SB 655

This bill makes changes to various requirements for schools related to

permanency hearings, foster care, and transfer of pupil records. The bill adds a

child's school to the list of entities that receive notice of and may comment on an

upcoming permanency review or permanency hearing under the Children's Code.

The bill changes the requirements for notifying a school and a school district when

a foster home or group home is licensed and when a child is placed in out-of-home

care. The bill also changes the time period within which a school must transfer the

records of a pupil who attended that school to an individual or entity that requests

those records, and that is authorized to receive those records, from five working days

to the next working day.

Currently, when a child adjudged to be in need of protection or services is

removed from his or her home in a proceeding under the Children's Code, the agency

responsible for that child's removal is required to prepare a permanency plan,

designed to ensure that the child is reunified with his or her family whenever

appropriate, or that the child quickly attains a placement or home providing

long-term stability. Current law requires the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction

under the Children's Code (juvenile court) to periodically review the plan and to

periodically hold a hearing on the plan. Under current law, when a permanency plan

is up for review or a hearing, notice of the review or hearing is sent to a list of

interested parties and persons as prescribed by the Children's Code. Parties to the

proceeding have a right to submit written comments on the permanency plan and

participate in the review or hearing; other interested persons may have the right to

submit comments to the juvenile court on the proposed plan.

This bill adds the child's school to the list of entities or persons that receive

notice of the review or hearing and that may have the opportunity to submit written

comments to the court on the proposed plan, but may not otherwise participate in the

review or appear at the hearing.

Under current law, when a new foster home or group home is licensed, the

licensing agency is required to notify the clerk of the school district in which the

foster home or group home is located. This bill requires that the licensing agency

notify a school district of a newly licensed foster home or group home located in the

school district, but does not specify that the notice must be sent to the clerk of the

school district.

Under current law, when a child is placed in a foster home, group home, shelter

care facility, or the home of a relative other than a parent (out-of-home care

placement), the agency placing the child in the out-of-home care placement is

required to notify the clerk of the school district where the out-of-home care

placement is located that a placement has been made. This bill requires that the

agency making an out-of-home care placement give notification of the placement to

the school district and school where the child will attend after the placement is made.