‹header›
‹date/time›
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
‹footer›
‹#›
When planning the presentation, consider the audience and the setting. There are two slides that can be expanded into activities and discussion starters or just used for participant reflection. The actual lecture time of the presentation is approximately 15 minutes. Some of the slides possess natural places for the liaison to insert local information to go with the national data. See the presentation notes pages for suggestions to insert local information. The more the general presentation can be customized, the stronger the impact on the audience.
Be sure to share your own contact information. It can be added to this slide in the “Presenter” section and on your handout.
Use the blank space on the bottom of these note pages to add any additional comments or directions you would like to incorporate into your presentation.
Contact the state homeless education coordinator to find out how many homeless children were identified in the most recent child estimate for your state and locality. Use school district data to share how widespread the issue of homelessness is in the local community. Share the number of shelters in the school district to give the audience a sense of the scale of the issue.
There are many reasons that people become homeless.
Answering “yes” to one or more questions does not mean that someone will become homeless; however, these are common causes. The activity illustrates that homeless individuals and families are not so different from any of us.
The descriptions listed here include new items found in the 2001 McKinney-Vento Act reauthorization. Some people may not be familiar with the term doubled-up. Be sure to explain this term when describing shared housing. Doubled-up is the sharing of housing with other families or individuals due to a loss of housing (not due to cultural preference or a desire to save money).
Not all persons living in the situations described would be considered homeless. Two major factors to consider when making a determination are the adequacy and permanence of the housing.
Notes:
The designation children and youth refers to individuals age 21 and younger.
Migratory children who are living in the situations described above also may qualify as homeless.
Chapter 3 of the Toolkit discusses identification of homeless children and youth. Appendix B of the Toolkit is a flyer that outlines who is considered homeless.
Appendix C contains a flyer with common signs of homelessness.
This is a sensitivity activity.
If you have time, ask people to share their lists.
If you have limited time, ask participants, (a) "How many people remembered to take report cards for their children?" and (b) "How many people remembered immunization records?"
Discuss or share that many homeless families have left situations (e.g., fire, natural disasters, domestic violence, or evictions) in a hurry and may have valid reasons for lacking documents usually required by schools for enrollment. Under the McKinney-Vento Act, the lack of immunization or school records cannot be a barrier to enrollment.
Note that the law was originally crafted due to the large number of homeless children and youth who were not receiving an education. Participants can be directed to locate the timeline for the legislation found in Chapter 2, Figure 1.
You may note that the role of state coordinator for homeless education is a result of this legislation. Be sure participants have the appropriate contact information for their state coordinator.
The 2001 reauthorization required that a local homeless education liaison be present in all school districts. (This new requirement led to the development of the Toolkit and training materials.) This individual has the responsibility to ensure homeless children and youth have access to the educational system and receive the needed support to attend regularly and succeed in school.
A copy of the reauthorized legislation can be found in Appendix A of
the Toolkit.
In reviewing the local district's enrollment requirements, the LEA could highlight the following:
• Conflict between the federal requirements and local guidelines such that the removal of barriers is necessary (share this with the school board)
• Alignment between the processes of the local district and the federal act
• Reference can be made to Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, known as the "Supremacy Clause," which states that federal law supercedes state and local laws and policies
 
The LEA could share what alternatives are available such as:
• No proof of residency—an affidavit could be signed stating that one is currently homeless, doubled-up, or staying at other temporary accommodations.
• No previous school records—the school can call/fax the previous school and request the records.
• No immunization records—the school can enroll the student and provide the parent/guardian with information as to where the public health office is located to get the needed immunizations.
You may need to explain the following terms:
School of origin—the school the student attended before becoming homeless or where the student was last enrolled. During the chaotic time students are experiencing, having a stable school environment can give students a place to count on with people who know them. Unaccompanied youth—student who, for whatever reason, does not live with a parent/guardian. (The local liaison must assist unaccompanied youth in the enrollment process.)
If the state has created materials for posting, have copies available for participants. The state’s enrollment dispute resolution can be included in the participant’s handout.
Appendix D of the Toolkit contains sample posters and family brochures, and Appendix E contains a variety of enrollment forms.
If following up on the example of Maria and her children, you could note that the posting of rights and brochures could have alerted Maria that her children could enroll.
Attendance is an obvious prerequisite to school success. Ensuring that students can get to school via safe and reliable transportation is critical. The McKinney-Vento Act requires state and local educational agencies to adopt policies and practices to ensure transportation is provided, at the request of the parent or guardian (or in the case of an unaccompanied youth, the liaison) to and from the school of origin if 1) within the same LEA, the LEA shall provide or arrange transportation, and 2) the LEA that remains the school of origin and the LEA in which the student now resides agree on a method to apportion responsibility and costs for providing transportation to the school of origin. If an agreement cannot be reached, the LEAs must share the cost and responsibility equally. The proceedings of the NCHE 2000 Transportation Symposium may provide some creative options for implementation of this requirement.
State coordinators should look at the specific truancy policies for their states and identify possible barriers to attendance. They should also make the person who is responsible for enforcing the truancy rules aware of the liaison and encourage collaboration between the liaison and the attendance officers to ensure that children are attending school.
The McKinney-Vento Act requires that:
* Homeless students receive services comparable to those available to housed students.
* High school or GED completion be promoted.
* Liaisons collaborate with social service agencies and school districts serving students. * Parents be fully informed of the enrollment options and educational opportunities available to their children and be involved in decision making regarding enrollment options. Schools/districts provide written explanations of decisions when disputes occur. * Separate schools or programs for students experiencing homelessness be prohibited. Chapters 4 and 5 of the Toolkit emphasize strategies for collaborating and accessing the appropriate educational services for students. If following up on the example of Maria and her children, you could note that collaboration with the local shelter would have increased the likelihood that Maria would have known that her children could enroll.
This slide should to be customized by the LEA if there are state and local policies to highlight. To do so, insert a summary of the state's laws with regard to homeless education. This information can be obtained from the state homeless education coordinator.
Since each state may have its own legislation and policies related to educating children and youth experiencing homelessness, the state homeless education coordinator should include this information. In general, states must comply with the federal guidelines, but some states have gone further. States may include this slide and enter their additional requirements.
Liaisons should highlight any local policies on serving students experiencing homelessness at this point in the presentation.