Homeless Education (HE)
McKinney-Vento - Homeless Education Act
Title X, Part C - ESEA
J Jesus Contreras
Accountability and Compliance
www.smcoe.org
Homeless Facts and Figures
• Approximately 1.4 million
homeless children nationwide
• 10 percent of all children live in
poverty
• 1.7 million youth run away each
year
• Over 40 percent of all homeless
children are under the age of 5
2 www.smcoe.org
Causes of Homelessness
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Lack of affordable housing
Poverty
Health problems
Domestic violence
Natural and other disasters
Abuse, neglect, and/or
abandonment
3 www.smcoe.org
Barriers to HE
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Enrollment requirements
High mobility
Lack of transportation
Lack of school supplies,
clothing, etc.
• Poor health, fatigue, hunger,
anxiety/trauma
4 www.smcoe.org
Barriers to HE (Cont.)
• Lack of awareness
• Prejudice and misunderstanding
• For unaccompanied youth
– Lack of adult/guardian
– Need for employment
– Credit accrual policies
– Concerns of capture by
authorities
5 www.smcoe.org
Define Homelessness
• Individuals who lack a fixed, regular,
and adequate nighttime residence
– A fixed residence is one that is stationary,
permanent, and not subject to change
– A regular residence is one that is used on
a normal, standard, and consistent basis
– An adequate residence is one that is
sufficient for meeting both the physical and
psychological needs typically met in home
environments
6 www.smcoe.org
Define Homelessness (Cont.)
• Sharing of housing due to
economic hardship
• Motels, hotels
• Public or private place not
designed for sleeping
• Trailer parks
• Campgrounds
7 www.smcoe.org
Define Homelessness (Cont.)
• Cars, parks, and abandoned buildings
• Living in emergency or transitional
shelters
• Substandard (which means falling short
of a standard or norm). Consider:
– Health and safety concerns
– Number of occupants per square foot
– Age of occupants
– State and local building codes
8 www.smcoe.org
Define Homelessness (Cont.)
• Unaccompanied youth
– Not in the physical custody of their
parent or guardian
• Awaiting foster care placement
• Migratory children who qualify as
homeless
• Shelters
• Abandoned in hospitals
9 www.smcoe.org
Equal Access
• Homeless students have equal
access to all programs run by the
school/district.
10 www.smcoe.org
Equal Access (Cont.)
• School meal program
• Before- and after-school programs
• Homeless preschoolers may be
given priority enrollment
• Unaccompanied youth have the
right to enroll without a legal
guardian
11 www.smcoe.org
Segregation
• Local educational agencies (LEAs)
are required to ensure that
homeless children and youth are
not stigmatized or segregated on
the basis of their homeless status
12 www.smcoe.org
Local Educational Agency
(LEA) Liaison
• All LEAs must have a liaison:
– Access the CDE Homeless Web page at
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/hs/cy/
• LEA liaisons must ensure that:
– Homeless children and youth are
identified
– Public notice of the educational rights is
disseminated
13 www.smcoe.org
LEA Liaison (Cont.)
– Parents or guardians are informed
of educational opportunities
– Enrollment disputes are mediated
– Unaccompanied youth are
assisted
– Children and youth who do not
have immunizations are assisted
14 www.smcoe.org
LEA Liaison (Cont.)
– Collaboration is conducted with the
state coordinator, community
agencies, and school personnel
– Homeless students enroll in, and
have full and equal opportunity to
succeed in, the schools of the LEA
– Homeless families, children, and
youth receive educational services
15 www.smcoe.org
Identification Strategies
• Coordinate with community service
agencies such as:
– Shelters and drop-in centers
– Soup kitchens and food banks
– Street outreach teams
– Welfare departments
– Housing departments
– Public health departments
– Faith-based organizations
16 www.smcoe.org
Identification Strategies (Cont.)
• Develop relationships with truancy
officials and/or other attendance
officers
• Provide awareness activities for
school staff
• Avoid using the word “homeless”
in initial contacts with school
personnel, families, or youth
17 www.smcoe.org
Identification Strategies (Cont.)
• Make special efforts to identify
preschool children
• Use enrollment and withdrawal
forms to inquire about living
situations
• Enlist youth to assist with
identification
• Provide outreach materials and
posters
18 www.smcoe.org
Reporting Requirements (Cont.)
• All enrolled homeless students will
be collected through the California
Longitudinal Pupil Achievement
Data System (CALPADS)
19 www.smcoe.org
Immediate Enrollment
• “Enroll” and “enrollment” are
defined to include attending
classes and participating fully in
school activities
• Homeless children must be
immediately enrolled
20 www.smcoe.org
Immediate Enrollment (Cont.)
• No prior records are needed, but should
be obtained by the enrolling school as
quickly as possible
21 www.smcoe.org
Enrollment Strategies
• Train all staff on the legal
requirements for enrollment:
– Secretaries
– School counselors
– School social workers
– Principals
• Develop residency forms to
replace typical proof of residency
22 www.smcoe.org
Enrollment Strategies (Cont.)
• Accept school records directly from
families and youth
• Request all records from the previous
school immediately, including
immunization records
– Parental signature is not required for
transfer students
– The vast majority of students have
been enrolled in school before and
have received immunizations
23 www.smcoe.org
Enrollment Strategies (Cont.)
