10-R370

2010 -- S 2872

Enacted 06/25/10

 

 

J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO BE KNOWN AS "THE TASK FORCE ON THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE CARE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES"

     

     

     Introduced By: Senators Perry, Miller, Blais, C Levesque, and Maher

     Date Introduced: May 12, 2010

 

     

 

     WHEREAS, In FY 2008 there were 10,763 children and youth active with the

Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), and of those there were 4,677 out-of-

home placements made, including placement at the Thomas C. Slater Training School for Youth

(Training School); and

     WHEREAS, In FY 2008 a subset of 1,332 youth were placed at the Training School, and

of these 238 were adjudicated and 1,094 were placed in detention only; and

     WHEREAS, Children and youth involved with DCYF, especially those placed in out-of-

home settings including the Training School, often are faced with significant educational

challenges, including being identified as in need of special education services and/or at risk for

not completing high school; and

     WHEREAS, Numerous national studies have shown that children and youth in the

juvenile justice and child welfare systems move foster care placements one to two times per year,

and those moves usually involve a change in educational placement; and

     WHEREAS, Studies further indicate that frequent school changes negatively affect

students’ educational growth and graduation rates; and

     WHEREAS, Even when educational placement changes are in the best interest of the

child or youth involved, enrollment in the new educational placement disrupts their academic

progress, important student records do not follow the child, and appropriate credit for work

previously completed is not always given; and

     WHEREAS, Residency determination and funding for the education of children and

youth involved with DCYF are based on the location of the out-of-home placement and not on the

determination of the child’s or youth’s best interest in terms of educational placement; and

     WHEREAS, Ensuring that children and youth in DCYF care enter school ready to learn

and that they receive the supports they need while in school to graduate on time maximizes their

chances of entering adulthood ready to lead productive lives; and

     WHEREAS, The Federal Fostering Connections Act of 2008 recognizes the importance

of educational stability and success for children and youth in foster care and places a greater

burden on each state to ensure the educational stability and success of children and youth who are

placed in the state’s foster care system; and

     WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence

Plantations recognizes that ensuring the educational stability and success of children and youth

involved with DCYF requires the collaboration and commitment of not only DCYF, but also

numerous other partners, including the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary

Education (RIDE), the Office of Higher Education, local school districts, advocates who work

directly with youth, youth involved with DCYF, and the families of youth involved with DCYF;

now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That a special legislative task force be and the same is hereby created

consisting of twenty-one (21) members; one of whom shall be a member of the House of

Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be a member of

the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the House Minority Leader; one of whom shall

be a member of the Senate, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be

a member of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; one of whom shall be the

Director of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, or designee; one of whom shall be

the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or

designee; one of whom shall be the Commissioner of the Office of Higher Education, or

designee; two (2) of whom shall be the co-chairpersons of the Educational Stability

Subcommittee of the DCYF Child Welfare Advisory Committee; one of whom shall be the

Executive Director of the Urban League of Rhode Island, or designee; one of whom shall be the

Executive Director of the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA), or designee; one

of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Socio-Economic Development Center for

Southeast Asians (SEDC), or designee; two (2) of whom shall be appointed by the Chairperson of

the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, provided that one of these shall be from an

urban district and the other from a suburban/rural district; two (2) of whom shall be appointed by

the Chairperson of the Rhode Island Association of School Superintendents, provided that one of

these shall be from an urban district and the other from a suburban/rural district; two (2) of whom

shall be youth involved or formerly involved with DCYF and who shall be appointed by The

Voice, the advocacy group for youth in DCYF care; two (2) of whom shall be parents of children

involved with or formerly involved with DCYF and who shall be appointed jointly by the

Chairpersons of the Parent Support Network and the Parent Information Networks; and one of

whom shall be a foster parent who shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Rhode Island

Foster Parents’ Association.

     Directors of state departments, or their designees, shall serve as ex-officio members at the

request of the chair of said task force.

     In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory

commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly

resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu

of a legislator, provided that the Majority Leader or the Minority Leader of the political party

which is entitled to the appointment consents to the appointment of the member of the general

public.

     The purpose of said task shall be to make a comprehensive study and make

recommendations for:

     (1) Identifying challenges to ensuring the educational stability and success of children

and youth involved with DCYF from pre-K through college undergraduates, including, but not

limited to, the following related issues:

     (i) Determining when a child’s and/or youth’s educational placement is not in their best

interest;

     (ii) Ensuring that transportation issues are addressed to assist in maintaining educational

stability;

     (iii) Immediate transfer of student records and collaboration between schools on the

provision of student information when a student needs to move schools;

     (iv) Ensuring the portability of student credits and graduation requirement expectations

when a student’s educational placement changes;

     (v) Identifying issues related to school residency and/or educational funding issues

related to youth involved with DCYF; and

     (vi) Issues related to ensuring the stability of educational placements unless they are not

in the best interest of the child; and ensuring that schools and school districts collaborate in

sending and obtaining the information and records necessary when a child/youth moves schools;

     (2) Identifying and recommending to the General Assembly strategies to address the

above issues.

     Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the task force shall meet at the

call of the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate and organize and shall select,

from among the legislators, a chairperson. Vacancies in said task force shall be filled in like

manner as the original appointment.

     The membership of said task force shall receive no compensation for their services.

     All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information,

documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or

desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution.

     The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide

suitable quarters for said commission; and be it further.

     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

General Assembly no later than March 22, 2011, and said commission shall expire on May 31,

2011.

     

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LC02633

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