Foundation of Homeless Education

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Foundation of Homeless Education

• David Ray
• Region 10 ESC
• 972.348.1786
• David.Ray_at_Region10.org
• www.region10.org/mvh

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• Liaison Directory
• Fact Sheets
• Grant Information
• 1-800-446-3142
• Laws
• Other Resources

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Non-Agenda
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Agenda
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Agenda
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Agenda

• Homeless Education History
• Homeless Liaisons
• Definition
• Required Services
• Unaccompanied Youth
• Other

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Levels of Law

• Federal
• McKinney-Vento Act
• McKinney-Vento Federal Guidance
• State
• Texas Education Code
• TEA Legal Guidance
• Other
• Local/TASB Policy

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McKinney-Vento History

• Nine titles within the act
• Title VII addresses education
• Signed into law in 1987
• Largest amendment took place in 2002 as it
  became part of NCLB
• Named after Stewart McKinney Bruce Vento

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Homeless Liaisons

• Identification
• Enrollment Success
• Head Start and Pre-K
• Health, Mental Health Dental Care
• Informing Parents and Posting Rights
• Dispute Resolution
• Unaccompanied Youth

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HoLi Directory
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Dispute Resolution

• Written Explanation of the Decision
• Immediate Enrollment While Dispute is Resolved
• All Services While Dispute is Resolved
• Arrangements at the Same School

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Dispute Resolution

• Written notice should include
• Contact information for the local homeless
  education liaison
• A simple, detachable form that parents,
  guardians, or unaccompanied youth can complete
  and turn in to the school to initiate the dispute
  resolution process the school should copy the
  form and return the copy to the parent, guardian,
  or youth for their records when it is submitted.
• A step-by-step description of how to dispute the
  schools decision
• Notice of the right to enroll immediately in the
  requested school pending resolution of dispute
• Notice that immediate enrollment includes full
  participation in all school activities
• Sample Letter

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Definition

• Lack a.
• FIXED
• REGULAR
• ADEQUATE
• Nighttime residence

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PEIMS 100 Record

• Column 79
• 0 Not Homeless
• 1 Sheltered
• 2 Doubled-Up
• 3 Unsheltered
• 4 Hotel/Motel

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Sheltered

• are living in emergency or transitional
  shelters
• Homeless Shelters
• Battered Womens Shelters
• Transitional Living Facilities

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Doubled-Up

• Sharing the housing of others due to loss of
  housing, economic hardship or a similar reason.

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Doubled-Up
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Unsheltered

• Cars, Parks, Public Spaces, Abandoned Buildings,
  Substandard Housing

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Hotel/Motel

• Due to the lack of adequate, alternative
  accommodations.

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Homeless Identification

• Sheltered 15
• Doubled-Up 77
• Unsheltered 4
• Motel/Hotel 4

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• PEIMS 100 Record Column 80 Indicates
  Unaccompanied
• 0 Not Unaccompanied
• 1 Unaccompanied and Receiving Services Under M-V
• 2 Unaccompanied and Not Receiving Services Under
  M-V

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth
Homeless
Unaccompanied
Students not with legal guardians
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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• Unaccompanied Youth. The term unaccompanied youth
  includes a youth not in the physical custody of a
  parent or guardian. This would include youth
  living in runaway shelters, abandoned buildings,
  cars, on the streets, or in other inadequate
  housing and children and youth denied housing by
  their families (sometimes referred to as
  throwaway children and youth) (Federal Guidance)

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth
In 1938, Huey, Dewey and Louie are sent to live
with Uncle Donald because their father was in
the hospital and their mother, Della Duck
(Donalds twin sister), could not care for them.
Homeless Unaccompanied
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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth
By 1941, the boys had permanently moved in with
Donald. However, guardianship transfer was never
sought.
Students not with legal guardians
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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth
In 1987, Donald joined the navy. He made a plan
with his Uncle, Scrooge McDuck, to watch the boys
while he was away.
Students not with legal guardians
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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth
Homeless Unaccompanied
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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• 1 in 10 report being raped
• 1 in 100 die each year, the vast majority from
  suicide
• 75 report at least one parent who abused drugs
  or alcohol
• 20-40 were sexually abused in their homes
• 40-60 were physically abused
• Many youth have been thrown out because of their
  sexual orientation (20-40 identify as LGBT)
• 10 of currently homeless female teenagers are
  pregnant

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• Homeless Liaisons
• parent or guardian (or in the case of an
  unaccompanied youth, the liaison)

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• UIL
• Homeless students need their school administrator
  to apply to the UIL for a waiver of residence if
  the student plans to participate in varsity
  athletics.
• Residence rules for athletic varsity eligibility
  are found in Section 440 (b) and 442 of the
  Constitution and Contest Rules.

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• Health/Immunizations
• Immediate referral to HoLi
• Age 16 and up can consent to own medical
  treatment (FC)

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• Tex. Fam. Code 32.003 Consent to Treatment by
  Child
• (a) A child may consent to medical, dental,
  psychological, and surgical treatment for the
  child by a licensed physician or dentist if the
  child
• (2) is
• (A) 16 years of age or older and resides separate
  and apart from the child's parents, managing
  conservator, or guardian, with or without the
  consent of the parents, managing conservator, or
  guardian and regardless of the duration of the
  residence and
• (B) managing the child's own financial affairs,
  regardless of the source of the income

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• Grades and Credit Recovery
• 90 rule has exceptions
• Encouraged to get creative
• TXVSN is an option
• Flexible Schedules (Mobile, AL and Anchorage, AK)
• Review transcripts to see if credit can be given
• Award credit for employment

