Foster Care Transportation Provisions - Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) - Illinois State Board of Education

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

Guidance for Illinois LEAs on providing transportation for students in foster care under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Outlines required collaboration with State or local child welfare agencies, written procedures for arranging and funding transportation throughout foster care, and cost-effective delivery aligned with the Fostering Connections Act. Describes dispute resolution, agreement on costs, and maintaining enrollment in the school of origin during cost disputes, plus reimbursement rules for additional transportation costs and multiple eligible funding sources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Transportation Provisions

Core Collaboration and Procedures

Cost Agreements and Dispute Resolution

Cost Reimbursement and Eligible Funding Options

Transportation Options and Vehicle Guidance

FOSTER CARE TRANSPORTATION PROVISIONS EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT (ESSA) Division of Funding & Disbursements Illinois State Board of Education May 9, 2018 Whole Child ● Whole School ● Whole Community 1 TRANSPORTATION LEAs must provide assurances that they will collaborate with State or local Child Welfare Agencies to: • Develop and implement clear written procedures for how transportation will be provided, arranged, and funded for the duration of the time in foster care • Procedures must ensure that children will promptly receive transportation in a cost-effective manner in accordance with the Fostering Connections Act • Ensure that, if there are additional costs incurred in providing transportation to the school of origin Whole Child ● Whole School ● Whole Community 2 TRANSPORTATION Districts and child welfare agencies should work together to agree on costs • Transportation procedures should include a dispute resolution process if parties cannot come to agreement • ISBE and DCFS has developed uniform statewide guidelines and procedures via IWAS Foster Care Transportation System • A child must remain in his or her school of origin while any disputes regarding transportation costs are being resolved Whole Child ● Whole School ● Whole Community 3 TRANSPORTATION • The LEA must ensure that children in foster care needing transportation to their school of origin will promptly receive transportation in a cost effective manner and in accordance with the child welfare agency’s authority to use child welfare funding for school of origin transportation . • IF there are additional costs incurred in providing transportation to maintain children in foster care in their schools of origin, the LEA will provide transportation to the school of origin: --Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, LEAs that incur additional transportation costs for transporting a DCFS Foster Care student to their school of origin will be reimbursed 50% of their actual costs by DCFS. The other 50 % is claimable as Regular Transportation expenditures . Whole Child ● Whole School ● Whole Community 4 TRANSPORTATION Other funding options: • Title I (but funds reserved for comparable services for homeless children & youth may not be used for transportation); • Title IV-E of the Social Security Act if the student is eligible • IDEA funds, If the student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that includes provisions for specialized transportation, transportation must be provided for prekindergarten–Grade 12 special education students enrolled for the regular and/or summer terms who require special transportation as defined in their IEP and approved as a related service on the IEP Student Tracking and Reporting System ( I-Star) . DCFS special education youth-in-care transportation costs are reimbursed at 100% and claimed separately via the Special Education Individual Orphanage claim . • State special education transportation funds, if the student has an IEP • Local funds Whole Child ● Whole School ● Whole Community 5 Transportation Options The following low-cost / no-cost options should be considered when developing the transportation procedures: • Pre-existing transportation routes • New transportation route • Route-to-route hand-offs • District-to-district hand-offs • Eligibility of student for transportation through other services such as but not limited to, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) • Alternative not directly provided by the district / school such as: – Contracted services – taxis, student transport companies, etc. * – Public transportation such as city buses, rail, etc. – Carpools * – School / District staff * – Options presented by DCFS outside of those provided by the district / school, such as reimbursing the foster parents for transportation cost, or including transportation in contracts with licensed child placing agencies or group homes

FAQs

What must LEAs do to arrange transportation for students in foster care?

LEAs must collaborate with State or local child welfare agencies and develop written procedures for how transportation will be provided, arranged, and funded for the duration of foster care. Procedures must ensure prompt, cost-effective transportation in accordance with the Fostering Connections Act.

How are disputes about transportation costs handled during foster care?

Districts and child welfare agencies should agree on costs, and transportation procedures must include a dispute resolution process if parties cannot agree. A child must remain in their school of origin while disputes regarding transportation costs are being resolved.

What funding sources and vehicle requirements apply to foster care transportation?

The guidance lists options such as Title I (with restrictions), Title IV-E if eligible, IDEA funds for IEP-specified specialized transportation, state special education funds, and local funds. It also requires appropriate driver permits and specifies that a Multifunction School Activity Bus cannot be used for home-to-school or school-to-home transportation.

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Jake