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Policy committee asks staff for data on foster-care student moves as it reviews instruction policies
Summary
Committee members pressed district staff for numbers on how many students in foster care change schools during the year and cited research tying frequent moves to learning delays; staff said they will pull district and partner-district data and noted BID (best-interest decision) meetings guide placement choices.
Committee member pressed district staff on how many students in foster care move between schools during a school year, saying the figure is important to understanding academic impacts.
"I remember being on a committee ... and that kids that were in foster care usually were 2 to 3 years behind academically, especially when they were bouncing from school to school," the Committee member said, urging the committee to track mobility across partner districts as well as SSD schools.
Staff member responded that the exact number was not available during the meeting but that the district could pull the cross-district data and share it after the session. "Because anytime that a student would be relocating because of foster status, you'd have the BID meeting, a best interest decision, so they may or may not move schools, but that is data that we could share with you after this meeting," Staff member said.
A second committee member offered a specific follow-up: they would contact Dr. Scott, who runs BID meetings, to obtain the relevant counts and asked staff to supply the district's figures. Staff agreed to provide the information.
Staff also framed the district's operational goal: "The goal with that is to try and create opportunities where students can stay in schools wherever possible," the Staff member said, adding that several district school footprints (Ackerman, North Eagle) allow some students to change programs while remaining in their general attendance area.
Why it matters: Frequent school changes are strongly associated with lower academic performance, committee members said, and the data will help the board craft or revise policies intended to reduce unnecessary transfers and better support foster-care youths.
Next steps: Staff will compile the number of foster-care students who change schools (district and partner districts) and report back after the meeting; Committee member 2 said they would contact Dr. Scott to assist in gathering BID-related data.