• Speak with parents and youth
about the classes the student was
in, previous coursework, and
special needs
• Use the National Center for
Homeless Education (NCHE) brief
entitled “Prompt and Proper
Placement”
24 www.smcoe.org
Enrollment Strategies (Cont.)
• Review and revise LEA policies, as
necessary
25 www.smcoe.org
School Selection
• Students have the right to stay in
“school of origin:”
–
–
–
–
to the extent feasible
for the duration of homelessness
if in the best interest of student
parent requested
• “School of origin” is the school the
child attended when permanently
housed or last enrolled
26 www.smcoe.org
School Selection (Cont.)
• Students can stay in 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 that requested by a parent or
guardian, the district must provide a
written explanation to the parent or
guardian of its decision and their right to
appeal
27 www.smcoe.org
Feasibility - Sample Criteria
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•
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Continuity of instruction
Age of the child/youth
Safety of the student
Length of stay in shelter
Student’s need for special instructional
programs
• Impact of commute on education
• School placement of siblings
• Time remaining in the school year
28 www.smcoe.org
Research on School Mobility
• Students who switch schools
frequently score lower on
standardized tests
• It takes children an average of four
to six months to recover
academically after changing
schools
29 www.smcoe.org
Research on School Mobility
(Cont.)
• Students suffer psychologically,
socially, and academically from
mobility
• Mobile students are less likely to
participate in extracurricular
activities and more likely to act out
or get into trouble
30 www.smcoe.org
Research on School Mobility
(Cont.)
• Mobility during high school greatly
diminishes the likelihood of
graduation
• Controlling for other factors,
studies found students who
changed high schools even once
were less than half as likely as
stable students to graduate
31 www.smcoe.org
Dispute Resolution
• Whenever there is a disagreement,
the school must:
– Immediately enroll student in
school according to parent’s
wishes
– Keep the student until the dispute
is settled
– Provide transportation to the
school of origin
– Explain the decision in writing to
parents
32 www.smcoe.org
Dispute Resolution (Cont.)
– Contact liaison to assist in settling
the dispute with parents, guardian, or
youth
– If dispute is not resolved at the
district level, refer case to the county
liaison
– If case is still not resolved, refer to
state coordinator
33 www.smcoe.org
Transportation
• Must be provided or arranged to and from
the school of origin
• In addition to providing transportation to
the school of origin, LEA’s must provide
students in homeless situations with
transportation services comparable to
those provided to other students
• If the districts cannot agree on who will
pay the costs, the districts must share the
costs
34 www.smcoe.org
Transportation Strategies
• Coordinate with local housing
authorities and placement
agencies to house students near
their school of origin
• Use approved van or taxi services
• Develop close ties among LEA
homeless liaisons, school staff,
and pupil transportation staff
35 www.smcoe.org
Transportation Strategies (Cont.)
• Provide passes for public
transportation, including passes for
caretakers when necessary
• Take advantage of transportation
systems used by public assistance
agencies
• Re-route school buses
36 www.smcoe.org
Transportation Strategies (Cont.)
• Reimburse parents, guardians, or
unaccompanied youth for gas
• Develop formal or informal
agreements with school districts
where homeless children cross
district lines
37 www.smcoe.org
Title I and HE
• Homeless children are by definition
automatically eligible for Title I services
• LEAs are required to:
– Reserve Title I, Part A funds for homeless
students - to be determined by the LEA, as
appropriate
– Indicate this reservation in the Consolidated
Application Reporting System (CARS)
– Describe what Title I services will be
provided in the CARS and LEA Plan
38 www.smcoe.org
Uses of HE Reservation
May include:
• Meeting basic needs
– Clothing
– Supplies
– Health, dental, and vision
• Supporting homeless liaison position
• Hiring special teachers, aides, and
tutors to provide supplemental
instruction
39 www.smcoe.org
Uses of HE Reservation (Cont.)
• Providing outreach to homeless
parents
• Providing after-school and/or
summer programs
• Collecting data on homeless students
• Providing emergency food while the
student is in school, including
breakfast, lunch, and snacks
40 www.smcoe.org
Uses of HE Reservation (Cont.)
• Paying for fees associated with:
– Obtaining birth certificates and/or
immunization
– Obtaining a General Educational
Development (GED) for homeless
students
– Obtaining a GED to improve literacy
skills of homeless parents
41 www.smcoe.org
Uses of HE Reservation (Cont.)
• Providing the cost of cap and gown
to wear at graduation
• Paying for projects and/or field
trips
• Providing academic support as
well as non-academic support to
homeless students in non-Title I
schools
42 www.smcoe.org
Prohibited Uses of HE Reservation
May not:
• Provide rental assistance for
homeless families
• Provide clothing assistance for
parents
• Pay for the cost of prom dresses,
sports, or yearbooks
• Pay for physical exams to
participate in sports
43 www.smcoe.org
Resources
• CDE Homeless Education Web page
www.cde.ca.gov/sp/hs
• National Association for the Education
of Homeless Children and Youth
www.naehcy.org (Outside Source)
• National Center for Homeless
Education www.serve.org/nche
(Outside Source)
• National Law Center on Homelessness
& Poverty www.nlchp.org (Outside
Source)
44 www.smcoe.org
Contacts
J Jesus Contreras – SMCOE
(650) 802-5398
jcontreras@smcoe.org
Leanne Wheeler, Education Programs
Consultant - CDE
(916) 319-0383
lwheeler@cde.ca.gov
• Toll-free Number 1(866) 856-8214
45 www.smcoe.org