b)(12)A of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.1758(b)(12(A)).

Foster Care Points of Contacts

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), section 1112(c)(5), the local school district will designate a point of contact for foster care. Any updates or changes to the local education agency (LEA) designated foster care point of contact must be made within the Kentucky Department of Education's Person Role Manager web application in an expedited manner. 

Transportation for Students in Foster Care

The ESSA requires LEAs to collaborate with child welfare agencies to develop and implement written procedures governing how transportation will be provided, arranged and funded to maintain foster care students’ attendance in their school of origin, when in their best interest.

See ESEA section 1112(c)(5)(B).

Resources

• Foster Care Data Standards provides details on foster care student data import process.
• The Data Standard Student Records Transfer provides detailed instruction for the entire student records transfer process.
• Infinite Campus Records Transfer Guidance
• Kentucky LEA Foster Care Points of Contact
• Foster Care Transportation Guidance    

For additional information, email Sharma Aitken or call (502) 564-3791, ext. 4018.