Back to School — and Support for All Youth
For most kids, September marks the beginning of a new school year. Yellow buses are back in our neighborhoods. Children are filling their backpacks with books and new school supplies. Cars loaded with bedding and other dorm room essentials are heading back to colleges and universities across the country. But not all school age youth are a part of this annual ritual. To ensure that youth in the foster care and justice systems receive the high quality educational opportunities they deserve, we still have some homework to do. First, we must read and disseminate Operation: Education: An Action Kit to Achieve Positive Educational Outcomes for Youth in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems written by youth advocates at Juvenile Law Center. Second, we must educate Pennsylvania legislators about the need to pass S.B. 662, a bill that incorporates many of the recommendations from our youth advocates in Operation: Education. Third, we must implement the Fostering Independence Through Education Waiver Act so that all young adults who have experience in foster care after age 16 receive a tuition-free college education in Pennsylvania when the law goes into effect in fall 2020.
Juvenile Law Center’s Youth Advocacy Program, which includes Juveniles for Justice (J4J) and Youth Fostering Change (YFC), is made up of youth with experience in the child welfare and justice systems. Each year J4J and YFC carry out a reform campaign. This summer, for the first time, the two groups combined forces to publish Operation: Education: An Action Kit to Achieve Positive Educational Outcomes for Youth in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems. Please read it. Share it with judges, policymakers, and others who can implement these critical reform recommendations to tackle the complex issues that disrupt education and delay high school graduation for youth with involvement in these systems. Join with us in raising youth voices for education reform.
Help Juvenile Law Center, Education Law Center and our other partners to educate Pennsylvania legislators about the need for educational supports for young people who have to change schools due to their involvement in the foster care or juvenile justice systems, or because of experiencing homelessness. The Fostering Graduation Success for Vulnerable Students Act (S.B. 662)builds off models that are working in other states and incorporates the youth advocates’ feedback about the supports that would have helped them overcome system obstacles and stay on track to a diploma.
Specifically, this bill:
· Designates a point person to assist the student’s transition to a new school by determining proper courses, creating a graduation plan that tracks credits, and connecting the student to school opportunities and necessary supports.
· Ensures students get full or partial academic credit for work they completed at previous schools.
· Engages youth by providing equal access to sports, extra-curriculars activities, needed courses and other specialized programs, even if they transfer after school starts.
· Provides make-up and diploma options to help the youth graduate on time.
Work with us to ensure full implementation of the Fostering Independence Through Education Waiver Act. Passed last June after years of advocacy by Juvenile Law Center and our partners, it goes into effect in fall of 2020. This new law creates a tuition and fee waiver for youth at Pennsylvania colleges and universities who were in foster care at age 16 or older.
Key provisions include:
· a tuition and fee waiver (does not cover room and board) for undergraduate degrees at colleges and universities in Pennsylvania for youth in foster care at age 16 or older to reduce financial barriers.
· points-of-contact at Pennsylvania institutions to help eligible students identify and apply for financial aid and scholarships, gather verification documents, and access campus and community resources and support services.
· outreach to students to ensure that eligible students know about the waiver and other students supports and apply for all available financial aid.
· data collection and reporting by institutions and government agencies to improve retention and the success of students.
· waiver that can be used for up to five years until a young adult reaches age 26.
As so many members of our communities are transitioning from summer to another school year, let’s make sure all school-age children — even those living apart from their families or other social connections — are a part of these annual preparations as the new school year begins. Partner with Juvenile Law Center to ensure that all youth can begin the new school year and beyond with the educational access and supports they need to succeed.
