Embedded Files
McKinney Vento Act, Education for Homeless Youth
PA Virtual Homeless Liaison, Ms. Crystal Widmann at (484) 685-4625 or cwidmann@pavcs.us
The McKinney Vento Act is designed to ensure homeless children and youth are provided with a Free and Appropriate Public Education on an equal basis with all other children in the state. Program objectives and activities are intended to remove and/or ease the barriers to enrollment and educational success for homeless children.
Under the Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program State Plan, homeless children are defined as: Children living with a parent in a domestic violence shelter; runaway children; children and youth who have been abandoned or forced out of their home by parents or other caretakers; and school district-aged parents living in houses for school district-aged parents if they have no other available living accommodations.
PA Virtual Charter School believes that homeless youth should have access to free and appropriate public education and wishes to limit the barriers that homeless children may face. Our goal is to have the educational process continue as uninterrupted as possible while children are in homeless situations under McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act.
National, State, Regional and Local Resources:
The Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) regional and site coordinators can assist with:
School enrollment/placement
Agency referrals (clothing, food, shelter)
Tracking/transferring school records
Accessing educational programs
Interagency problem-solving
Relevant literature related to homelessness
Increasing public awareness on homeless issues
Consultative phone calls to answer school, agency, and shelter questions
Pennsylvania Community Support Resources:
Tips for Parents of Young Children - Finding Care for My Child
PDE Directory for Shelters in the State (click on the word “Shelters” for each website
Important Information Regarding Parent/Student Rights:
Supports for Students:
Student Assistance Program
Enrollment Assistance
School Supplies
School Counseling
Homework Help
Peer Tutoring
Credit Recovery
ACT 1 Plan
Progress Monitoring
A family or student is considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento definition if they are in any of these places or situations:
Public or private shelters
Public or private places not designated for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping accommodations such as vehicles, parks, motels, campgrounds, etc.
Living with a parent in a domestic violence shelter
Living with relatives or friends due to lack of housing
Living in transitional housing programs
Runaway children (under 18 years of age) and children and youth who have been abandoned or forced out of their home by parents or other caretakers (unaccompanied youth). These children may be in temporary shelters awaiting assistance from social service agencies or may live alone on the street, or move from place to place among family members, friends, or acquaintances
Children of migrant families who lack adequate housing
Children abandoned in hospitals or awaiting foster care
Children and youth experiencing homelessness have a variety of rights & available resources:
Receive a free, appropriate public education
Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents that are normally required for enrollment.
Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents.
Enroll in the local school or continue attending your school of origin (the school you attended when permanently housed or the school in which you were last enrolled), if that is your preference and is feasible.
Responsibilities of PA Virtual (or designated Liaison) for Homeless Children and Youth
Identify homeless children and youth with assistance of school personnel and by coordination activities with other entities and agencies.
Inform parents or guardians of educational rights and related opportunities available to their children, including Head Start programs (including Early Head Start programs), early intervention services under Part C of the IDEA, other preschool programs administered by the LEA, and provide them with meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.
Disseminate public notice of the educational rights of homeless students where children and youths receive services under the McKinney-Vento Act (such as schools, family shelters and food pantries).
Mediate enrollment disputes.
Inform the parent or guardian of a homeless child, youth and any unaccompanied youth, of all transportation options, including to the school of origin, and assist in accessing these transportation services.
Ensure that unaccompanied youth are immediately enrolled in school pending resolution of disputes that might arise over school enrollment or placement.
Assist children and youths who do not have documentation of immunizations or medical records to obtain necessary immunizations or necessary medical documentation.
Understand the guidance issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) for the education of homeless students and be ready to explain the BEC related to homeless education to school district staff.
Get to know the best resources in their community to assist families with referrals for things such as shelter, counseling, food and transportation.
Distribute information on the subject of homeless students and arrange staff development workshops and presentations for school personnel, including office staff.
Provide standard forms and information about enrollment procedures and key school programs to each shelter in their district.
Become familiar with the various program materials that are available from PDE.
Ensure that public notice of the educational rights of homeless students is disseminated in locations frequented by parents and guardians of such children and youths, and unaccompanied youths, including schools, shelters, public libraries, and soup kitchen, in a manner and form understandable to the parents and guardians and unaccompanied youth.
Collaborate with a school district’s special education program to ensure that homeless children who need special education and related services are located, identified and evaluated. This is a requirement under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which mandates that highly mobile children with disabilities, including homeless children, be identified and served.
Ensure that homeless youths who have or may have disabilities have a parent or a surrogate parent to make special education or early intervention decisions. In the case of unaccompanied homeless youth, if a student is disabled or may be disabled and the youth does not have a person authorized to make special education decisions, the School will work with the following people as temporary surrogate parents: staff in emergency shelters; transitional shelters; independent living programs; street outreach programs; and state, local educational agency or child welfare agency staff involved in the education or care of the child. This rule applies only to unaccompanied homeless youth.
Identify preschool-aged homeless children by working closely with shelters and social service agencies in their area. In addition, the liaison should inquire, at the time they are enrolling homeless children and youths in school, whether the family has preschool-aged children.
Identify unaccompanied homeless youth while respecting their privacy and dignity by providing specific outreach to areas where eligible students who are out of school may congregate.
Ensure that unaccompanied youths have opportunities to meet the same challenging state academic standards as the state establishes for other children and youths.
Below are links to resources with further information and details. Should you have any questions, you can contact the PA Virtual Homeless Liaison, Ms. Crystal Widmann at (484) 685-4625 or cwidmann@pavcs.us
Dispute Resolution Process
As a school of choice, PA Virtual Charter School does not dispute school placement. However, in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) mandates that Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) adhere to specific procedures for addressing disputes related to enrollment, school selection, and homeless status.
There are two levels in the dispute resolution process:
Level 1: This level involves a dispute raised directly with the LEA by a parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth. The LEA must issue a written disposition of the dispute within 20 business days of being notified. This disposition should explain the basis for the decision and inform the parent, guardian, or youth of their right to appeal. Families must be informed of their right to remain in their chosen school while the dispute is being resolved, and they should be provided with information on how to challenge the LEA's decision.
Level 2: If a parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth is dissatisfied with the LEA's disposition or wishes to raise any issue of McKinney-Vento Act noncompliance, they may file a complaint or appeal with a McKinney-Vento regional or site coordinator, or with the state coordinator. The child or youth will remain in the school they are seeking enrollment in until the complaint or appeal is resolved, or until a disposition from a McKinney-Vento coordinator is received.
It's important to note that any dispute raised by a homeless family or youth, whether through telephone, letter, or any other mode of communication, is treated as a complaint under this process.
For further information and to access resources related to the Education for Homeless Youth Basic Education Circular, please visit www.education.pa.gov/homeless or refer to the Basic Education Circulars on the PDE's homepage.
We remain committed to ensuring compliance with McKinney-Vento Act requirements and providing support to families experiencing homelessness throughout the dispute resolution process.
NOTE: The parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth may file a complaint with the McKinney-Vento site, regional or state coordinator on the attached complaint form. However, the use of the attached form is not mandatory. Any dispute raised by a homeless family or youth concerning school enrollment or any other right under the McKinney-Vento Act whether received via telephone, letter or any mode of communication shall be treated as a complaint.
Attachments:
Should you have any questions, you can contact the PA Virtual Homeless Liaison, Ms. Crystal Widmann at (484) 685-4625 or cwidmann@pavcs.us
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