National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference

1. Education Services for Homeless Children and Youth National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference July 19, 2006 Joy Moses Children & Youth Staff Attorney National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty 1411 K Street, NW, Suite 1400, Washington DC 20005 Phone: 202-638-2535 E-Mail: jmoses@nlchp.org Web: www.nlchp.org

2. Education Services for Homeless Children And Youth Outline • Challenges Associated with Child Homelessness • Federal Programs That Address Challenges • McKinney-Vento, School Meals, Special Education, Title I • Strategies Designed to Help • Helpful Resources

3. General Challenges Associated With Child Homelessness • Poor Health • More like to suffer from illnesses such as asthma, ear infections, fevers, and stomach problems • Poor Nutrition/Hunger • Suffer from hunger more than twice as often as non-homeless children • Fatigue • Often loose sleep due to crowded living conditions and stress • Stress/Trauma • Loss of the familiar (housing, friends, etc.) and constant worries about whether they will have a place to stay • Higher likelihood of witnessing violence, including domestic violence

4. School-Related Challenges • Frequent school transfers as a result of frequent residential moves • Enrollment requirements (residency, school records, immunizations, legal guardianship) • Lack of access to programs • Lack of transportation • Lack of school supplies, clothing, etc.

5. More Problems Related to Frequent School Transfers Students suffer academically, psychologically, and socially from school mobility: • It takes children 4-6 months to academically recover from each school transfer. • Students who switch schools frequently score lower on standardized tests (study found mobile students scored 20 points lower than non-mobile students). • Stress associated with making new friends and adjusting to new environments: • less likely to participate in extracurricular activities • more likely to act out or get into trouble

6. Federal Programs That Address Challenges of Child Homelessness • McKinney-Vento • Child Nutrition/Free School Meals • Special Education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) • Title I

7. McKinney-Vento—Who Qualifies Children who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence— • Sharing the housing of others due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to a lack of alternative accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Awaiting foster care placement • Living in a public or private place not designed for sleeping • Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, etc

8. McKinney-Vento—Highlights • Dedicated Education Personnel • Promotes School Stability • Simplifies Enrollment • Appropriate Support Services • Dispute Resolution

9. McKinney-Vento—Dedicated Personnel • State Coordinator of Homeless Education—each state has a coordinator of state-level activities that include ensuring school district compliance, collecting data on educational barriers, and providing trainings and technical assistance. • Local Homeless Liaison—each school district must appoint a liaison to ensure identification, enrollment, access to services, and resolution of disputes.

10. McKinney-Vento and School Stability • Allows students to maintain “schools of origin”—schools attended when permanently housed or in which last enrolled. • Students can remain in a school of origin the entire time they are homeless, and until the end of any academic year in which they move into permanent housing. • Best interest—keep students who are homeless in their school of origin, to the extent feasible, unless against the parents’ or guardians’ wishes. • LEAs must provide homeless students with transportation to and from their schools of origin.

11. McKinney-Vento and New School Enrollments • Homeless children and youth have the right to enroll in school immediately, even if they do not have required documents (e.g., school records, medical records, proof of residency, or other documents). • “Enroll” means attending classes/participating in activities. • Enrolling schools must obtain school records from the previous school; and students must be enrolled in school while records are obtained. • Districts (liaisons) must assist the family in obtaining immunizations, immunization records, or medical records. In the meantime, the student must be enrolled and attending classes.

12. McKinney-Vento—Appropriate Support Services • Equal Access to Mainstream Services • Homeless students must have equal access to school services, including nutrition programs, special education, Title I, ELL, gifted and talented, etc. • Specialized Homeless Program Services • School district homeless programs often offer special services such as tutoring, mentoring, or free backpacks and school supplies.

13. McKinney-Vento—Dispute Resolution • Every state must establish dispute resolution procedures. • When a dispute over enrollment arises, the student must be immediately admitted to the school of choice while the dispute is being resolved. • The parent, guardian, or youth must be provided with a written explanation of the school’s decision, including the right to appeal. • Liaisons must carry out the process as expeditiously as possible.

14. Child Nutrition Program—Free School Meals • Homeless students are automatically eligible for free school lunches—they are excused from the application process. • USDA has limited the documentation requirement to the student’s name, effective date to receive meals, and the signature of a homeless liaison or service provider.

15. Special Education • The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) enables students with disabilities to receive special education services (e.g. speech therapy, psychological counseling) that cater to their individual needs. • This legislation is vital to homeless students who are at higher risk for developmental delays, speech problems, and learning disabilities. • IDEA includes provisions that account for children who are highly mobile, decreasing the likelihood that school transfers will result in delays in the provision of necessary services.

16. Title I of No Child Left Behind • Largest federal program designed to promote academic achievement amongst low income students. • Homeless students are automatically eligible for the program—must receive services even if they are not attending schools that receive Title I dollars. • Title I can provide academic supports such as reading assistance, tutoring, etc.

17. An Important Alternative—Permanent Housing McKinney-Vento and other education programs can help address child homelessness concerns—permanent housing is the best way to eliminate challenges and reduce need for support services. Good goals include: • Preventing the loss of housing • Employing Housing First Strategies When Appropriate

18. Strategies to Help Students With Education Needs • Develop relationships with school district homeless liaisons—share ideas about student needs and appropriate programming; refer families to liaisons for education assistance. • Develop relationships with education advocates—e.g. local legal service providers, special education parent information centers. • Provide rights information in shelters and other places frequented by homeless families—e.g. posters, fact sheets, booklets provided by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Homeless Education, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

19. Strategies to Help Students With Education Needs • Reevaluate shelter and other homeless program policies that hinder school stability or the ability to remain in school of origin. • Provide quiet places for students to study. • Work with school districts and community groups to provide tutoring and academic supports in shelters and other appropriate locations. • Encourage families to maintain school stability when they exit programs—provide rights information.

20. Helpful Resources • National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP) 202-638-2535 http://www.nlchp.org • National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) 202-364-7392 http://www.naehcy.org • National Center for Homeless Education 1-800-308-2145 http://www.serve.org/nche • National Network for Youth 202-783-7949 http://www.nn4youth.org

21. Helpful Resources, ctd. NAEHCY 18th Annual ConferenceLittle Rock, ArkansasNovember 11-14, 2006www.naehcy.org

22. In Their Own Words . . . “…Through it all, school is probably the only thing that has kept me going. I know that every day that I walk in those doors, I can stop thinking about my problems for the next six hours and concentrate on what is most important to me. Without the support of my school system, I would not be as well off as I am today. School keeps me motivated to move on, and encourages me to find a better life for myself.” Carrie Arnold, LeTendre Scholar, 2002