Overview of the McKinneyVento Homeless Assistance Act

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Overview of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act
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Overview of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act
State of Missouri Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education PO Box 480 Jefferson
City, MO 65102-0480 [phone] donna.cash_at_des
e.mo.gov Donna Cash State Homeless Coordinator
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OBJECTIVES FOR TODAYS WEBINAR

• Understanding poverty, its causes, and exploring
  how poverty affects children
• Becoming familiar with the basic
• concepts of the of McKinney-Vento Act
• Definition of homelessness
• What the responsibilities are for LEAs
• Overview of the 2009 Subgrant Process

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For questions during the webinar If you have
questions during the webinar, please submit them
in the chat pod, located at the left of the
screen.
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McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

• Main themes include
• School stability
• School access
• Support for academic success
• Child-centered, best interest decision making

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• POVERTY
• Affects 1.35 million children
• 10 of all children live in poverty
• 733,000-1.3 million youths
• Over 40 of all children who are homeless are
  under the age of 5

Source National Association for the Education
of Homeless Children and Youth
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Source Seccombe 2001, p. 323
Children in poverty Overallreceive lower
grades, receive lower scores on standardized
tests, are less likely to finish high school,
and are less likely to attend or graduate from
college
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Through it all, school is probably the only
thing that has kept me going. I know that every
day that I walk in those doors, I can stop
thinking about my problems for the next six hours
and concentrate on what is most important to
me. Formerly Homeless Student
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Causes of homelessness

• Lack of affordable housing
• Deep poverty (intergenerational poverty)
• Health problems
• Domestic violence
• Natural and other disasters
• Abuse/neglect (unaccompanied youth)

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Homelessness can be frightening
Homelessness results from a complex set of
circumstances. Requiring people to choose
between food, shelter, and other basic needs.

• You can make a students life a little less
  scary.

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Problems for homeless children

• Enrollment requirements may not have
• School or immunization records
• Proof of residence or guardianship
• Other records needed for enrollment
• They have high mobility
• Results in a lack of school stability and
  educational continuity
• Lack of transportation, school supplies,
  clothing, etc.
• Poor health, fatigue, hunger
• Prejudice and misunderstanding

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Definitions
For the purposes of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Act, homelessness is described as Children
who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime
residence.
http//www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/discreti
onarygrants/homeless/homelessdefinition.html
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• Examples of homelessness
• sharing the housing of others
• living in motels, hotels, camping grounds
• living in an emergency or transitional shelter
• awaiting foster care placement,
• living in places not designed for humans to live
• living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus
  or train stations
• migratory children also qualify as homeless when
  living under these same conditions.

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Questions you may need to ask

• Does the student have any legal rights to be in
  that home? In other words, can he/she be asked
  to leave at any time with no legal recourse?
• Is the living situation intended to be temporary
  or long-term?
• Did the student move into the home as an urgent
• measure to avoid being on the street or in
  another precarious situation?

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Are the Moore children homeless?
In March, the Moore family lost its housing due
to a fire. Mr. Moores brother is letting the
family live in a trailer on his property until
the house is repaired. Would you qualify the
Moore children for services under McKinney-Vento?
Why or why not? What questions do you need to
ask to help you make your determination? If
the repairs on the house will not be completed
until the following December, will the children
be eligible for services the whole time?
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What do you think? Are the Moore children
homeless or not?
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Every LEA must

• Designate an appropriate staff person as a local
  homeless education liaison
• The homeless liaison must work to ensure that
  homeless children and youth have equal access to
  the same free public education as is provided to
  other children and youth.

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DUTIES OF THE LOCAL LIAISON

• Must collaborate and coordinate with
• The State Coordinators for Homeless Education
• Community personnel
• Other school personnel

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DUTIES OF THE LOCAL LIAISON continued

• Ensure that children and youth in homeless
  situations are identified.
• Ensure that homeless students enroll in and have
  full and equal opportunity to succeed in school.
• Link students with educational services,
• Including preschool and health services.

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DUTIES OF THE LOCAL LIAISON continued

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

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• DUTIES OF THE LOCAL LIAISON continued
• Provide awareness activities for school staff.
• Provide outreach materials and posters where
  there is a frequent influx of low-income families
  and youth in high-risk situations
• Educate school staff about warning signs that
  may indicate an enrolled child or youth may be
  experiencing homelessness.

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• DUTIES OF THE LOCAL LIAISON continued
• Make special efforts to identify preschool
  children, including asking about the siblings of
  school-age children
• Develop relationships with truancy officials
  and/or other attendance officers
• Use enrollment and withdrawal forms to inquire
  about living situations

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Dos and Donts for Local Liaison

• Do ensure there is immediate enrollment
• Dont create barriers to enrollment including
  those posed by a
• Lack of school records
• Proof of guardianship
• Birth certificates
• Immunization or other health records
• Proof of residence

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ENROLLMENT
Homeless verification can be handled in such a
way that it does not violate privacy or
jeopardize housing arrangements. It is up to the
local liaison, enrollment staff, and/or other
school personnel to be sensitive and discreet.
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ENROLLMENT continued

• Remember all such efforts must
• be grounded in sensitivity and respect.
• Invasive probing may destabilize the family or
  youth further and may create a barrier to the
  students enrollment, thereby violating the
  McKinney-Vento Act.
• Additionally, employing these techniques may
  violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
  Act (FERPA).

