A 4557: Relates to written notification to schools of a student's placement in foster care.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4557 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM, LUNSFORD, BURDICK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to written notifi- cation to schools of a student's placement in foster care The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 2 405 to read as follows: 3 § 405. Notification to schools of foster care placement. 1. Whenever 4 a child placed in foster family care or an agency boarding home or group 5 home who is a public charge in a social services district is admitted to 6 a school, an official within that social services district or an offi- 7 cial of the authorized agency acting on the child's behalf in boarding 8 out such child, shall send written notification to the principal or 9 principal's designee of the school in which the child is enrolled that 10 said child is in foster family care or an agency boarding home or group 11 home. Such notification must be received by the principal or principal's 12 designee no later than the first day during which the child is in 13 attendance at school and must include the following: 14 (a) the name of such child; 15 (b) the date of birth of such child, if ascertainable, or such child's 16 apparent age; 17 (c) the names and address of the foster parents or, where applicable, 18 the name of the child care agency and the address of the agency boarding 19 home or group home; 20 (d) the name and location of the school district in which such child 21 resided at the time such child became a public charge in foster care; 22 (e) the name and location of the school last attended by such child 23 prior to such child's current admission; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04025-01-5 
 A. 4557 2 1 (f) the name and location of the local social services commissioner 2 caring for such child, and the name and location of any authorized agen- 3 cy acting on such child's behalf. 4 2. Any information gathered or disseminated about a child placed in 5 foster family care or an agency boarding home or group home pursuant to 6 this section shall be treated in a confidential manner and shall not be 7 distributed, made available or disclosed by the social services 8 district, authorized agency or school other than as specifically permit- 9 ted by subdivision one of this section. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 11 it shall have become a law.