Transporting Homeless Students

1. Transporting Homeless Students Lorraine Husum Allen, Director Homeless Education Program, Florida Department of Education Florida Pupil Transportation Services Directors Meeting February 7, 2013 Tallahassee, Florida

2. Today’s Session • McKinney-Vento Act - Overview of LEA’s Transportation Requirements • Homeless Student Data • Transporting Homeless Students • Transportation Provisions • Charter Schools and Transportation • Policy, Procedures, Practices • Inter-district Transportation • Strategies 2

3. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Protects the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness • Federal law • First enacted in 1987 • Reauthorized in 2001 as a part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. 3

4. Who is covered under McKinney-Vento? 4

5. Who is covered under McKinney-Vento? All students who lack a nighttime residence that is: 5

6. Helpful Definitions • FIXED: A fixed residence is one that is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change. • REGULAR: A regular residence is one which is used on a predictable or routine basis. • ADEQUATE: An adequate residence is one that is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments. These definitions come from the National Center for Homeless Education in their publication: Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services Under the McKinney-Vento Act. 6

7. Examples of Temporary Housing in the McKinney-Vento Act • Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship or other similar reason; doubled up • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Abandoned in hospitals (M-V Section 725) 7

8. Examples of Temporary Housing in the McKinney-Vento Act • Awaiting foster care placement • Living a in public or private place not designed for sleeping • Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, etc. • Migratory living in circumstances described above (M-V Section 725) 8

9. Reporting Counts of Homeless Students in Florida’s Public Schools

10. How many Florida students were identified as homeless in our schools during 2011-2012? As many as 63,685 Florida students were identified as homeless in our schools Source: 2011-2012 Final Survey 5 Homeless Counts as of 10-05-12, FDOE

11. 2011-2012Florida DOE Data 63,685 homeless students were identified in Florida public schools. (12% increase from 2010-2011) 6,798 (11%)of those identified were “Unaccompanied Youth.” 47,191 (74%) were reported as sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason; doubled-up. (13% increase from 2010-2011) All (67) school districts reported homeless students in their schools. Source: 2011-2012 Final Survey 5 Homeless Counts as of 10-05-12, FDOE

12. Source: 2011-2012 Final Survey 5 Homeless Counts as of 10-05-12, FDOE

13. Source: 2011-2012 Final Survey 5 Homeless Counts as of 10-05-12, FDOE

14. 14 Source: 2011-2012 Final Survey 5 Homeless Counts as of 10-05-12, FDOE

15. Florida Homeless Education Trend Data2006-2007 through 2011-2012

16. Source: Final Survey 5 Homeless Counts 2011-12 as of 10-05-12, and Final Survey % Homeless Counts 2010-2011, 2009-2010, 2008-2009, 2007-2008, FDOE

17. 17 Source: Final Survey 5 Homeless Counts 2011-12 as of 10-05-12, and Final Survey % Homeless Counts 2010-2011, 2009-2010, 2008-2009, 2007-2008, FDOE

18. What Rights Does McKinney-Vento Provide? 18

19. School Selection “School selection” means choosing a school district and choosing a school building. Options include: • School attended when the student was last permanently housed. • School where the student last attended. • School located in the attendance zone where the student is temporarily residing or any other school that permanently housed students who live in the same attendance zone may attend. (M-V Section 722(g)(3)(A)) 19

20. School Stability—Key Provisions • Can always also choose the local school (any school others living in the same area are eligible to attend). • Best interest—keep homeless students in their schools of origin, to the extent “feasible”, unless this is against the parents’ or guardians’ wishes.

21. Who Decides Where a Student Goes to School? Decision Makers: • Parent • Legal Guardian • Youth, together with the homeless liaison, if the youth is unaccompanied Liaisons should encourage parents to keep their children in the school of origin ONLY if it’s in their best interest. 21

22. Feasibility—USDE Sample Criteria A child-centered, individualized determination Time remaining in the school year Continuity of instruction Impact of commute on education Age of the child or youth Student’s need for special instructional programs Safety of the child or youth School placement of siblings Likely length of stay in temporary housing Likely area where family will find permanent housing

23. Transportation—Key Provision #1School of Origin LEAs must provide transportation to and from homeless students’ school of origin at a parent’s or guardian’s request (or at the liaison’s request for unaccompanied youth) If crossing district lines, districts must determine how to divide the responsibility and share the cost, or they must share the cost equally. 23 NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org

24. LEAs also must provide students in homeless situations with transportation services comparable to those provided to other students. LEAs must eliminate barriers to the school enrollment and retention of students experiencing homelessness (including transportation barriers). Transportation—Key Provision #2Comparable Services NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org

25. District Transportation Policy Procedures Practices

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27. Notifying Transportation Department • Use e-mail to request transportation • Use form and send/fax to Transportation Department • Have automated the request system

29. Sample Inter-District Transportation Agreement

30. Transportation Resources Inter-District Agreements District-Parent Agreements School District Transportation Brochures for Parents http://center.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_transport.php

31. Transportation of Homeless Students - Charter Schools • Ultimately LEA’s Responsibility, if charter schools are public schools within the LEA • Whether the LEA does or does not transport non-homeless students to a charter school is not a factor in the LEA’s requirements under McKinney-Vento to transport homeless students if it is their school of origin [Section 722(g)(1)(J)(iii)(I)].

32. Transportation of Homeless Students - Charter Schools • Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice’s Technical Assistance Paper on Transportation of Homeless Students • http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/Charter_schools/files/Homeless_Student_Transportation_TAP.pdf

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34. Implementation Challenges Lack of Funding Capacity/Staffing: For McKinney-Vento and Transportation Departments Logistical Puzzles: Coordinating Across District and/or State Lines Young Children: Capacity and Safety Children with Special Needs Extracurricular Activities, Summer School, After-school Programs Parental Involvement Activities

35. Transportation Strategies • Develop close ties among local liaisons, school staff, pupil transportation staff, and shelter workers • Use school buses (including special education, magnet school, and other buses) • Re-route, extend, and create transfer points on current bus routes • Divide a district into quadrants and then organize within those quadrants to accommodate for homeless children

36. Transportation Strategies • Create an online database where all requests can be entered • Designate a transportation specialist to determine the best transportation method for each student • Have bus drivers contact the appropriate homeless liaison/social worker when a problem arises • Match teachers, who live in one district but work in another, with students (get approval and teachers’ and school insurance).

37. Contract with a community member to transport young children (get approval and insurance) Develop formal or informal agreements with school districts where homeless children cross district lines Develop parent transportation agreements Use public transit where feasible Use approved carpools, van, or taxi services Use companies that provide transportation for students with special needs Reimburse parents and youth for gas or provide them with gas cards Transportation Strategies

38. “I may be Homeless, but I am not Hopeless.” --Florida Le Tendre Scholarship Recipient

39. Florida Department of Education Homeless Education Program Contact Information Lorraine Husum Allen, Director 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399Phone: (850) 245-0668 Fax: (850) 245-0697 Lorraine.Allen@fldoe.org Bureau of Federal Educational Programs http://www.fldoe.org/bsa/title1/titlex.asp

40. Special Thanks! The New York State–Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students (NYS-TEACHS)and the National Center for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth For their generous sharing of slides for this presentation 40