Congress Passes Uninterrupted Scholars Act to Assist Foster Children

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The Uninterrupted Scholars Act, passed over the summer by Congress, addresses inconsistent provisions of federal law. It now allows the caseworker
legally responsible for the care and protection of the child to gain access to the educational records. They may re-disclose information to other agencies only for the purpose of meeting the child's educational needs.

Additionally, education records may be released pursuant to court order without notice to a parent when a parent is a party to a court proceeding in a dependency matter. Nonparty parents would still have to be notified before records could be released.

With this charge, foster children will no longer face the prospect of repeating classes or even grades due to undisclosed records and allow them to continue with their normal educational path. The President is expected to sign the bill in the coming days.

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