Victoria Texas Birth Certificates - PowerPoint

							A Local Homeless Education
     Liaison’s Toolkit:
The Nuts & Bolts of Fulfilling
         Your Role

       Patricia Popp, Ph.D.
        State Coordinator
      Project HOPE – Virginia
   The College of William & Mary
        According to legend…
If you wish to make an impact for one
   year, you plant corn.
If you wish to make an impact for a
   generation, you plant a tree.
But if you wish to make an impact for an
   eternity, you educate a child.

                   Author Unknown
       As the local
 homeless education liaison,

you can facilitate the enrollment of
a child for an impact that will last
an eternity.
                   Goals
• Highlight key McKinney-Vento Homeless
  Education Act requirements
• Explain local liaison responsibilities
• Provide an overview of the Local Homeless
  Education Liaison Toolkit an other resources
        What do you think? (T/F)
• Only children who would be counted in the
  PIT are eligible for McKinney-Vento rights
  and services in schools.
• A child experiencing homelessness cannot
  enroll in school without immunizations.
• Where a child who is homeless enrolls in
  school is solely the decision of the parent.
• All unaccompanied youth are considered
  homeless.
             Who is homeless?
• An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and
  adequate nighttime residence, including children
  and youth :
       – sharing housing due to loss of housing or
         economic hardship
       – living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or
         camping grounds due to lack of alternative
         adequate housing
       – living in emergency or
         transitional housing
        Who is homeless? (cont’d)
Including children and youth :
 abandoned in hospitals
 awaiting foster care
 having a primary nighttime residence that is a
  public or private place not designed for, or
  ordinarily used as, regular sleeping
  accommodations
 living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned
  buildings, substandard housing, bus or train
  stations
 migratory students meeting the description
 unaccompanied youth
       Numbers from Educators
• USED 2007-08 data (NCHE) : 794,617 students
  experiencing homelessness enrolled

• Virginia 2008-09
  •   PreK-12 – 12,768 (29% increase since 2006-07)
  •   PreK – 408
  •   Elementary – 6,998
  •   Middle – 2,646
  •   High –2,716
                Initial Primary Nighttime Residence                           Category

Children and youth living in abandoned buildings, campgrounds and
vehicles, space not meant for habitation, trailers or FEMA trailers, cars,
bus and train stations, and abandoned in the hospital. Substandard or
                                                                             Unsheltered
inadequate housing does not easily fit into any category as it is not
governed by a specific definition and is judged on a case-by-case basis.
An inadequate dwelling may shelter but it is not adequate housing.

Children and youth living in shelters and transitional housing programs
(homeless and domestic violence programs). Children and youth                  Shelter
awaiting foster care placement.

Children and youth (including runaway youth or unaccompanied
                                                                             Doubled-Up
youth) who live with relatives or friends due to being homeless.

Children and youth living in hotels/motels due to a lack of alternative
                                                                             Hotel/Motel
adequate accommodations.


 New for 2009-10: Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Flag
Primary Nighttime Residence Virginia
              2008-09
       Doubled Up          Shelter
       Unsheltered         Hotel/Motel

                     12%


                4%




          20%



                           64%
                      Numbers
• 2 million people experience homelessness annually
• Approximately half are children
• USED 2007-08 data (NCHE) : 794,617 students
  experiencing homelessness enrolled
• Virginia 2007-08
  •   PreK-12 – 11,776 (19% increase over 2006-07)
  •   PreK – 304
  •   Elementary – 6,413
  •   Middle – 2,652
  •   High –2,407
“The hardest part about being in the shelter
 was that it was hard to sleep sometimes
 because there was so many other people
 there and sometimes there would be fights.
 And it was hard to be around so many
 strangers. It was scary sometimes…”
                            — Alphonso, age 12
                        Forget-Me-Not Campaign
    How vulnerable are you to becoming
               homeless?
Answer ―yes‖ or ―no‖ to the following:
• Could you experience a flood, fire, tornado, or other natural disaster?
• Do you work in an area of the economy/job market where your job
  might become obsolete?
• Could you suffer from a long-term illness or accident without proper
  health benefits or other compensations?
• Do you live in a household with only one full-time wage earner?
• Are you behind in any monthly bills?
• Are housing costs in your area increasing faster than wages?
• Does anyone in your family struggle with addictions such as drugs or
  alcohol?



