Foster Care
Appoint a Liaison
- Districts must submit their liaison information to TEA through the district’s AskTED administrator.
- Charter schools must submit their foster care liaison to the Charter School Division at TEA directly via (512) 463-9575 or CharterSchools@tea.texas.gov. Include your liaison’s name, email address, and phone and fax numbers.
- Once the foster care liaison is submitted to TEA, complete the Foster Care Liaison Introductory Survey (outside source), and you can also subscribe to TEA updates on this topic.
TEA Foster Care and Student Success Website

Child Protective Services (CPS) Education Specialists
Foster Care FAQ
Foster Care Liaison
Are school districts and public charter schools required to appoint a Foster Care Liaison?
How does a LEA submit the name and contact information for the foster care liaison to the Texas Education Agency?
Where can I find contact information for LEA’s designated foster care liaisons?
What are the duties of the Foster Care Liaison?
Department of Family and Protective Services
How do the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) regions compare with the Education Service Center (ESC) regions?
What DFPS region is ESC-20 located within?
What is the role of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Education Specialists?
Who is the education specialist with DFPS Region 8 that supports LEAs located within ESC-20?
Foster Care Coding in PEIMS / Identification
What documentation can a LEA accept to code a student as Foster Care in PEIMs?
- 2085 from (may accept any form in the 2085 series);
- Court order naming the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as the managing conservator of the student, or
- DFPS Kinship Caregiver Agreement (form 0695).
- Community-Based Care Placement Form (i.e. Family Tapestry in DFPS Region 8a Bexar County)
How does a LEA obtain a copy of the Letter of Verification for a preschool student who was formerly in foster care?
Does foster care coding carry over from one school year to the next?
If a student exits foster care during the school year, should the PEIMS coding be removed?
Does a Safety Plan count as documentation that a student is in foster care?
Can a LEA accept a court order that has pages removed?
Should a student in foster care also be coded with a “At-Risk” indicator?
Is an unaccompanied refugee minor considered foster care?
Would a student in the foster care system of another state be coded in PEIMS as Foster Care when enrolling in school?
**Note, federal benefits, such as free school meals and services required through ESSA, should be provided to a foster care student regardless of the state foster care system the student is part of.
What PEIMS coding should be used for a Pre-K student who was under the care of another state's foster care system?
Can a student be doubled coded as both McKinney-Vento and Foster Care?
- A student in foster care who has run away from a foster care placement.
- A student in foster care without placement – who may be sleeping in an office or other location meeting the definition of homelessness.
School of Origin
Can a student in foster care attend school in the attendance area school located where the foster parents reside?
How does school of origin apply to students in foster care?
- The attendance area public school in which the foster parents reside
- The primary or secondary public school the student was enrolled in before the student entered the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
- Even if the student is placed at a residence outside the attendance area for the school or outside the school district, the student is entitled to continue to attend the school in which the student was enrolled immediately before entering conservatorship until the student successfully completes the highest grade level offered by the school at the time of placement without payment of tuition.
- The primary or secondary public school a student in foster care is enrolled in, other than the school in which the student was enrolled at the time the student was placed in conservatorship, the student is entitled to continue to attend that school without payment of tuition until the student successfully completes the highest grade level offered by the school at the time of enrollment in the school.
If a student is no longer in the care of DFPS can the student continue attending the school if not residing in the attendance area?
Best Interest
How does best interest factor into school selection for a student in foster care?
Who determines best interest?
Is there a sample best interest form LEAs can complete and share with the Department of Family and Protective Services?
FFC(E)-RRM [/Revisions/Numbered Updates/SD.RRM.39/Point Revisions] (texas.gov)
Transportation
Are LEAs required to have procedures in place for the transportation of students in foster care?
Is transportation required for a student in foster care?
Who pays for the excess costs of transportation for students in foster care to stay in their school of origin?
- the local child welfare agency agrees to reimburse the LEA for the cost of such transportation;
- the LEA agrees to pay for the cost of such transportation; or
- the LEA and the local child welfare agency agree to share the cost of such transportation.
Does transportation have to be on a school bus?
Where can a LEA find additional information and templates on transportation for students in foster care?
Enrollment
Can a student in foster care be enrolled in school if he/she is missing the normally required enrollment documentation (i.e. birth certificate, immunizations)?
Can a LEA enroll a student in foster care in school if he/she does not have the required immunizations?
Absences
If a student in foster care has to miss school to attend court or court-ordered appointments, should these absences be excused?
Are there any considerations a LEA should take prior to referring a student in foster care to truancy court?
- pregnancy;
- being in the state foster program;
- homelessness; or
- being the principal income earner for the student's family.
EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 25. ADMISSION, TRANSFER, AND ATTENDANCE (texas.gov)
Where can a LEA get more information on truancy and truancy prevention measures?
Withdrawal
How long does a LEA have to transfer school records to another LEA when the student withdraws and moves to a new LEA?
What should the LEA do if a student in foster care is not withdrawn from the LEA prior to enrolling in another LEA?
What should the LEA do if a student in foster care is not attending school and the student’s whereabouts are not known?