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ENROLLMENT continued

• Do put good policies and procedures in place
• Keep it positive and supportive instead of
  invasive and threatening
• Talk with parents and students
• Do sign the student up for free lunch.
• Get contact information for a family
• member or guardian.

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ENROLLMENT continued

• DONT
• Threaten or harass parents or students, this
  violates their privacy and could jeopardize their
  housing

• Pose barriers to
• enrollment

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School of origin or school of residence
SCHOOL Selection

• The school of origin is the school that the child
  or youth attended when permanently housed or the
  school in which the child or youth was last
  enrolled.

• The school of residence is the current physical
  dwelling where the homeless child or youth is
  sleeping.

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SCHOOL Selection continued

• Students can continue attending their school of
  origin
• the entire time they are homeless and until the
  end of
• any academic year in which they move into
  permanent
• housing.
• If a student is sent to a school other
• than the school of origin or the
• school requested by the parent or
• guardian the LEA must provide the parent or
• guardian with a written explanation of its
  decision and the right to appeal.

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TRANSPORTATION

• Homeless students must be provided with
  transportation to and from their school of
  origin.
• For unaccompanied youth, transportation to and
  from the school of origin must be provided at the
  local liaisons request.
• If the students temporary
• residence and the school of
• origin are in the same LEA
• that LEA must provide
• transportation.

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TRANSPORTATION continued

• However, if the student is living outside the
  school of origin then the school of residence
  homeless liaison and the homeless liaison from
  the school of origin must arrange and determine
  transportation .

• Transportation must also be
• provided for homeless students
• when comparable services are
• provided to other students.

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Transportation continued

• What is the school of best interest?
• How old is the student? Is a three
• hour bus ride too long?
• Is the student old enough and
• Responsible enough to take public
• transportation?

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TRANSPORTATION continued
Transportation Reimbursement

• Both districts (origin/residency) must equally
  split the excess cost of transporting a homeless
  student.
• It is the resident district's responsibility to
  fill out and submit the homeless transportation
  reimbursement form to DESE for both districts
  involved.
• Districts receiving McKinney-Vento subgrant
  monies are not eligible to receive transportation
  reimbursement.

http//www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/discreti
onarygrants/homeless/documents/transportationreimb
ursementformdec2008.pdf
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DISPUTE RESOLUTION

• Every school district in Missouri 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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Resolution procedures continued

• If a dispute arises, refer the child, youth,
  parent, or guardian to the liaison to carry out
  the dispute resolution process as expeditiously
  as possible.
• It is imperative that the local liaison act on
  disputes in a timely manner.
• Documentation should be kept for all local
  liaison interventions with parentsnot just
  formal disputes (NCLB).

http//www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/discreti
onarygrants/homeless/Complaint20Procedure.pdf
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SEGREGATION

• School District cannot segregate homeless
  students
• They cannot have separate programs within the
  school
• Or have separate
• settings within the
• school

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Title I.A and McKinney-Vento

• 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) funds.

• Title I A. funds may not be used to transport
  homeless children
• and youth.

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Use of Title I.A funds

• Before-school, after-school, and/or summer
  programs
• Outreach services
• Basic needs
• Counseling services
• Supplemental instruction
• Local liaison
• Parental involvement programs
• Research-based programs
• Data collection

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Title I and Homeless Set Aside
Method 1 Reserve the set aside amount on what
you would be eligible for if you were applying
for a McKinney-Vento subgrant. Method
2 Reserve the set aside amount based on a
percentage. Method 3 Reserve the set aside
amount based on your homeless student count and
Title I, Part A per-pupil allocation. Method
4 Reserve the set aside amount based on
homeless students needs.
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• Homeless Census
• The information collected includes
• Name of homeless student
• Grade level
• Primary night time residence
• Night time Residence Definition
• Not Homeless (NH)
• Shelters (SH)
• Unsheltered (US)
• Doubled Up (DU)
• Hotel/Motel (HM)

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School lunches

• Homeless children and youth automatically qualify
  for the Free and Reduced lunch program.
• They do not have to have a parent/guardian
  signature.

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Early childhood (Head Start)
Head Start reauthorization includes a definition
of homelessness that matches the definition of
homelessness in the education subtitle of the
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which
governs public schools
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Head Start and HOMELESS continued

• Homeless children are categorically eligible for
  Head Start 42 U.S.C. 9840(a)(1)(B).
• Implies that verification of homeless living
  situation suffices .
• Under McKinney-Vento,
• determinations of eligibility
• are case-by-case,
• Individualized.

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LOCAL SUBGRANTS

• The 2009-2010 McKinney-Vento Subgrant application
• is now available on our website.
• District with 20 or more homeless students are
  eligible to apply.
• Grant applications are due by May 15, 2009.
• A grant workshop is scheduled for April 9 from
• 930 -1200 in the 1st floor conference room of
  the Jefferson Building in Jefferson City.

http//www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/discreti
onarygrants/homeless/
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TO DO LIST
Conduct ongoing awareness activities in the
school district Provide annual awareness and
sensitivity training to all school staff,
including administrators, counselors, social
workers, teachers, secretaries, registrars,
nurses, bus drivers, security staff, attendance
officers, and federal programs staff.
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Review, Revise, and Develop

• Enrollment Identification
• Needs Assessment
• Placement
• Services
• Records Transfer
• Homeless Coordinator
• Resolution of Grievances

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Questions?