Foster Care Support

The Surrogate Parent Program is a federally mandated and state regulated program designed to ensure educational decisions occur for students that are found to be without a "parent," in the eyes of the law.
The surrogates parents are only assigned through the local school district or by a judge when a student meets ALL of the following criteria:

• Student receives special education or is being considered for a special education referral  AND
• Student is found to reside with a caregiver that it not permitted to make educational decisions for the student in review of the student's need for specialized instruction.
  • In Klein ISD, this applies to students residing in group homes, residential treatment facilities, home health GROs or foster home where the foster parent is noted to be incapable of making educational decisions for the student.
• A surrogate parent is also assigned if a student is found to be homeless and the parent cannot be located or identified.

Community volunteers are awesome surrogate parents! You must fit the following criteria:

• Have a desire to work with students in foster care who have specialized educational needs
• Be open to learning about the student and their educational needs
• Be open to learn about the student's specialized supports and advocate for the student's educational needs
• Be willing to get to know the student 
• Be willing and available to attend special education/specialized support meetings for the student
• Be cleared to not have a conflict of interest, meaning your efforts in working with the student is Not:
  • for monetary gain,
  • conducted as a favor to the school district, 
  • conducted to gain favors from a school district
  • to promote or align with decisions of a school/district or caregiver
  • for other special factors
•  You must not be employed by any agency under the Texas Education Agency and
• You cannot be the student's caregiver (e.g. residential, group home staff of DFPS staff)

If you meet the criteria noted above, and you are interested in becoming a surrogate parent, please contact Kristine Crosetto, Foster Care Liaison, at kcrosetto1@kleninisd.net or by phone at 832-249-4381.

As a surrogate parent, you have the responsibility to act on behalf of your child to make sure that he/she receives an education designed specifically to meet his/her needs and abilities. In order to do this, you will:

1. Know your rights as a surrogate parent and be prepared to participate actively;
2. Review the last evaluation done on your child and request copies of the results. Make sure the evaluation is current and complete. Ask for an explanation of the results if anything is unclear;
3. Review your child’s last individualized education program and prepare to participate in developing his/her next one.
4. Attend all parent/school meetings and conferences to plan and or review your child’s educational program. Make specific recommendations for services if necessary. Physical attendance is encouraged.
5. Make a decision regarding consent for your child’s placement into an education program. Approve or disapprove the program that you have helped to develop.
6. Maintain a contact log of all activities, visits, meetings and communication made on behalf of the student and with the student;
7. Physically visit and communicate with the student at the school on a regular basis. Only visiting students at ARD meetings does not constitute visiting the student on a regular basis. The purpose of surrogate parenting is to know the student in order to represent the student’s interest in educational decisions.
8. Regularly communicate with the child’s school regarding the student to remain involved and engaged in the student’s education.
9. Communicate with the student’s CPS casework and RTC guardians when needed; to promote consistency in knowing the student’s needs for educational decision making.
10. Agree to provide surrogate parenting for the student at any campus they may enroll at once assigned. Services are not discontinued due to campus change.