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• Texas Codes gt Education Code gt Title 2 gt Subtitle
  E gt Chapter 25 gt Subchapter C gt25.092
• (a-1) A student who is in attendance for at least
  75 percent but less than 90 percent of the days a
  class is offered may be given credit for the
  class if the student completes a plan approved by
  the school's principal that provides for the
  student to meet the instructional requirements of
  the class. A student under the jurisdiction of a
  court in a criminal or juvenile justice
  proceeding may not receive credit under this
  subsection without the consent of the judge
  presiding over the student's case.
• (b) The board of trustees of each school district
  shall appoint one or more attendance committees
  to hear petitions for class credit by students
  who are in attendance fewer than the number of
  days required under Subsection (a) and have not
  earned class credit under Subsection (a-1).
  Classroom teachers shall comprise a majority of
  the membership of the committee. A committee may
  give class credit to a student because of
  extenuating circumstances. Each board of trustees
  shall establish guidelines to determine what
  constitutes extenuating circumstances and shall
  adopt policies establishing alternative ways for
  students to make up work or regain credit lost
  because of absences. The alternative ways must
  include at least one option that does not require
  a student to pay a fee authorized under Section
  11.158(a)(15). A certified public school employee
  may not be assigned additional instructional
  duties as a result of this section outside of the
  regular workday unless the employee is
  compensated for the duties at a reasonable rate
  of pay.

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• Truancy and Drop-Out
• Method for reviewing absences?
• Which are related to homelessness and which are
  not?
• What are the students expectations of
  themselves?

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• ARD Meetings and Special Education
• Legal framework (ESC18) assigns a surrogate
• Also defines parent broadly
• An individual acting in the place of
  a biological or adoptive parent (including a
  grandparent, stepparent, or other relative) with
  whom the child lives, or an individual who is
  legally responsible for the child's welfare

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• FAFSA and Post-Secondary Education
• Unaccompanied Homeless students meet the
  definition of Independent Student
• Verification can be made by the HoLi (Sample
  Letter)

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• SSI, TANF, Medicaid, Housing etc.
• SSI
• Student must be disabled
• Ages 16-18 can apply on their own
• Food Stamps
• No age minimum
• No parent signature required
• No denial based on lack of address of ID
• Eligibility is based on household not family
• Couch Surfing youth are considered their own
  household

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Educating Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth

• SSI, TANF, Medicaid, Housing etc.
• TANF
• Large barriers for Unaccompanied Youth
• Medicaid
• Most students would qualify
• Youth under the age of 21 who are financially
  eligible but not dependent children (i.e.
  because they do not live with parents). Financial
  eligibility levels vary greatly among states, but
  are often very low. Parental income is not
  considered if the youth does not live with
  parents.
• Housing

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Nutrition

• Automatic Eligibility
• Letter from Homeless Liaison with a list of names
  is sufficient documentation
• Comparable Service

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Enrollment

• Immediate Enrollment
• Even if Lacking Proper Paperwork
• Proof of Residency
• Guardianship
• Immunizations
• Birth Certificate
• School Records
• Federal Law SoO or Local
• Texas Education Code Any
• Dispute Resolution

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Evaluation

• Evaluate the Housing Status of All Students at a
  Regular Interval
• Student Residency Questionnaires
• Incomplete or Confusing Forms

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Transportation

• School of Origin
• The term school of origin means the school that
  the child or youth attended when permanently
  housed OR the school in which the youth was last
  enrolled.
• Students can possibly have 2 schools of origin.

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School of Origin
Suzys family was recently evicted and had to
move into a shelter in a neighboring district.
Which school is the school of origin?
A
What are this students options for
transportation?
School of Origin from A, or as a comparable
service from B
Where can this student enroll?
Anywhere in Texas that is in their best interest
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School of Origin
Suzy decided to enroll in District B. Recently,
Suzys mother got a job at a temple near District
C.
Which school is the school of origin?
A
What are this students options for
transportation?
School of Origin from A, or as a comparable
service from B
Where can this student enroll?
Anywhere in Texas that is in their best interest
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School of Origin
Suzy decided to enroll in District C.
Eventually, they were able to get in a shelter
closer to district C. After 2 months, she
decided she did not like District C and is
thinking of moving to district D.
Which school is the school of origin?
Which school is the school of origin?
A
What are this students options for
transportation?
What are this students options for
transportation?
School of Origin from A, or as a comparable
service from C
School of Origin from A, or as a comparable
service from C
Where can this student enroll?
Where can this student enroll?
Anywhere in Texas that is in their best interest
Anywhere in Texas that is in their best interest
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Determining Feasibility

• Related to Enrollment
• More Factors Than Distance
• Case by Case Basis
• Written Notice for Denial
• Dispute Resolution
• Keep Records

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Determining the Method

• School Bus
• District Vans SUVs
• Contracted Transportation Services
• Public Transportation
• Shelter Transportation
• Reimbursement to Parents
• Other (Possibly SPED)

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Common Concerns

• After School- Comparable
• DAEP- Comparable (Unless SoO)
• Pre-School- Comparable
• 2-Mile Radius- Comparable (Unless SoO)
• Discipline- Comparable Written Policy
• No Exception for High Mobility
• No Transportation-Still Must Provide
• Field Trips/ Testing- Use other funds, Title-I

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A Test
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Other services via Title I, part A-Set Aside

• School Supplies
• Health Related Needs
• Field Trip Costs
• School Uniforms/Clothing
• Tutoring/Educational Aides
• HoLi Salary
• Transportation to the SoO

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• Policy
• Procedure
• Protocol
• Practice
• Plan
• Process
• Steps
• Method
• Arrangement
• System

• Strategy
• Course
• Order
• Habitude
• Manner
• Mode
• Praxis
• Approach
• Scheme
• Recipe