Who? What? Who?
Liaison Training Responsibilities
Ronda Sharp, Concho Elementary School District
Cara Slaughter, Flagstaff Unified School District
Who….
As a district or school liaison, one of your
responsibilities is training all school staff,
parents and community members. What
you include depends on who you are
training. Join us as we review and discuss
key components of who should be trained
and what information should be provided.
The Liaison’s role in
identifying students.
◼The law requires local liaisons to coordinate with school
personnel and other entities to identify students who are
experiencing homelessness.
◼The liaison is not the only person responsible for identifying
students, collaboration with other educational programs and
agencies is expected.
◼The liaison must educate others to identify students that may
be experiencing homelessness and refer the students to the
liaison or contact the liaison on behalf of the student.
Definition of
Homelessness
The McKinney-Vento Education Act
defines homeless children and
youth to be those who lack a fixed,
regular, and adequate nighttime
residence.
42U.S.C11434(a)(2)
Teaching Compassion…
How do we teach our staff to treat
students with compassion and
understanding?
The next 3 activities can be used to help train
staff and to stress the importance of having
empathy for those we service.
Activity #1: Who Has?
Rules for activity:
If the answer to the question is YES, you must
rise out of your seat and find a new seat to sit
in at a DIFFERENT TABLE.
If the answer is no, remain in your seat.
…gone on a hike?
…hiked more than 3 miles
to get groceries!
…caught some shut-eye on
the side of the road?
…slept in you car or RV
because you had no where
else to sleep?
… had their in-laws come for
a nice long visit?
…had to move in with
in-laws or other family
members due to
financial hardship.
…cooked over a fire,
read by lantern light,
and transported water
during camping?
…had to read by
candlelight, hauled
water to drink and
bathe, and cooked
without propane?
…moved to a new
house?
…moved many times
while in school?
Activity #2: The Creatches
Description:
An original McKinney-Vento
poem.
Why all the stars???
Well… those with stars are SPECIAL and
those without are Not! (Didn’t your mom tell you life
wasn’t fair?)
Your FACES
Right Now!!!
You group has 6 stars in the
folder…write one sign of
homelessness on each star.
Be prepared to share 
Now in honor of our Seussical theme, we have a
short story modeled after “The Sneetches”.
adapted from “The Sneetches,” with apologies to Dr. Seuss.
By Marguerite Emerson- Concho Elementary School
Now, the Star-Belly Creatches had bellies with stars
The Plain-Belly Creatches had none upon thars.
Such stars weren’t so special, just ordinary and small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.
But, when the Plain-Belly children went to school,
They arrived lacking the simplest of tools.
They often wore the same clothes, whether dirty or clean.
And went without bathing because they didn’t have the means.
The Star-Bellies wore shoes that helped them stand tall,
But the Plain-Bellies’ shoes were either too big or too small.
Their shoes were worn and ragged, or were just the wrong kind.
So they couldn’t play like the Star-Bellies, and felt left behind.
When the Star-Belly children went out to play ball,
Could a Plain-Belly get game…? No, not at all.
You could only play sports if you had transportation by car.
And the Plain-Belly children couldn’t travel very far.
And when they showed up to start the school day,
The Star-Bellies went about things in the usual way.
But the Plain-Bellies were often absent or late,
And their enrollment changes were at such a high rate!
Moving
again?!! :(
Moving
Truck
I just made
friends. :(
While the Star-Bellies exhibited confidence, were social and out-going.
Plain-Bellies avoided making friends, their low self-esteem showing.
Their attention spans were short, and in need of quick gratification.
Getting their work done and turned in on time filled them with
trepidation.
Typical Confident Star-Bellied
Student
Typical Low Self-Esteemed
Plain-Bellied Student
In the community, Star-Bellies held cook-outs and roasts,
Picnics and parties, or even wedding toasts,
But they didn’t invite the Plain-Belly folk to join in the fun,
Such Creatches were left out in the cold, not trusting anyone.
They stayed hidden in the dark park, residing in fear.
And that’s how they lived, year after year.
No stars upon thars... and
other clues….
Lack of Continuity in Education
* Attendance at many schools
* Lack of records needed for enrollment
Poor Health/Nutrition
* Hoarding food
* Fatigue
Transportation and Attendance Problems
* Erratic attendance or tardiness
* Inability to contact parents
Not ready for class
* Lack of school supplies, uniforms, etc.
* Incomplete or missing assignments
Social and behavioral cues
* Change in behavior
* Poor self-esteem
* Short attention span
* Difficulty making friends
Reactions/Statements/Comments:
* Avoidance telling where address is
* Mentions staying with family or friends
* Comments such as : “I don’t know the name of my last
school.” “We are going through a bad time right now.”
Activity # 3: The Faces of
McKinney-Vento
Directions:
Brainstorm the following:
1. How could you use this activity to help
those you train understand what services
this student needs?
2. What recommendations would you have to
your school and community contacts for
these students?
3. Record your ideas on the large paper folded
in fourths in your folder.
Who should we train in
the schools?
◼Front office and registration staff
◼School nurses
◼Truancy and attendance officers
◼Cafeteria staff
◼Bus drivers
◼School social workers and counselors
◼Classroom teachers and aides
◼Administrators at the school and district level
ALL SCHOOL PERSONNEL!
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN
TRAINING FOR DISTRICT
STAFF?
◼IDENTIFICATION- What are the “red flags” to look
for?
◼ELIGIBILITY- What qualifies a family as homeless?
◼WHO TO CONTACT- What can your liaisons do to
help families?
◼STRATEGIES IN SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND
FAMILIES- What can teachers, counselors, nurses,
administrators, custodians, cafeteria employees,
instructional aides, bus drivers and everyone else do
to support a family experiencing homelessness?
What do we share with each
group?
What would you share with each of these
groups?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Teachers
Front office staff
Counselors
Nurses
Administrators
Cafeteria Staff
Bus drivers
What about the community?
Community members and organizations can
help identify families.
Be sure to train employees/ members of
• Food Banks/ Kitchens
• Community Agencies
• Fire and Police Departments
• Community Transportation
• Church Organizations
• Budget Hotels and Motels
• Youth Groups and Organizations
What information do we share
with community members?
• Definition of homelessness under
MV Law
• Statistics for your community
• Liaison contact information
• Community resources for families
• What the organization can do to help
Homeless Children
and Youth
Contact Information
Cara Slaughter
Assistant Director of Educational Enrichment
Flagstaff Unified School District
cslaughter@fusd1.org
928-527-6103
Ronda Sharp
Title I Coordinator
Concho Elementary School District
rsharp@concho.k12.az.us
928-337-4665