Transportation support is a key element to ensuring school stability for children in out-of-home care, particularly when the out-of-home placement is in a different school district or attendance area than the original educational placement. To facilitate transportation for these children, a local education agency receiving title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965funds must collaborate with the State or local child welfare agency or agencies to ensure that transportation for children in foster care is arranged, provided, and funded. State education agencies and State or Tribal child welfare agencies also play a key role in ensuring the adequate provision of transportation for children in foster care as part of their overall responsibilities under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act to provide educational stability for these children. Two strategies that States and localities can explore to help make educational stability a reality for young people in out-of-home care include using title IV-E foster care maintenance funds to pay for transportation to the school of origin and establishing cross-system collaborations. These and other strategies are discussed in the resources below.
When School Stability Requires Transportation: State Considerations (PDF - 126 KB)
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Education Law Center, & Juvenile Law Center (2011)
Describes strategies to ensure children receive transportation to support school stability when in their best interest.