King 5 News
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington lawmakers passed legislation designed to provide additional support to children in foster care.
The new law established under SB 5184 adds a point of contact in all K-12 public schools for students in foster care.
The bill is the brainchild of Senator T’wina Nobles, who went through the foster care system herself. As a result, Nobles is well aware of the benefits of a stable school environment.
“School is where I spent a lot of my time academically and socially,” she said. “It’s where I could spend time as an athlete. It’s where I could count on a warm meal. It’s where I could count on consistent meals. It’s where people did see me.”
Foster care advocates say that maintaining consistency is crucial when it comes to success in school, but it can be challenging to have if you’re going through foster care.
“Most of our foster kids are behind in schooling, just because of the transitions of going from home to home,” according to Nathan LaChine, founder of Evergreen Caregiver Support. “The unfortunate thing is there are not enough homes in a lot of locations, so a kid could start out in Seattle and end up down in Aberdeen because there’s not enough homes or vice versa.
“You could have a kid that’s on track at this high school, but then transfers over to another high school and the credit requirements don’t transfer over,” he continued. “[So] this science class could transfer over as an elective and no one knows it because the last time we sat down with a guidance counselor three school districts ago they said they were on track and they’re really not.” See the rest of the article at: