Topeka (AP)-A Kansas legislator is urging the House to approve a bill that would require the state to develop annual academic report cards on all children in foster care.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that less than 40% of the state’s 7,000 foster children who were seniors last year completed high school. Sen. Molly Baumgardner told House legislators Monday that too many of the state’s foster children ended up in correctional facilities when they should be going to college.
The bill, already passed in the Kansas Senate, mandates for the collection of academic records on each foster child, focusing on standardized test scores, graduation rates, suspensions and expulsions.
Ethan Belshe, a representative of the Department for Children and Families, testified to the House Education Committee in favor of the bill, but asked for the measure to be amended to detail the percentage of children involved in mental health programs such as the Mental Health Intervention Teen Pilot Program.
Rep. David Benson said he backs the measure but voiced concern about the state’s ability to keep up with children who frequently move to new homes and different schools.
