Frontier Schools is committed to ensuring and facilitating the proper educational placement, enrollment in school and checkout from school for foster children.
In order to facilitate this process and to serve as the educational liaison for District foster children, the District designates Frontier Schools Lead Social Worker to oversee and assess the District’s foster care program.
The Board recognizes students in foster care experience mobility in and out of the foster care system and from one home placement to another that may disrupt their education, and which may create barriers to academic success and on-time graduation. The District, in collaboration with state and local agencies, will work to minimize or eliminate educational barriers for students in foster care, particularly in enrollment, transfer of student records, and transportation to their school of origin, where appropriate. For purposes of this policy, “school of origin” is the school in which the student is enrolled at the time of placement in foster care. The District will, to the largest extent possible, ensure that a child in foster care enrolls or remains in his or her school of origin, unless a determination is made that remaining in the student’s school of origin is not in the student’s best interest.
In determining the student’s best interest, the following factors will be considered:
- Preference of the student;
- Preference of the student’s parent or educational decision-making;
- The student’s attachment to the school, relationships with staff and peers;
- Placement of the student’s siblings;
- Influence of the school climate on the student, including safety;
- Availability and quality of the services in the school in meeting the student’s educational and socioemotional needs;
- History of school transfers and their impact;
- Impact of the length of commute;
- Whether the student has a disability under the IDEA or Section 504;
- Whether student is an EL student receiving language services.
Foster Care Liaison Contact Information
Frontier Schools designates the following individual as the liaison for foster care students:
Melissa Meyer, LCSW
Lead Social Worker
Address: 5605 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO 64110
Phone: (816) 822 1331
Email: mmeyer@frontierschools.org