HB 1121 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to children in custody of the state;
3	requiring the Department of Children and Family Services
4	to enter into interagency agreements with public or
5	private entities for delivery of services to children in
6	care or custody or under the supervision of the
7	department; requiring an agreement between the department
8	and the Department of Education; requiring an agreement
9	between the department and district school boards;
10	specifying provisions of each agreement; providing an
11	effective date.
12
13	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15	Section 1. The Department of Children and Family Services
16	or its successor shall enter into agreements, contracts, or
17	other legal arrangements with public or private entities for the
18	purpose of facilitating the delivery of any service or program
19	to children in the care or custody or under the supervision of
20	the department, avoiding duplication of services or programs, or
21	combining resources to maximize the availability or delivery of
22	services or programs.
23	(1) The Department of Children and Family Services shall
24	enter into an agreement with the Department of Education
25	regarding the education and related care of children known to
26	the department who are in shelter care, foster care, or out-of-
27	home care, placed with a relative caregiver, or under protective
28	supervision of the department. Such agreement shall be designed
29	to expedite, facilitate, access, and otherwise provide education
30	success to children known to the Department of Children and
31	Family Services.
32	(2) The Department of Children and Family Services shall
33	enter into agreements with district school boards or other local
34	educational entities regarding the education and related
35	services of children known to the department. The interagency
36	agreement between each school district and the applicable
37	Department of Children and Family Services district or lead
38	agency for such district shall fulfill the constitutional
39	mandate to provide an education to Florida's children, including
40	those children in the temporary or permanent custody of the
41	state. Each agreement shall include, but not be limited to:
42	(a) Responsibility by the Department of Children and
43	Family Services for enrolling the child in school or continuing
44	the child's enrollment at the same school to avoid disruption of
45	education from the time of shelter until other appropriate
46	arrangements can be made.
47	(b) A requirement that the Department of Children and
48	Family Services request of a school district all available and
49	appropriate services for a child in the custody of the state and
50	notify the school district where the child resides and the
51	caseworker's name and phone number for child safety purposes.
52	(c) An authorization for a school district and the
53	Department of Children and Family Services to share information
54	about a child, since the sharing of information will assist each
55	agency in providing education and related services for the
56	benefit of the child.
57	(d) Provision for transportation of a child in state
58	custody when such transportation will avoid a change in school
59	assignment due to a change in residential placement, and any
60	other mechanisms designed to stabilize a child's school
61	placement while the child is known to the department.
62	(e) Cooperation in accessing the services and supports
63	needed for a child who has or is suspected of having a
64	disability to receive an appropriate education consistent with
65	the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and state
66	implementing laws, rules, and assurances.
67	(f) Coordination of services for a child who has or is
68	suspected of having a disability, to include:
69	1. Prompt referral for evaluation.
70	2. Sharing of evaluations between the school district and
71	the Department of Children and Family Services.
72	3. Provision of education and related services appropriate
73	for the child's needs and abilities.
74	4. Coordination of services and plans between the school
75	and the residential setting.
76	5. Appointment of a surrogate parent for educational
77	purposes for each child as soon as the child is determined to be
78	dependent and without regard to where the child is placed so
79	that one surrogate parent can follow the child's education
80	during his or her entire time in state custody.
81	6. Training for surrogate parents to include the effects
82	of abuse, neglect, and removal from home on the child's ability
83	to learn.
84	7. For each child 14 years of age and older, transition
85	planning by the Department of Children and Family Services and
86	all providers, including the department's independent living
87	program staff.
88	8. Provision of parent training in cases in which
89	reunification is the goal or for preadoptive parents when
90	adoption is the goal, so that parents learn how to access the
91	services the child needs and the importance of their involvement
92	in the child's education.
93	(g) Provision of individualized student intervention or
94	academic improvement plans when a determination has been made
95	through legally appropriate criteria that intervention services
96	are required.
97	(h) Participation by the district school system in
98	Department of Children and Family Services case planning for a
99	child, both at the time of plan development and plan review.
100	(i) Training for caseworkers and foster parents to include
101	information on the child's right to an education, the role of an
102	education in the child's development and adjustment, the proper
103	ways to access education and related services for the child, and
104	the importance and strategies for parent involvement in
105	education for the success of the child.
106	(j) Training of Department of Children and Family Services
107	contractors and school-leased contractors with respect to the
108	education of children and related issues.
109	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.