Educational Decision Maker
Who is the Educational Decision Maker for a student in foster care?
Where can a LEA find who is the designated education decision maker for a student?
When is the LEA required to contact or notify the student’s educational decision-maker?
- requests or referrals for an evaluation under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), or special education under Section 29.003;
- admission, review, and dismissal committee meetings;
- manifestation determination reviews required by Section 37.004(b);
- any disciplinary actions under Chapter 37 for which parental notice is required;
- citations issued for Class C misdemeanor offenses on school property or at school-sponsored activities;
- reports of restraint and seclusion required by Section 37.0021;
- use of corporal punishment as provided by Section 37.0011; and
- appointment of a surrogate parent for the child under Section 29.0151;
EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 25. ADMISSION, TRANSFER, AND ATTENDANCE (texas.gov)
Special Education
Can a LEA accept a referral for special education services made for a student in foster care from a school the student previously attended?
What is a surrogate parent?
How can a LEA determine if a surrogate parent is needed for a student in foster care?
Where can a LEA find out additional information on surrogate parent requirements and training resources?
Information Sharing
Is the LEA allowed to share education information on students in foster care with the Department of Family and Protective Services?
School Meals
Does a student identified as foster care receive free school meals?
What documentation does the Food and Nutrition Department need in order to provide a student in foster care with free meals?
- The Foster Care Liaison for the LEA may provide the Food and Nutrition Department with a list of students in foster care enrolled in the LEA. The list should include the child’s name, effective date of benefits, and signature of the appropriate school official. The list may be provided electronically and used as documentation that the students are categorically eligible for free meals. This method for documenting eligibility is not subject to verification in the National School Lunch Program.
- The LEA may obtain a copy of the Foster Authorization form or appropriate court documentation for that child or obtain a list that identifies the child as a foster child from the appropriate agency or court official. This method for documenting eligibility is not subject to verification in the National School Lunch Program.
- The household may provide an application containing the child’s name, the household adult signature, and (with) the foster box marked. This method for documenting eligibility is subject to verification in the National School Lunch Program.
- The household may provide an application that contains the name of the foster student(s) and names of other non-foster students in the household. Households should only mark the “foster” box for the foster student(s) in the household. This method for documenting eligibility is subject to verification in the National School Lunch Program.
If a student is in a foster care program operated by a different state, would the child still be eligible to receive free school meals?
Awarding Credit
What considerations for awarding partial credit for students in foster care are required?
CASA
What is CASA?
May a CASA volunteer have access to a student’s educational records?
Where can a LEA find more information about CASA?
Early Childhood
Are pre-school aged youth eligible to attend a LEA’s preschool program?
What documentation is necessary to show that a child has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services and eligible to attend a LEA’s public preschool program?
If the student does not have a copy of the Letter of Verification for preschool from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services what can the LEA do?
Higher Education
In what ways are LEAs required to help support the transition of students to higher education?
EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 25. ADMISSION, TRANSFER, AND ATTENDANCE (texas.gov)
Can a student in foster care receive a diploma from a school previously attended?
EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 28. COURSES OF STUDY; ADVANCEMENT (texas.gov)
How often is a high school student in foster care required to be told about the higher education benefits available to him/her?
What is the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program?
Is a student in high school enrolled in a dual credit course eligible to participate in the ETV Program?
Where can a student in foster care find out more information regarding the ETV program?
What is the College Fee and Tuition waiver for students under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services?
- The student was under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services:
- on the day preceding the student's 18th birthday;
- on or after the day of the student's 14th birthday, if the student was also eligible for adoption on or after that day;
- during an academic term in which the student was enrolled in a dual credit course or other course for which a high school student may earn joint high school and college credit;
- on the day the student graduated from high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma;
- on the day preceding:
- the date the student is adopted, if that date is on or after September 1, 2009; or
- the date permanent managing conservatorship of the student is awarded to a person other than the student's parent, if that date is on or after September 1, 2009; or
- has an adoption assistance agreement with DFPS that provided both monthly payments and medical assistance.
Does a high school dual credit course count as a college course that will activate the College Tuition and Fee Waiver?
How does a student in foster care get a copy of the College Tuition and Fee Waiver?
Where can a LEA find more information on the College Tuition and Fee Waiver?
What is Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program?
What age youth can participate in the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program?
Where can I find out more information about the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program?
Who is the PAL program contact for DFPS Region 8 (ESC-20 area)?
Are institutes of higher education required to appoint a foster care liaison?
Additional Information
Where can a LEA find additional information on education rights and services for students in foster care?
Child Abuse
Are school professionals required to report suspected child abuse or neglect?
FAMILY CODE CHAPTER 261. INVESTIGATION OF REPORT OF CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT (texas.gov)
Are school professionals required to complete training over child abuse?
What school employees are required to participate in the training?
Is human trafficking considered a form of child abuse?
Where can a LEA find a list of trainings that meet the requirements of the Texas Education Code §38.0041?
Are there any required postings related to child abuse?
Where can a LEA find more information on child abuse and human trafficking?