Barriers to Education for Children & Youth in Homeless Situations

1. Barriers to Education for Children & Youth in Homeless Situations • High mobility • Enrollment requirements (school records, immunizations, proof of residence and guardianship) • Lack of transportation • Lack of access to programs • Lack of school supplies, clothing, etc. • Poor health, fatigue, hunger • Prejudice and misunderstanding

2. Eligibility—Who is Covered? • Children who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence— • Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Abandoned in hospitals

3. Eligibility— Who is Covered? (cont.) • Awaiting foster care placement • Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live • Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, etc. • Migratory children living in above circumstances

4. McKinney-Vento/Title X, Part C of NCLB • Reauthorized in 2002 as Title X, Part C of No Child Left Behind • Mandated that state and local educational agencies change policies and practices that create barriers to the access and success of homeless children and youth in public schools

5. McKinney Vento Overview • Main themes: • School stability • School access • Support for academic success • Child-centered, best interest decision making

6. Responsibilities for Districts Includes: • Ensuring access to school and appropriate services • Reducing school transfers and enhancing educational stability and continuity • Strengthening parental choice and involvement • Ensuring educational rights of unaccompanied youth • Ensuring access to public preschool programs for young children experiencing homelessness *Page 7-9 of your toolkit gives examples of activities that can support compliance

7. Educational Rights for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness • A homeless education liaison in every public school district • Right to immediate enrollment in school, without proof of residency, immunizations, school records, or other documents • Right to choose between the local school where they are living, the school they attended before they lost their housing, or the school where they were last enrolled

8. Educational Rights for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (Cont) • Right to transportation to their school of origin • Right to be free from harassment and isolation. Segregation based on a student’s status as homeless is strictly prohibited • Right to access to educational services for which they are eligible including: IDEA services, ESL, gifted and talented programs, vocational/ technical education, and school nutrition programs

9. Educational Rights for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (Cont.) • Right to be notified of their options and rights under McKinney-Vento. Liaisons must post rights of students experiencing homelessness in schools and other places in the community • Right to have disagreements with the school settled quickly