Resources

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

In Muscogee County School District, we focus on the philosophy that “Schools Can’t Do It Alone." Collaboration and coordination between schools and community partners will improve the identification and recruiting of children experiencing homelessness while increasing the potential for expanding services to families and cross-training key stakeholders. Partners will complete surveys and environmental scans to create a comprehensive local collaborative to increase awareness and identify the needs of our students and families in transition. The McKinney-Vento staff will continue to focus on building fundamental partnerships and relationships with community leaders, school personnel, and policymakers with resources to provide to students in transition. We currently have operational partnerships with local community agencies that provide direct services to our students and parents in the McKinney-Vento program. Our goal is to increase awareness of McKinney-Vento by expanding our partnerships with local agencies that will provide immediate wrap-around services to our McKinney-Vento students and families. We aim to collaborate on city-wide projects and conduct Awareness and Sensitivity Training with these agencies to develop new outreach programs that directly impact our McKinney-Vento students and families.

MCSD Needs Assessment Process

Success and Beyond is a district-wide initiative and outreach program to identify, enroll, and assure quality education and college/career readiness for all students experiencing homelessness. Homelessness presents an array of needs; therefore, our needs assessment process is ongoing and designed to be both qualitative and quantitative. MCSD uses a multi-tiered approach to assessing and addressing the needs of McKinney-Vento students and families. The multi-tiered needs assessment process includes the following measures: 

Student Residency Questionnaire (SRQ)

The SRQ is designed to collect formative data to identify families and youth with living arrangements defined as homeless according to federal guidelines. In August and January of each school year, the SRQ is sent to 32,828 students in pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools and programs in MCSD to be disseminated to parents. For organizational purposes, the forms are color-coded to denote the school level. Prior to 2013, school administrators were asked to input their school’s data based on the SRQ into our student information systems (Infinite Campus). M-V staff found that the data was not always accurate, which often caused a service delay. To overcome this issue, administrators must now send all forms to the M-V department for review. School administrators are given a deadline to return all completed forms. The M-V and temporary staff members cross-reference over 33,000 forms with school rosters and call the building-level administrator when forms are omitted or are not returned by the designated deadline. This new procedure successfully ensured that all forms were returned and processed in a timely manner to ensure that M-V staff members judiciously met family needs. Because families living situations could change throughout the school year, SRQs are disseminated to 56 schools again in January to identify the needs of our families in transition.

Services and Activities Form (SAF)

The SAF, qualitative and quantitative in design, serves as a tool to be utilized by Homeless Children and Youth, HCY, unaccompanied youth, parents, school district personnel, and community agencies in an effort to identify, assess, and address the needs of families and students in transition. The SAF is a succinct formative and summative document that initiates an open dialogue with M-V staff members and parents concerning the student and family's needs. This document houses questions about demographics, prior school enrollments, transportation needs, before/after school programs, special education/gifted needs, and specific needs to eliminate educational barriers in an effort to meet the needs of the total child, the SRQ and SAF function as standard tools for developing and monitoring policy and procedures, data collection, and planning quality personal/social, academic, and career programs for students and families in transition.

In addition to this needs assessment process, M-V Staff members conduct ongoing community and system-wide training on the M-V Homeless Act and SRQ/SAF processes with Parents, Teachers, Building-level Administrators, School Social Workers, School Counselors, Graduation Coaches, Title 1 personnel, Bus Drivers, Transportation Supervisors, Food Nutrition Staff, ESOL, educational screenings, Teaching and Learning, Paraprofessionals, Custodial Staff, Parent Coordinators, Central Registration, School Nurses and Clinicians, and Program for Exceptional Students. Central Registration staff members are also trained on legal requirements for immediate enrollment.

Data Digs and Early Warning System

To accurately assess and address the needs of our McKinney-Vento students and families, data obtained from the SRQs, SAFs, and Student Attendance Protocol Meetings is used by the M-V staff to complete Data Digs twice a year. The MCSD Information Technology department works closely with the Staff to develop Infinite Campus (student information system) reports. The Early Warning System was developed to summarize demographics, attendance data, out-of-school suspensions, standardized testing results, and academic performance. This software alerts school personnel when a student misses five or more days, receives a discipline referral, does not meet standards on standardized testing, or makes 69 or below fails a course by highlighting the area of concern green, yellow, or red. This information allows the M-V staff to initiate systemic approaches to addressing the needs of students in transition by creating relevant programs, tutoring options and supplies, and credit and attendance recovery opportunities.

