TITLE X , PART C MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT Understanding The McKinney-Vento Definition of Homeless

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TITLE X , PART CMCKINNEY-VENTO
ACTUnderstanding The McKinney-Vento Definition
of Homeless

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Program Purpose

The McKinney-Vento program is designed to address
the problems that homeless children and youth
have faced in

• Enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school

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Who Can Be Classified as Homeless?

• Children who lack
• Fixed
• Regular
• Adequate nighttime residence

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Fixed, Regular, Adequate Defined

• A fixed residence is one that is stationary,
  permanent, and not subject to change.
• A regular residence is one which is used on a
  predictable or routine basis.
• An adequate residence is one that is sufficient
  for meeting both the physical and psychological
  needs typically met in home environments.

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Homeless Students

• Homeless students are automatically eligible for
  free school meals. Parents or Guardians of
  homeless students do not have to fill out the
  free and reduced lunch form.
• Homeless students are to be enrolled immediately
• Homeless students are to be provided
  transportation within 72 hours

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EligibilityWho is Covered?

• Sharing the housing of others due to loss of
  housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
  (sometimes referred to as doubled-up)
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping
  grounds due to lack of adequate alternative
  accommodations
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters or
• abandoned in hospitals

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Eligibility Who is Covered? (cont.)

• Children awaiting foster care placement
• Living in a public or private place not designed
  for humans to live
• Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus
  or train stations, etc.
• Migrant children living in housing that is not
  fixed regular or adequate

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Barriers to Education

• Enrollment requirements school records,
  immunizations, proof of residence and
  guardianship
• Lack of transportation, school supplies,
  clothing, etc.
• Poor health, hunger
• Prejudice and misunderstanding
• High mobility resulting in lack of school
  stability

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Local Homeless Education Liaisons

• Every LEA must designate a liaison for students
  in homeless situations
• Liaison ensures that children and youth in
  homeless situations are identified and have full
  and equal opportunity to succeed in school
• Liaison is the link with educational services,
  including preschool and health services

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Homeless Liaisons Duties (cont.)

• Inform parents, guardians, or youth of
  educational services, parental involvement
  opportunities, and transportation services,
  including to the school of origin
• Post public notice of educational rights
• Resolve disputes

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Identification Strategies

• Provide professional development to school staff
  (registrars, secretaries, counselors, social
  workers, nurses, teachers, bus drivers,
  administrators, etc.)
• Coordinate with community services agencies, such
  as shelters, drop-in centers, welfare and housing
  agencies, and public health departments

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Identification Strategies (cont.)

• Provide materials and posters where there is a
  frequent influx of low-income families and youth
  in high-risk situations, like motels and
  campgrounds
• Educate school staff about warning signs that
  may indicate an enrolled child or youth may be
  homeless
• Make special efforts to identify preschool
  children

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Identification Strategies (cont.)

• Develop relationships with truancy officials
  and/or other attendance officers
• Use enrollment and withdrawal forms to inquire
  about living situations (an enrollment
  questionnaire form can be found on the OSDE
  website, Title X, Part C)
• Avoid using the word "homeless" in initial
  contacts with school personnel, families, or
  youth

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School Stability - Key Provisions

• Students experiencing homelessness have the right
  to attend one of two schools, according to
  childs best interest.
• Local attendance area school-any public school
  that students living in the same attendance area
  are eligible to attend
• School of origin-school attended when permanently
  housed or in which last enrolled
• Best interest -keep homeless students in their
  schools of origin, to the extent feasible, unless
  this is against the parents or guardians wishes

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Feasibility of School Determination

• Continuity of instruction
• Age of the child or youth
• Safety of the child or youth
• Length of stay at the shelter
• Where family might find permanent housing
• Students need for special instruction
• Impact of commute on education
• School placement of siblings
• Time remaining in the school year

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EnrollmentKey Provisions

• Children and youth have the right to enroll in
  school immediately, even if they do not have
  required documents, such as school records,
  medical records, proof of residency, or other
  documents
• If a student does not have immunizations, or
  immunization or medical records, the liaison must
  immediately assist in obtaining them, and the
  student must be enrolled in the interim

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EnrollmentKey Provisions (cont.)

• Enrolling schools must obtain school records from
  the previous school, and students must be
  enrolled in school while records are obtained
• Schools must maintain records for students who
  are homeless so they are available quickly
• Federal law supercedes state and local laws where
  there is a conflict U.S. Constitution, Article
  VI

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Resolution of DisputesKey Provision

• Each state and LEA must establish dispute
  resolution procedures
• When a dispute over enrollment arises, the
  student must be admitted immediately to the
  school of choice while the dispute is being
  resolved
• Liaisons must ensure unaccompanied youth are
  enrolled immediately while the dispute is being
  resolved

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Homeless Unaccompanied Youth

• Definition - youth who is homeless and is not in
  the physical custody of parent or guardian
• Liaisons must help unaccompanied youth choose and
  enroll in a school, and inform the youth of his
  or her appeal rights
• School personnel must be made aware of the
  specific needs of runaway and homeless youth.

