Sacramento County explores boarding school for foster youths

For foster youths, learning at school is too often interrupted by the frequent relocation that marks their lives.

That's why Sacramento educators are talking about a new school especially for them.

The vision is far from reality, but this is what they picture: A college-prep high school with family-style housing and on-site support services from social workers, psychologists and physicians.

Some studies show that just half of foster teens make it to graduation day.

"The main point is it gives the kids the stability of staying in the same school for four years," said David Gordon, superintendent of Sacramento County schools. "It's really just to avoid the moving and the churning and churning and churning."

Sixty-five percent of adults who have been through foster care switched schools seven or more times during childhood, according to research by Casey Family Programs. Other research shows that teenagers in foster care typically attend six or seven different high schools.

Many foster youths slip behind in school because they often change homes mid-semester. Before they can earn full credit for work at one school, they must enroll in another when they move.

"It's tough for them to graduate bouncing around these schools," said DeWayne Norris, of Casey's Sacramento office.

Gordon is studying whether the Sacramento County Office of Education can open a boarding school for foster youth modeled after the San Pasqual Academy in Escondido. That school, which opened in 2001, is run through a public-private partnership. San Diego County agencies cover educational and social welfare services. Private organizations run the residential areas and job training programs.

San Pasqual Academy serves about 135 students, grades 8 through 12. It offers a complete academic program, including special education and college preparation. It also offers extracurricular activities found in most high schools – sports, yearbook, student government and drama.

Up to eight students live in each home on the campus with caregivers. They receive health care from an on-site clinic and consult with on-campus social workers. The grounds include housing for retired adults who mentor teens and serve as surrogate grandparents. Graduates who move on to college come back and stay at San Pasqual during breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"It really creates a family atmosphere," said Gordon, who recently visited San Pasqual Academy.

Because the San Diego program has boosted graduation rates for foster teens, Gordon wants a similar program here.

But it's too soon to say what a residential school in Sacramento would cost, how many kids would attend or where it might be located.

Sacramento County has about 4,200 foster youths, according to Child Protective Services.

Some residential programs for them have recently closed because of funding problems and a philosophy that values placing children with families. River Oak Center for Children announced last week that it would shut its doors. Stanford Home for Children closed its group homes two years ago.

The school Sacramento County educators have in mind would target teens who have little to no chance of reuniting with their families, said Chris Woods, a member of the County Board of Education.

"We all agree that unification is the best possibility," he said.

Woods heads a committee of Sacramento educators examining whether a foster youth academy can be created here. Their next meeting is from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 15 at the county Office of Education, 10474 Mather Blvd., Sacramento.

"This is a big, huge mountain to climb, but it's exciting," Woods said. "I believe there is the need, and this is the exact type of solution we should explore."

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