Students in foster care and those involved in the juvenile justice system need ongoing, on-the-ground support to ensure they have opportunities to be successful in school. HB 411 will enable each school district to provide continuous educational support to these students and facilitates the successful implementation of landmark federal law, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) on their behalf.

Education Decision Maker

• Codifies the current New Mexico court rule requiring education decision makers for students in foster care into the Abuse and Neglect Act

This will ensure that there is a clear decision maker identified for each student in foster care to support their continuity of education.

Point of Contact

• Addresses federal requirements that school districts identify a point of contact to support students in foster care and expands this support to students in the juvenile justice system in furtherance of ESSA implementation.
• Provides guidance to school districts about how the points of contact can be utilized to support students including: ensuring that students remain in their school of origin, if it is in their best interest; ensuring that records transfer in a timely manner when students change schools; and helping to develop streamlined communication between systems and individuals involved with the student's educational achievement needs.