The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) ensures homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free and appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths. It has most recently been reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2158 (ESSA).
The McKinney-Vento Act mandates a state coordinator in every state, a homeless education liaison in every school district, outlines the rights of homeless children and youth, defines homelessness, and requires collaboration and coordination across agencies and service providers.
Definitions
Homeless children and youths: individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:
sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
living in emergency or transitional shelters;
abandoned in hospitals.
living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;
migratory children living in circumstances described above.
Enroll and enrollment: attending classes and participating fully in schools activities.
School of origin: the school the child or youth attended when permanently housed, or the school in which the child or youth was last enrolled, including preschool. When a child completes the final grade level served by the school of origin, the school of origin includes the designated receiving school at the next grade level for all feeder schools.
Unaccompanied youth: a homeless child or youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian
District Liaison
The Director of Pupil Personnel Services will be the district's liaison for homeless students and their families, unless a different liaison is designated by the Superintendent. The district's liaison shall seek to identify homeless students by working with school personnel or with other appropriate entities and agencies. The liaison shall coordinate with local social service agencies that provide services to homeless children and youths and their families; other school districts on issues of transportation and records transfers; and state and local housing agencies responsible for comprehensive housing affordability strategies. The liaison will disseminate public notice of the educational rights of homeless students as appropriate in places they receive services. The district's liaison will also review and recommend amendments to district policies that may act as barriers to the enrollment of homeless students. To fulfill these responsibilities, the homeless education liaison shall inform school personnel, service providers, and advocates of his/her duties and the provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act. Additionally, the liaison will work with school personnel to ensure that a homeless student's living arrangement is treated as a protected student record.
School Placement and Enrollment
Homeless students have the right to remain enrolled in their school of origin and receive transportation or immediately enroll in the school district where they are temporarily residing. According to the best interests of the homeless student, the district will:
Continue the student's education in the student's school of origin (the school the student attended when permanently housed or in which the student was last enrolled) while the student remains homeless or until the end of the academic year in which the student obtains permanent housing; or
Enroll the student in the public school assigned to the attendance area in which the student is actually living.
In determining the best interest of the student, the district will, to the extent feasible, keep a homeless student in the school of origin, except when doing so is contrary to the wishes of the child's parent or guardian. All attendance rights granted by district policies will be available to homeless families on the same terms as families residing in the district.
If there is an enrollment dispute, the student shall be immediately enrolled in the school in which enrollment is sought, pending resolution of the dispute. The parent or guardian shall be provided with a written explanation of the district's decision, if the district sends the student to a school other than the school of origin, or a school requested by the parent or guardian. The district also will provide a written statement of the appeal rights of the parent, guardian, or student. The district's liaison will carry out dispute resolution as provided by state requirements.
In the case of an unaccompanied youth, the district will assist in any placement or enrollment decision, consider the views of the unaccompanied youth, and provide the youth notice of the right to appeal the decision. The unaccompanied youth will be immediately enrolled in school pending resolution of the dispute.
Once the enrollment decision is made, the school shall immediately enroll the homeless student, pursuant to district policies, even if the student is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment. The district or enrolling school shall immediately contact the school last attended by the student to obtain relevant academic or other records. Emergency contact information is required at the time of enrollment consistent with district policies.
If the student needs to obtain immunizations, or immunization or medical records, the District liaison shall assist in obtaining necessary immunizations, or immunizations or medical records. Students and families should be encouraged to obtain current immunization records or immunizations as soon as possible.
For homeless students who meet the relevant eligibility criteria, Northbridge Public Schools will remove barriers to accessing academic and extracurricular activities, summer school, career and technical education, advanced placement, and on-line learning.
Transportation
Northbridge Public Schools will ensure that 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.
Furthermore, if the homeless student moves to an area served by another district, though continuing his or her education at the school of origin, Northbridge Public Schools and the district in which the student resides must agree upon a method to apportion responsibility and costs for transportation to the school of origin; and if the districts cannot agree upon such a method, the responsibility and costs must be shared equally.
In addition, the transportation agreement must meet Massachusetts state law and are comparable to those received by other students. Each school district’s homeless education liaison must ensure that the parent or guardian of a homeless student, and any unaccompanied homeless youth, is fully informed, in the language of the home, of all transportation services, including transportation to the school of origin, and is assisted in accessing transportation to the school selected.
Students who have been homeless during the school year and become permanently housed have the right to remain enrolled in their school of origin with transportation if needed through the end of the school year (June).
Helpful Links
Massachusetts Office for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
Department of Transitional Assistance
Massachusetts Department of Children and Families
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
National Center for Homeless Education