Chapter 70 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 10 the following section:-

Section 10A. (a) The department and the department of children and families shall jointly apply for reimbursement from the United States Department of Education, pursuant to any and all applicable federal laws, including, but not limited to the Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 USC § 6301, for the costs incurred by a school district for transportation of a child in foster care between the foster home and the child’s school of origin, if placement in that school has been determined to be in the child’s best interests. The school district shall certify its costs for such transportation on a form designated by the department for this purpose and complete the form in accordance with the department’s instructions. The department shall transmit any reimbursement amounts received from the United States Department of Education to the school district.

(b) To the extent that the United States Department of Education does not reimburse the commonwealth in full for the certified costs for such school transportation of a child in foster care, the department shall reimburse the school district for the balance of the certified costs.