Foster Care & Student Success, housed in the Texas Education Agency’s Division of Federal and State Education Policy maintains resources and information to advance the education of students impacted by foster care. The resources and materials provide guidance related to the unique circumstances surrounding students who are in the foster care system and attend Texas public schools. In Texas, nearly 16,000 school-age students are in foster care at any given time.

For questions concerning Foster Care and Student Success, please contact:

Lesley Casarez, Ph.D.                                                                                 
Education Specialist, Counseling and Mental Health
lesley.casarez@esc15.net
325-481-4097

Please click on the icons below for links to additional resources.

Find additional resources on the TEA Foster Care Information and Resources website.

Foster Care Points of Contact

LEA Foster Care Liaisons

Each school district and open-enrollment charter school in Texas is required to appoint at least one employee to act as a Foster Care Liaison. Both districts and open-enrollment charter schools must submit their Foster Care Liaison's name and contact information to TEA. 

Local Educational Agencies (LEA) must submit Foster Care Liaison contact information to TEA through AskTED.  You can view and download foster care liaison information in AskTED. Information is available by district, region, and county. For step-by-step instructions with pictures of how to view and download a current list of foster care liaisons in AskTED, please follow the guidelines for how to find the foster care liaison contact information in AskTED (PDF).

ESC Foster Care Champions

Every ESC has voluntarily designated an ESC Foster Care Champion to serve as a point of contact on foster care matters within their respective region. ESCs offer professional development courses and some may host collaborative forums and joint trainings with child welfare partners, known as Education Consortiums. Contact your local ESC to learn about opportunities, trainings, and supports that may be available or are currently being developed to address the education of students in foster care.

ESC Foster Care Champion contact information is maintained in AskTED. To locate the ESC Foster Champion in your region, visit the AskTED Regional ESC Search page, select 'Personnel' under Information Type and 'Foster Care Liaison' from the drop down box under Select Roles. The contact information of Foster Care Champions is also available here: ESC Foster Care Champions (PDF). 

DFPS Regional Education Specialists

Each of the 11 Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) regions has a least one Education Specialist. These specialists act as liaisons between DFPS and local schools and LEAs within their region. The Regional Education Specialist is an excellent contact for building partnerships with the community and local child welfare system. Regional Education Specialists also serve as the point of contact for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Contact your DFPS Regional Education Specialist for assistance with:

• Education best-interest decisions
• Transportation
• Dispute resolution
• Cross-system coordination needs, trainings, and requirements
• Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

See TEA Foster Care Points of Contact for more information.