Dr. Trikella L. Nelson 

LPC, NCC, PSC, YMHFA

Director of Guidance and Counseling Services

Homeless Liaison

706-748-2226 

Ms. Kimerly D. Brown 

Outreach Specialist

706-748-2276

Ms. Monique Roberts 

Case Worker

706-748-3226

Mrs. Mashaundra (Pearl) Steele 

McKinney-Vento Technical Assistant

706-748-2372

For Students (Grades 6-12)

Understanding Suicide:

• What is Suicide?

  • Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's death. It's a serious issue that affects people of all ages.

• Recognizing Warning Signs:

  • Talking about wanting to die or hurt oneself.

  • Feeling hopeless or having no purpose.

  • Feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.

  • Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.

  • Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities.

  • Displaying extreme mood swings.

What You Can Do:

• Talk to Someone:

  • If you're feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a trusted adult, like a teacher, school counselor, or family member.

• Be a Friend:

  • If you notice a friend exhibiting warning signs, encourage them to talk to an adult and let them know you're there for them.

Resources for Help:

• School Counselor: Visit your school counselor's office for support and guidance.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (available 24/7)

Creating a Safe Environment:

• Promote Mental Health Awareness:

  • Include mental health education in your curriculum and promote a supportive school environment.

• Recognize Warning Signs:

  • Be alert to changes in student behavior and mood. Know the signs of suicidal ideation.

How to Respond:

• Immediate Action:

  • If a student expresses suicidal thoughts or behaviors, take immediate action. Contact the school counselor or administration and ensure the student is not left alone.

• Follow-Up:

  • Provide ongoing support to the student. Work with the school counselor and parents to create a safety plan.

Training and Resources:

• QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training:

  • Participate in training sessions to learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, offer hope, and get help.

• Resources:

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

  • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

General Resources and Hotlines

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (available 24/7)

• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 (available 24/7)

• Local Mental Health Services: Ellie Mental Health, Rivertown Counseling, Pastoral Institute

• Emergency Services: Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger

Understanding Mandated Reporting:

• What is Mandated Reporting?

  • Mandated reporting is a legal requirement for certain professionals to report any suspicion of child abuse or neglect to authorities.

• Who are Mandated Reporters?

  • Teachers, school counselors, doctors, nurses, social workers, and other professionals who work with children.

Why is it Important?

• Protection and Safety:

  • The goal is to protect children from harm and ensure their safety and well-being.

• How it Helps:

  • Reporting suspected abuse can prevent further harm and connect children and families with necessary support and services.

What You Should Know:

• If You’re in Danger:

  • If you or a friend are being hurt, talk to a trusted adult like a teacher or school counselor. They can help you get the support you need.

• Confidentiality:

  • Reports are confidential, meaning the information is kept private and only shared with those who need to know to help keep you safe.

Understanding Your Role:

• What is Mandated Reporting?

  • It’s a legal obligation for certain professionals to report any signs of child abuse or neglect to child protective services or law enforcement.

Recognizing Signs of Abuse or Neglect:

• Physical Abuse:

  • Unexplained bruises, burns, or injuries.

• Emotional Abuse:

  • Extreme behaviors such as aggression or withdrawal.

• Neglect:

  • Lack of basic needs being met (e.g., food, clothing, medical care).

How to Respond:

• Supporting Your Child:

  • If your child discloses abuse or neglect, listen calmly, reassure them they did the right thing by telling you, and report it to the authorities.

• Reporting Process:

  • Contact your local child protective services or law enforcement to make a report. You can remain anonymous if you choose.

Resources:

• Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS): (404) 657-3459

• National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453

Emergency and Crisis Resources

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out to the following resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

• Local Emergency Services: 911

TEACHERS PLEASE FOLLOW THE RMSOTA CRISIS PROTOCOL