Congressional leaders recently came together to champion a law to improve education outcomes for foster youth. The Uninterrupted Scholars Act (USA) passed both houses of Congress by January 1, 2013 and was signed by President Barrack Obama on January 14, 2013 amidst intense pressure to resolve the looming fiscal cliff.
USA amended federal education law so that social workers now have access to student records for foster youth. The amended law is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which for many years stymied efforts to obtain critical information to help foster children in their educational pursuits.
This is a great example of leaders from both sides of the table coming together at a challenging time to collaborate and pass an act that will make a real difference in the lives of foster youth and will enable advocates and educators to better assist them in reaching their academic goals.
Thank you to Congresswoman Karen Bass for spearheading USA and to her fellow members of Congress for making USA a bi-partisan issue with widespread support.
For more information, read the Fostering Media Connections e-newsletter from Jan. 15.
