Chairman Erickson opened the hearing on HB 2320.

Tamera Lawrence, Assistant Revisor, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 19)

Angela Hedrick, Vice President of Operations for KVC Kansas, explained that when a child or teen in foster care changes schools mid-year, the impact goes far beyond learning a new classroom. During a transition gap, the child is expected to adapt academically and emotionally with the information or continuity educators need to support them effectively. This bill would:

• Protect timely access to school records.
• Prevents enrollment delays.
• Creates flexibility for school enrollment.
• Preserves the option to remain in the school of origin.
• Requires transportation planning that is intentional, not reactive.

This bill is not about convenience, it is about equity. Children and teens in foster care should not lose access to education, services, relationships, or opportunities because systems fail during times of transition. This bill strengthens that alignment and reflects what we already know works. (Attachment 20)

Kristalle Hedrick, CEO Children's Alliance of Kansas, stated that this bill would grant youth experiencing foster care the opportunity to be enrolled in any school district regardless of their placement status or physical location. This bill would also require timely transfer of records between districts when enrollment changes occur, removing unnecessary barriers that disrupt children's access to education. This bill is a critical step toward eliminating artificial barriers to education access and providing stability for students who are living in care. (Attachment 21)

Proponent Written:

Kerri Lonard, Child Advocate, Kansas Office of the Child Advocate (Attachment 22)

Claudia Fury-Aguirre, Manager, Kansas Policy and Outreach, Aligned (Attachment 23)

Timothy R. Graham, Director of Government Relations and Legislative Affairs (Attachment 24)

Brenna Visocsky, Just Campaign Director, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (Attachment 25)

Discussion followed.

Neutral:

Shannon Kimball, Government Relations Specialist, Kansas Association of School Boards, spoke of observations and concerns and questions for the committee's consideration:

• Collaborative work already underway
• Records-Transfer timeline
• Transportation without clear funding
• Immediate enrollment without student records
• How can statutory changes be crafted to support the effective collaborative practices already in place while ensuring unintentional constrain of flexibility those partners need to best serve students in foster care?
• Will the state provide dedicated funding to support transportation obligations created by the bill?
• How will disputes between school districts and DCF about transportation, costs, or implementation be resolved? (Attachment 26)

Discussion followed.

Chairman Erickson closed the hearing on HB 2320.