By the Associated Press and KFDI News:
Kansas governor Laura Kelly issued an executive order on Tuesday requiring the state to track foster children’s progress in school, shortly after having vetoed a similar bill last month.
The annual report card will detail the academic progress and classroom struggles of children in its care.
Kelly’s order says the state will take responsibility to make every effort to ensure students in foster care receive a quality education. Secretary for DCF Laura Howard said her agency is already working with the Department of Education to begin gathering data.
The report card will be presented each year and presented to the House and Senate Education committees.
The governor said in a press release, “This report will help us track educational outcomes of all Kansas students in foster care – which will in turn help Kansas’ vulnerable families and make our public education system more accountable. I will continue to preserve the foster care programs that are already in place during this unprecedented pandemic. We will grow these foundational services and continue to fight on behalf of all Kansas children.”
