Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H195 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 351 FILED ON: 1/12/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 195
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to educational support for children in foster care.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester1/12/2023Bud L. Williams11th Hampden1/25/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/31/2023 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 351 FILED ON: 1/12/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 195
18	18	By Representative LeBoeuf of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 195) of
19	19	David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf, Bud L. Williams and Vanna Howard relative to educational
20	20	support for children in foster care. Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE HOUSE, NO. 4068 OF 2021-2022.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
26	26	(2023-2024)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act relative to educational support for children in foster care.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 Chapter 18B of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
32	32	2 Section 26. (a) The department of children and families, in consultation with the
33	33	3department of elementary and secondary education, the office of the child advocate, the Service
34	34	4Employees International Union, Local 509, the Massachusetts Alliance for Families and the
35	35	5Massachusetts Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc., shall:
36	36	6 (i) complete a review of all departmental policies relative to the education of children
37	37	7under the custody, care or responsibility of the department, including children placed under the
38	38	8care of foster families; 2 of 2
39	39	9 (ii) develop streamlined guidance for all department area offices relative to the
40	40	10responsibilities, policies, agreements and procedures in place regarding the education of children
41	41	11under the custody, care or responsibility of the department;
42	42	12 (iii) develop and promulgate regulations relative to the responsibilities and duties of
43	43	13foster parents, social workers, department area offices and school districts regarding the
44	44	14education of children under the custody, care or responsibility of the department; provided, that
45	45	15the department shall develop regulations that allow the department to monitor the education of
46	46	16each child and allow the department to easily provide information regarding each child’s
47	47	17educational history with any person authorized by law to make educational decisions for the
48	48	18foster child and the child’s teacher or teachers, school and school district that the child is
49	49	19enrolled in; and
50	50	20 (iv) develop a program for new foster parents to inform the foster parents about their
51	51	21responsibilities and department services relative to the education of the child.
52	52	22 (b) The department shall annually, not later than February 1, file a report, which shall
53	53	23include aggregate data relative to the education of children under the custody, care or
54	54	24responsibility of the department, with the governor, the clerks of the house of representatives and
55	55	25the senate, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities and the joint
56	56	26committee on education.