Pike Valley USD 426

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FACT SHEET McKinney-Vento Act EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN & YOUTH Homeless Definition The term “homeless children and youth”— A. means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence…; and B. includes — 1. children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals; 2. children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings… 3. children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and 4. migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (1) through (3). Fixed, Adequate, and Regular Residence Fixed residence - is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change. Regular residence - is used on a regular (i.e. nightly) basis. Adequate residence - is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments. Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Youth in homeless situations who are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. Unaccompanied homeless youth have the same rights as other students experiencing homelessness. The Homeless Liaison Each school district is required to have a Homeless Liaison. The responsibilities of the Liaison are to: Ensure that — • Students enroll in and have full and equal opportunity to succeed in school. • Children and youth in homeless situations are identified. • Homeless youth and their families receive eligible services. • Students receive free breakfast and lunch. • Parents or guardians are informed of educational and related opportunities available to children and given meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children. • Parents or guardians and unaccompanied youth are fully informed of transportation services and assisted in accessing transportation. • Enrollment disputes are mediated according to McKinneyVento. • Public notice of rights is posted. Assists in — • Enrolling students and accessing school services. • Obtaining immunization or medical records. • Informing parents, school personnel and others of rights of the homeless. • Working with school personnel to resolve disputes. • Coordinating transportation services. • Collaborating and coordinating with the state. coordinator and school personnel responsible for providing services to students. School of Origin 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. This includes the designated receiving school at the next grade level for all feeder schools. Preschool children now have school of origin rights including the right to receive transportation back to the school of origin. Kansas leads the world in the success of each student. KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION McKinney-Vento Act FACT SHEET EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH Transportation Title I, Part A, Homeless Set Aside funds may be used to pay the excess cost of transporting homeless students to and from their school of origin. Effective Fall 2016, schools must transport students back to their school of origin for the remainder of the school year after the student/family becomes permanently housed. Coordination Transportation Between Districts If the student lives outside the school of origin’s LEA, the LEA where the student is living and the school of origin’s LEA must determine how to divide the responsibility and cost of providing transportation, or they must share the responsibility and cost equally. Documenting Free Meal Eligibility for Homeless Children USDA guidance memo states: To expedite the delivery of nutritional benefits, school officials may accept documentation that the children are homeless from the local educational liaison or directors of homeless shelters where the children reside. Documentation to substantiate free meal eligibility must consist of the child’s name or a list of names, effective date(s), and the signature of the local educational liaison or the director of the homeless shelter. This documentation is acceptable in lieu of a free and reduced-price meal application. To implement these expedited procedures, school officials must work closely with the educational liaison and directors of homeless shelters to ensure that children are provided free meal benefits as promptly as possible. Credit Accrual School districts must have procedures to identify and remove barriers that prevent homeless students from receiving appropriate credit for full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed while attending a prior school, in accordance with State, local, and school policies. For more information, contact: Maureen Tabasko Program Consultant Special Education and Title Services (785) 296-1101 mtabasko@ksde.org Mandatory Professional Development All liaisons must attend/participate in one of the following professional development activities annually: • NAEHCY conference • KSHC statewide summit • NCHE live or archived webinars • KSDE in-person or online trainings Reporting Homeless Students Homeless students are reported through the Kansas Individual Data on Students (KIDS) in field D35: 0 = Not a homeless student 1 = Accompanied homeless student doubled up (e.g., with relatives, living with another family) 2 = Accompanied Homeless student stayed in hotel/motel 4 = Accompanied homeless student stayed in shelters, transitional housing 5 = Accompanied homeless student was unsheltered (e.g. car, parks, campgrounds, temporary trailer, or abandoned buildings) 6 = Unaccompanied homeless student doubled up (e.g., with relatives, living with another family) 7 = Unaccompanied homeless student stayed in hotel/motel 8 = Unaccompanied homeless student stayed in shelters, transitional housing 9 = Unaccompanied homeless student was unsheltered (e.g. car, parks, campgrounds, temporary trailer, or abandoned buildings) Websites KSDE Homeless Website: www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=565 NCHE National Center for Homeless Education: http://nche.ed.gov/ National Association for the Education of Homeless Students and Youth: www.naehcy.org Guidelines for Reporting Homeless Students in KIDS: http://kidsweb.ksde.org/Documents Kansas State Department of Education 900 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 102 Topeka, Kansas 66612-1212 (785) 296-3201 www.ksde.org The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: KSDE General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, KSDE, Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612, (785) 296-3201.