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When a student enters foster care, federal and state law work together to keep their school life as steady as possible. Our district liaison coordinates with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), the caseworker, the caregiver, and biological family — so the student stays at the school they know whenever it's in their best interest.
Are you the student? This page is written for you →
Federal law (the Every Student Succeeds Act, ESSA) and Washington law (RCW 28A.320.148) require every school district to designate a foster care liaison and a point of contact in every building. Their job is to make sure students in foster care don't lose instructional time, friendships, or familiar staff because their living situation changed.
In Montesano, the district liaison is Shawn Brown (sbrown@monteschools.org), and every building has a point of contact (see the contacts section below). Background and family resources are on OSPI's Foster Care Education page.
A change of schools should never delay graduation. Under Washington law, the district:
DCYF pays any unpaid fees or fines a student owes the school — so fees never block enrollment, records, ASB, or activities.
When a student enters foster care or moves between placements, the team makes a best-interest determination: should the student stay at school of origin, or change to a school closer to the new placement? Under federal law, school of origin is the presumption; a change happens only if it's in the student's best interest.
The decision considers, at minimum:
While the determination is being made — and during any dispute that follows — the student remains at school of origin. The presumption stays with continuity, not with change.
You don't have to figure out the school side alone. Call Shawn Brown or the building point of contact and tell us:
That's usually enough to set things in motion. Records, transportation, and the best-interest conversation happen on our side.
You retain education-decision rights as a biological parent unless those rights have been specifically removed by court order. The school works with the parent the court has named, and we coordinate with DCYF to make sure the right adult is signing for the right things. If the situation is unclear, call us — we'd much rather sort it out together than guess.
We work with you directly. Our liaison can pull records, arrange same-day enrollment, set up transportation, and coordinate the best-interest determination meeting. We'll send the relevant paperwork to whichever address you tell us, including secure email when needed for confidentiality.
Under the Uninterrupted Scholars Act (part of FERPA), we can release education records to the authorized DCYF caseworker responsible for the child — without parental consent — to meet the student's educational needs. We request records from a prior school within 2 business days, and enrollment never waits on records.
Bus routing for school of origin gets coordinated with the family's case plan and the other district when the placement crosses district lines. Most arrangements take a couple of business days to set up; in the meantime, we'll work with you on a temporary plan so the student doesn't miss school. Call our Transportation office once the liaison has the basics. The district and DCYF coordinate a written transportation plan for the student. DCYF reimburses the district for 50% of the excess cost; the district arranges and fronts the service. Transportation is never suspended over a billing disagreement, and cost is never a factor in the best-interest decision.
If the caregiver or the court-appointed educational decision-maker disagrees with which school the student should attend, they can file a dispute — by email or letter; it won't be rejected for being on the wrong form. Throughout the entire process, the student stays enrolled in and attending the school of origin.
A student's foster-care status is part of their education record under FERPA. It is shared only with staff who genuinely need to know to do their job — the office that signs forms, the bus dispatcher arranging transport, the counselor who's coordinating support. Other students and other parents are not told.
What if my child is in kinship care, not formal foster care? Kinship caregivers — grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends raising a child — may be eligible for similar protections under McKinney-Vento (homeless education) when the arrangement is informal. Call us and we'll figure out which doorway fits the family.
Can my child still play sports? Yes. Athletic eligibility for students in foster care is protected — they can't be barred from teams because of mid-year transfers between placements. Coaches loop in with the liaison on logistics.
Will the school tell other parents my child is in foster care? No. Foster-care status is part of the protected education record. Staff who don't need to know aren't told. Other students and other parents aren't told.
What if the placement ends and we go back home? Tell us as soon as you know. We update the student's record, the bus, and the meal program on our side. Your student keeps the same teachers and friends — that's the whole point.