                                            Adapted from Helping H.A.N.D.S., Paducah, NY
                   Context
• Poverty Tour VIDEO_TS.IFO
  – http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour.htm
• National Low Income Housing Coalition
  – http://www.nlihc.org
• VDSS Self Sufficiency Standards
  – http://www.dss.state.va.us/geninfo/reports/agen
    cy_wide/self_sufficiency.cgi
   Causes and Impact of Homelessness
• Causes               • Impact
  – Poverty                Absenteeism is greater
  – Substance Abuse        Developmental delays occur
                            at 4 times the rate reported
  – Domestic Violence       for other children
  – Mental Illness         Learning disabilities
  – Affordable Housing      identified at double the rate
                           Twice as likely to repeat a
  – Physical Illness        grade
  – Mortgage market
 The child’s classroom may be the only
  place where the child can experience
   quiet, interact with children his/her
     age, and experience success…
 School is the most normal activity that
         most children experience
collectively…For homeless children it is
much more than a learning environment.
 It is a place of safety, personal space,
         friendships, and support.
                            Oakley & King, 2000
   McKinney-Vento Homeless
         Assistance Act
     Education of Homeless
   Children and Youth (EHCY)
             Program
         Title X, Part C
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
        McKinney-Vento Act
• Reauthorizes the Stewart B. McKinney Act,
  originally enacted in 1987
• Provides states with funding to support local
  grants and statewide initiatives
• Requires educational access, attendance, and
  success for homeless children and youth
• Outlines responsibilities for local liaisons
     Quiz time on liaison
       responsibilities
How much do you already know
about what you are responsible for
doing to serve students experiencing
homelessness?
                      Responsibilities
• LEA:
   – Ensure access to school and appropriate services
   – Reduce school transfers & enhance educational stability
   – Strengthen parental choice & involvement
• Liaison:
   – Review/revise local policies
   – Promote school/community awareness (post rights)
   – Ensure:
          • Identification
          • Full & equal access services, including appropriate referrals
          • Parents/guardians informed of rights, including transportation
          • Unaccompanied youth informed of rights & assisted
            with enrollment
          • Compliance with state’s dispute resolution process
                        Get the student enrolled!
                     Tanya
  Tanya has moved into a domestic violence shelter.
  She has a two year-old son, eight year-old
  daughter in third grade, and a fourteen year-old
  son.
Consider:
 What educational needs might Tanya’s children
  have?
 What challenges might be encountered in meeting
  these needs?
 What could you do to support Tanya and
  her children in your school district?
           McKinney-Vento Act:
           Immediate Enrollment
Requires public schools to immediately enroll
students experiencing homelessness even when
lacking documentation, such as:
     – proof of residency
     – guardianship
     – birth certificates, school records, or other
       documents
     – medical records, including immunization
       records
     – uniform or dress code requirements
 McKinney-Vento Act:
     Enrollment
• School choice:
  – school of origin, if feasible
  – school in current residency area
• Posting educational rights
  – in all public schools
  – in the community
• Access for unaccompanied youth
• A dispute resolution process
      McKinney-Vento Act:
   Enrollment: School Placement

• School of origin, if in the student’s best
  interest
• School in current residency area
• Other placement allowed by school
  division (not in legislation)
         School of Origin Defined
―In this paragraph, the term `school of origin’
  means the school that the child or youth
  attended when permanently housed or the
  school in which the child or youth was last
  enrolled.‖ §722(g)(3)(G)

       ―One child, one school, one year‖
               Victoria, Texas
              Best Interest Means…
• To the extent feasible, keeping a homeless student in the
  school of origin, except when doing so is contrary to the
  wishes of the child’s or youth’s parent or guardian;
• Providing a written explanation, including the right to
  appeal if the LEA sends the student to a school other
  than the school of origin or a school requested by the
  parent or guardian;
• In the case of an unaccompanied youth, ensuring that
  the homeless liaison assists in placement or enrollment
  decisions, considering the views of the youth.
       Feasibility—ED Sample Criteria
• A child-centered, individualized determination
• Continuity of instruction
• Age of the child or youth
• Safety of the child or youth
• Length of stay at the shelter
• Likely area where family will find permanent housing
• Student’s need for special instructional programs
• Impact of commute on education
• School placement of siblings
• Time remaining in the school year
     School of Origin Applies:
• Whenever the student becomes homeless
  (during the academic year or summer)
• As long as the student is homeless
• For the remainder of the school year in
  which permanent housing is obtained
    Transportation to School of Origin
• Must be provided when SOO is in the student’s
  best interest
  – Within a school division
  – Across school divisions
     • Work together to determine how transportation will be
       provided
     • If divisions cannot agree, they must split cost
• USED Guidance: optional once permanently
  housed (can use fed. funds)
• Use of M-V subgrant funds
Other M-V Transportation Issues
• Provide comparable services
• Remove barriers



