An Orientation to

1. An Orientation to McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Fall 2014

2. Agenda • Introductions & Ground Rules • McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance • The Law • Who’s Homeless • Educational Rights of Homeless Children and Youth • Role of the Homeless Liaison Break • Homelessness in Massachusetts • Best Practices • Hot topics • Questions Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

3. McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, 2002 • Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance • No Child Left Behind • So why do we even have this law? • Homelessness is a journey - not an overnight event – that has enormous impact on children. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

4. Why McKinney-Vento? • Homelessness effects • Whole family, • Attendance, • The ability to focus and learn, • Educational gaps due to high mobility, and • Behavior. • Homelessness is often accompanied with • Food insecurity • Lack of medical, dental, and mental health services • Loss of connection to family, friends, community Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. The Law • Definition, Who is Homeless? • Educational Rights of Students Who are Homeless • School Selection & Enrollment • Transportation • Nutrition • Equal Access & Comparable Services • Title I • See ESE Homeless Education Advisories on webpage • Role of the Homeless Liaison Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

6. Definition: Who is Homeless? Anyone who lacks fixed regular and adequate nighttime residence. • This includes: • Shelters and motels • On the street: cars, parks, … • Doubling up due to Economic hardship, loss of housing or similar reason • Unaccompanied youth • Awaiting foster care Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

7. Homeless? Case Study • Mary arrives at the Parent Information Center to enroll her second grader. She explains that she has just arrived in town and is living with her mother. She cannot prove residency and is unwilling to show you a lease. • Is she housed? Or homeless? Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

8. Educational Rights of Students Who are Homeless • School Selection & Enrollment • School of Origin • School/District last attended • School attended when student became homeless • Immediate Enrollment Locally • With or Without Documentation • Unaccompanied Youth Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

9. Educational Rights of Students Who are Homeless • Student Records • Transportation • Shared Responsibility • Special Education • Nutrition • Free Lunch and Breakfast • Paperwork • Food Insecurity Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

10. Educational Rights of Students Who are Homeless • Equal Access & Comparable Services • School Courses, Events, Activities • Student Support Services • Preschool • Charter Schools, Vocational Schools, school choice • Title I • School-wide & Targeted Programs • Addressing the unique needs of homeless students Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

11. The Role of the Homeless Education Liaison • Identification • Building Awareness is Key • Professional Development and Training • School committee • Transportation • Communicating with your counterparts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. The Role of the Homeless Education Liaison • Facilitate Enrollment & Dispute Resolution Process • Ensure Equal Access & Comparable Services • Referral to Outside Services Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

13. The Role of the Homeless Education Liaison • Data Collection • Tracking for internal purposes • Support services • Transportation reimbursement • Annual ESE data collection • Students that are enrolled with you • Enter - do not delete Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. The Role of the Homeless Education Liaison • ESE contact • Current list of homeless liaisons on the ESE website. • Monitoring and Compliance Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

15. Journey Through Homelessness Case Study • Tommy, a first grader, has made several trips to the school nurse’s office in the past month with vague complaints of not feeling good. Mom recently mentioned that her work hours were cut and the family is struggling. Today Tommy fell asleep in the nurse’s office saying they can’t sleep at home anymore. • What is going on? Could she be homeless? • What can the nurse do? What can you do? Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

16. Homelessness in Massachusetts • 2013/14 School Year By the Numbers • Shelters 4,125 • Motels 3,653 • Doubled up 6,813 • Unaccompanied 894 • Unsheltered 104 • Awaiting Foster Care 2,006 • Total 17,595 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

17. Homelessness in Massachusetts • State Shelter system • Family Shelters • Motels • Unaccompanied Youth & Adult Shelters • Moving out of Shelter & Signing a Lease • Enrollment Verification Letter • Doubling up • Living with friends or relatives due to economic hardship, loss of housing and similar reason Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. Homelessness in Massachusetts • Summer Campgrounds & Winter Rentals • Couch surfing & unaccompanied youth • Department of Children and Families • STARR • TCU • Temporary foster care and foster care Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. Best Practices • Policy • Template at MASC.org • ESE summary page • Sample District Policies • Enrollment • Do your enrollment forms cite McKinney-Vento or families in transition? • Identification, the key is training. • Who: enrollment staff, guidance, principals, nurses • DVDs • Awareness building: school committee, community Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

20. Best Practices • Student Support Services • Collaboration with Title 1, sped, ELL, … • 21st Century, Afterschool/Out of School,… • Community Based Services and Outreach • Medical, mental, and dental health • Food Pantries & Clothing Banks • Local transportation • Local housing advocates • Local enrichment opportunities • Public Libraries • Municipal Parks and Recreation • YM/WCAs, Boys and Girls, Out of School Time Providers Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

21. Looking for more information? • National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth naehcy.org/ • National Center for Homeless Education NCHE, serve.org • National Runaway Safeline 1800runaway.org • Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless mahomeless.org • MHSA Young Adult Resource Guide MHSA.net, click on Resources Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

22. Is your contact information up to date? • Your District’s Contact • Verify your contact information on the ESE website Including name, email, phone and extension; • Update is done by the District’s Directory Administrator – not by ESE; • Parents, providers and other state agencies reference this list; and • This is how we reach you. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

23. We are Glad to Help… Office for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth • Website http://www.doe.mass.edu/mv/ • homelessed@doe.mass.edu • 781-338-6315 • Sarah Slautterback, State Coordinator 781-338-6330 sslautterback@doe.mass.edu • Elizabeth Harris, Student Support 781-338-6310 eharris@doe.mass.edu Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education