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Unaccompanied YouthStrategies

• Develop caretaker forms
• Self-enrollment forms for unaccompanied youth
• Other forms to replace typical proof of
  guardianship
• Forms should be crafted carefully so they do not
  create further barriers or delay enrollment
• Coordinate with other agencies to ensure policies
  do not create educational barriers

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Unaccompanied YouthStrategies

• Provide unaccompanied youth the opportunity to
  enroll in diversified learning opportunities,
  such as vocational education, credit-for-work
  programs
• Provide a safe place and trained mentor at
  school for unaccompanied youth to access as
  needed
• Permit exceptions to school policies on class
  schedules, tardiness, absences and credits to
  accommodate the needs of unaccompanied youth
• Assist with credit accrual and recovery

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Preschool-Aged Children

• Liaisons must ensure that families and children
  have access to Head Start and other public
  preschool programs administered by the LEA
• Head Start grantees should collaborate and adjust
  their programs to serve homeless children

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PreschoolStrategies

• Keep slots open for homeless students
• Provide awareness training for preschool
  providers
• Collaborate with preschools not operated by the
  LEA or SEA (including Head Start)
• Ask parents about preschool-aged children when
  they enroll their school-aged children in school
• Coordinate with IDEA Child Find

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Access to Services

• Homeless students must have access to educational
  services for which they are eligible, including
  special education, programs for English learners,
  gifted and talented programs, voc./tech. programs
• Undocumented children and youth have the same
  right to attend public school as U.S. citizens
  and are covered by the McKinney-Vento Act to the
  same extent as other children and youth (Plyler
  v. Doe)

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Segregation

• States are prohibited from segregating homeless
  students in separate schools, separate programs
  within schools, or separate settings within
  schools
• SEAs and LEAs must adopt policies and practices
  to ensure that homeless children and youth are
  not segregated or stigmatized on the basis of
  their status as homeless

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Title I and Homelessness

• A child or youth who is homeless and is attending
  any school in the district is automatically
  eligible for Title IA services
• LEAs must reserve (or set aside 1-5) funds to
  serve homeless children who attend Title IA and
  Non-Title IA schools, including providing
  educational support services to children in
  shelters and other locations where homeless
  children may live.

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Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014New
Authority
Provided further, that funds available under
sections 1124, 1124A, 1125 and 1125A of the ESEA
may be used to provide homeless children and
youths with services not ordinarily provided to
other students under those sections, including
supporting the liaison designated pursuant to
section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act, and providing
transportation pursuant to section
722(g)(1)(J)(iii) of such Act.
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New AuthorityThe 2014
appropriations act expands the use of Title I
funds to support homeless children and youth for
the following requirements under McKinney-Vento
? Local homeless liaisons salary?
Transportation to and from school of origin.
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May Title I funds be used to support in full an
LEAs homeless liaisons salary?

• Yes, as authorized in the FY 2014 appropriations
  act.
• An LEA may reserve funds for this purpose under
  34 C.F.R. 200.77(g).
• Previously, a Title I coordinator paid with Title
  I funds could also be the homeless liaison if
  those duties were in addition to Title I duties.
• An LEA may now use FY 2014 Title I funds and
  Title I carryover funds to fund all or part
  of a homeless liaisons salary even if that
  person has no Title I duties.

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May Title I funds be used to transport homeless
children and youth to their school of origin?

• Yes, as authorized in the FY 2014 appropriations
  act.
• An LEA may reserve Title I, Part A funds for this
  purpose under 34 C.F.R. 200.77(g).
• Absent the FY 2014 appropriations language, the
  Title I supplement not supplant provisions
  prohibit an LEA from using Title I funds to pay
  the costs of transporting homeless children and
  youth to their school of origin because such
  services are required under McKinney-Vento.

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May Title I funds be used to transport homeless
children and youth to their school of origin?
(continued)

• Costs that may be charged to Title I are the
  incremental costs to transport a homeless child
  or youth to his or her school of origin that are
  above what the LEA would otherwise provide to
  transport the student to his or her assigned
  school.

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May an LEA use funds it reserves under ESEA
section 1113(c)(3)(A) to pay for a homeless
liaison or to provide transportation to the
school of origin?

• No, but an LEA may reserve additional Title I,
  Part A funds for these purposes.
• ESEA section 1113(c)(3)(A) requires an LEA to
  reserve Title I funds, as necessary, to provide
  instructional and related services to homeless
  children and youth who attend non-Title I schools
  that are comparable to those services the LEA
  provides to children in Title I schools.

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May an LEA use funds it reserves under ESEA
section 1113(c)(3)(A) to pay for a homeless
liaison or to provide transportation to the
school of origin?

• This reservation is required (at least 1) if an
  LEA has homeless children and youth who attend
  non-Title I schools.
• If all sites are Title I schools, the 1
  set-aside is not a requirement.

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Debbie Pham, Homeless Coordinator405-521-6785Deb
bie.Pham_at_sde.ok.govBecky Nixon, Homeless
Co-Coordinator405-522-5158Becky.Nixon_at_sde.ok.gov
Alice Byrd, Homeless Co-Coordinator405-521-2785
Alice.Byrd_at_sde.ok.gov

• Contacts
• Federal Programs
• Oklahoma State Department of Education

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Helpful Resources
OSDE website http//ok.gov/sde/title-x-part-c
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National Association for the Education of
Homeless Children and Youthhttp//www.naehcy.org
National Center on Homeless Educationhttp//www.
serve.org/ncheNational Law Center on
Homelessness Povertyhttp//www.nlchp.orgNatio
nal Network for Youthhttp//www.nn4youth.org