Modoc County Office of Education - Foster and Homeless Youth Services Coordinating Program

Foster and Homeless Youth Services Coordinating Program

The Modoc County Office of Education's Foster and Homeless Youth Coordinating Program provides technical assistance to Modoc County School Districts through guidance and inter-agency collaboration around school permanency, enrollment and streamlined school transitions to support school stability and college and career readiness for students in foster care or experiencing homelessness in our county. The goal of our program in to increase school stability and academic success for students in foster care or experiencing homelessness.

We work closely with community agencies including the Modoc County Department of Social Services, Modoc County Department of Probation, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Modoc County Foster Family Agency, Modoc County Behavioral Health, and Modoc County Public Health.

FOSTER YOUTH

FOSTER YOUTH

Foster Youth in CA Schools - Definitions
CDE Foster Youth Education Rights
CFYETE Education Fact Sheets - English
CFYETE Education Facts Sheets - Spanish
Foster Youth Education Toolkit - for school districts
Court Companion to the Foster Youth Edcuation Toolkit - for Educational Rights Holders, Social Workers, Probation Officers, Attorneys for Youth, Attorneys for Placing Agencies, and Judges
Foster Care Ombudsperson, 877-846-1602

FYSCP Resource HUB

PROGRAM STAFF

PROGRAM STAFF

Alisha Romesha

Director Mental Health Support Services

Email: aromesha@modoccoe.k12.ca.us

Tristin Harer

Administrative Assistant

Email: tharer@modoccoe.k12.ca.us

Phone: (530) 233-7101 x 1014

Foster and Homeless Youth Services Coordinating

Email: fyscp@modoccoe.k12.ca.us

TRAINING

TRAINING

Our Foster Youth Services and Homeless Coordinating Program can offer training in the areas of:

Trauma Informed Practices for School
Educational Rights of Foster and Homeless Youth

HOMELESS YOUTH

HOMELESS YOUTH

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) (42 United States Code § 11431-11435) is federal legislation that ensures the educational rights and protections of children and youth experiencing homelessness. It requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that homeless students have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschools, as provided to other children and youth.

Who counts as a "homeless" student?

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:

Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
Children and youth who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters
Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above

Homeless youth have rights to:

Enroll in school without proper documentation/immunization records.
Attend classes while educational records are being located and transferred.
Remain in their school of origin.
Enroll in school without giving a permanent address.
Receive transportation to and from school

SCHOOL DISTRICT AB 490 LIAISONS

SCHOOL DISTRICT AB 490 LIAISONS

Each school district and county office of education must designate an educational liaison for foster youth, whose duties are:
To ensure access to the same educational opportunities and resources as other students,
To increase stability of school placements,
To ensure proper educational placement, immediate school enrollment even when records are not available, and checkout from school,
To assist with the transfer of grades, calculation of full or partial credits, and records when there is a school change, and
To request or provide school records within 2 business days when there is a change of school. EC § 48853.5(b), (d)(4)(C).

Modoc County Office of Education AB 490 Liaison: Alisha Romesha, aromesha@modoccoe.k12.ca.us

Modoc Joint Unified School District AB 490 Liaison: Amanda Travers, atravers@modoc.k12.ca.us

Surprise Valley Joint Unified School District AB 490 Liaison: Audra Evans, aevans@svjusd.org

Tulelake Basin Joint Unified School District AB 490 Liaison: Brian Norby, bnorby@tbjusd.org

DISCIPLINE NOTICE PROTOCOL

DISCIPLINE NOTICE PROTOCOL

AB 1909 (2012) amends EC § 48853.5, 48911, and 48915.5,adds EC § 48918.1 and amends WIC § 317. It requires educational liaisons of school districts to notify the foster child's attorney and the social worker of any pending disciplinary proceedings involving the child, including those for expulsion, to extend a suspension, or to render a manifestation determination for children with exceptional needs. Notice is to be provided 10 days prior to any hearing to determine whether the child should be expelled.

AB 740 (2022) amends EC § 47605, 47605.6, 48432.5, 48853.5, 48911, 48911.1, 48915.5, and 48918.1. It requires that a foster child’s educational rights holder, attorney, and county social worker and an Indian child’s, as defined in Section 224.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, tribal social worker and, if applicable, county social worker shall have the same rights a parent or guardian of a child has to receive a suspension notice, expulsion notice, manifestation determination notice, involuntary transfer notice, and other documents and related information.

If a school district educational liaison for foster youth needs the foster child's attorney, county social worker, educational rights holder, and/or Indian child's tribal social worker contact information please contact Modoc County Office of Education Foster and Homeless Youth Services Coordinating Program at fyscp@modoccoe.k12.ca.us for the most current information.

FOSTER YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL

FOSTER YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL

The purpose of the Foster Youth Advisory Council is to bring together interagency and community support. This public team meets using collaborative communication to provide oversight to the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program to help foster and ensure academic, behavioral, and social-emotional success in their school, stable and safe housing, and the greater community through inclusive practices, advocacy and support to our most vulnerable youth population.

Looking to expand membership to include: