Foster Care

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) defines a child in foster care as follows:

• Foster Care means 24-hour substitute care for all children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the child welfare agency has placement and care responsibility.
• Includes placements in foster family homes, foster homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, child care institutions, and pre-adoptive homes.
• A child in foster care regardless of whether the foster care facility is licensed and payments are made by the State, Tribal, or local agency for the care of the child, whether adoption subsidy payments are being made prior to the finalization of an adoption, or whether there is Federal matching of any payments that are made. (45 C.F.R. § 1355.20(a)).

A child in foster care should remain in his or her school of origin, unless it is determined that remaining in the school of origin is not in that child’s best interest. TPSD can develop a plan in partnership with the local child welfare agency to provide cost-effective transportation when needed to allow students to remain in the same school.

If you have further questions or need more information in regards to the TPSD Foster Care Program, please contact Kwanzaa B. Johnson, LMSW with TPSD Federal Programs at (985) 879-6400 ext. 264.