The Colorado Department of Education

Offices | Staff Contacts | Colorado.gov

Legislation and Guidance

Education stability was incorporated into law by the Colorado legislature in 2008. Colorado statute provides compliance with the educational stability provision of P.L. 110-351.

In 2008, Colorado House Bill 1019 mandated that each school district and state Charter School Institute designate an employee or contractor to serve as a Child Welfare Education Liaison. The child welfare education liaisons collaborate with child placement agencies, county departments, the state department, and schools to ensure proper school placement, transfer and enrollment of foster children. The liaisons work with all parties to ensure a foster child remains in an educational situation that promotes stability. The law also requires schools to transfer education records within five school days and that the receiving school admits these children within five days of receipt of a student’s records.

Child Welfare Education Liaison (CWEL) Resources

  • This best practices guide, best practices for LEA CWEL's, provides an overview of laws to support district CWEL's to better understand their roles and responsibilities for children and youth in foster care.

  • This Fact Sheet provides definitions and what districts need to know about Colorado Kinship, Kinship Family Foster Care, and Non-relative Foster Care. The Narrative accompanies it to add clarification around commonly asked questions.

  • Foster Care Education: Legislation at a Glance is a tool designed to outline and simplify legislation around Foster Care Education in an easy to reach format.

  • Click here for a statewide map of County Agency Offices with numbers and websites.

Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act of 2008

“Fostering Connections” - P.L. 110-351, 42 U.S.C. 629 et seq. and 42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.

  • Sweeping legislation that affects many areas of child welfare law

  • The education portion of the Act provides guidance on educational stability for children in out-of-home placements

  • Stay in same school if in best interest of the child

  • If moving schools is in the best interest, immediate and appropriate enrollment in a new school, with all educational records provided to new school

Colorado Department of Human Services - Agency Letters

The purpose of Agency Letters is to communicate information and policy interpretation to county departments of human and social services.

CDHS - Overview of Fostering Connections to Success and Achieving Adoptions Act of 2008

CDHS - Implementation of Rules Regarding Implementation of the Requirements in the Fostering Connections and Success and Achieving Adoptions Act of 2008 and the Relative Guardianship Assistance Program

CDHS - Memorandum of Understanding Between the Colorado Department of Human Services and the Colorado Department of Education to Implement HB10-1274 Regarding certain Students Re-Entering the Public School System

CDHS - Categorical Eligibility for Free School Meals for Students in Foster Care and Students Placed in by the Court into a Caretaker or Kinship Home

 

Program Contact

Sheree Conyers
Phone: (303) 561-2192
Mobile: (303) 501-4031
E-mail: Conyers_S@cde.state.co.us