• What about students with IEPs???
   McKinney-Vento Act:
       Attendance
• Transportation
• Attendance Officers
• Truancy Laws
   McKinney-Vento Act:
   Attendance & Success
• Comparable services
• Parental involvement
• Liaison collaboration between social
  service agencies and school divisions
  to serve students
• Restricts segregation of homeless
  students
          Ensuring Access to
         Educational Services
• Free and reduced      • Transportation
  price breakfast and   • After school and
  lunch programs          summer programs
• Title I               • Head Start and
• Special education       (Even Start), VPI
• Gifted programs
        State Policy and Code
• VSBA Sample Policy (JECA)
• See Superintendent’s Memos (Appendix R)
  – Memo #51(March, 2003)
  – Memo #64 (December, 2003) (dispute
    resolution)
  – Memo #125 (June, 2005) (revised dispute)
• General Assembly 2004
  – SB270 – Chapter 500 – align with M-V
• General Assembly 2005
  – SB1006 – Chapter 343 – foster care
Implementation
  Tips for Identifying Homeless
       Children and Youth
• Analyze information you have on record
• Know your community- ―network‖
• Disseminate brochures/posters to community
  areas with your contact information
• Train school enrollment personnel to:
     – look for signs,
     – offer assistance, and
     – contact you
     Warning Signs of Homelessness
•   Lack of continuity in education
•   Poor health/nutrition
•   Transportation and attendance problems
•   Poor hygiene
•   Lack of privacy/personal space after school
•   Social and behavioral concerns
•   Reactions/statements by parent, guardian, or
    child
     Conduct a Needs Assessment
• Determine the location of the shelters in the
  area
• Identify organizations in the school division
  that assist the homeless
• Know issues that commonly impact homeless
  children and youth in the school division
  Promoting Educational Rights
• Point of Contact in each school for
  homeless education to serve as a resource
• Presentations to central office personnel,
  schools, and community organizations
• Communication Vehicles
     - Posters
     - Brochures
     - E-mail
           Know the Shelter Directors
• Contact directors and staff of shelters in the
  school division attendance zone
       –    Share your contact information
       –    Provide flyers, posters, and brochures
       –    Include shelters in school division mailings
       –    Consider meeting to discuss ways to support
            each other (e.g., What resources can we
            share to best serve children and youth
            experiencing homelessness?)
Disseminate Information to the Schools
  • Provide a flyer/poster with the educational
    rights of children and youth experiencing
    homelessness to be posted where students
    enroll.
  • Provide tip sheets to school personnel with
    suggestions of what they can do to help.
  • Conduct in-service training.
         Potential Partners for
            Collaboration:
• Shelters, soup kitchens, motels, churches
• Local Continuum of Care (HUD)
• School District Departments
     – Title I
     – Special Education
     – Transportation Department
     – Staff Development
     – Preschool Programs
                   Resources
• HUD Continuums of Care & Service Providers -
  www.hudhre.info (Virginia contacts on flash drive)
• HIP and HPRP contacts: www.dhcd.virginia.
  gov/HomelessnesstoHomeownership/default.htm
• NAEHCY – www.naehcy.org
• NCHE - www.serve.org/nche
• NLCHP - www.nlchp.org
• NLIHC – www.nlihc.org
• Project HOPE-VA: www.wm.edu/hope
• USDE - www.ed.gov/programs/homeless/index.html
       Contact Information
       Project HOPE-Virginia
     The College of William & Mary
             P. O. Box 8795
        Williamsburg, VA 23187
757-221-7776      877-455-3412 (toll free)
          757-221-5300 (fax)
           homlss@wm.edu
          www.wm.edu/hope
   Thanks for all you do!

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