The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act 2009 Liaison Spring Training

1. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act2009 Liaison Spring Training Tennessee Department of Education April, 2009 Karen P Munn, Homeless Project Director – TDOE Christina Dukes, Program Specialist – NCHE

2. Topics for Discussion • Tennessee Data & Stimulus Funds • Identifying Students • Immunization Report • Title IA Set-Aside • Local Liaison Responsibilities • Updates

3. The Definition • Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including • Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Abandoned in hospitals • Awaiting foster care placement

4. The Definition (cont) • Have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings • Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings • Migratory children living in the circumstances described above • Unaccompanied youth living in the circumstances described above

5. Unaccompanied Youth • The McKinney-Vento defines unaccompanied youth as a youth “not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian” • The youth’s living arrangement must meet the Act’s definition of homeless to be eligible for M-V services • There is no lower age limit for unaccompanied youth; the upper age limit (as with all McKinney-Vento eligible students) is your state’s upper age limit for public education; usually 21, sometimes older for special education • A youth can be eligible regardless of whether he/she was asked to leave the home or chose to leave; remember that sometimes there is “more than meets the eye” for youth’s home life situations

6. Unaccompanied Youth (cont) • Reporting and consent laws are generally state-specific • Reporting • Schools are mandatory reporters of suspected abuse • Running away is not a status offense in TN; schools are not required to report runaways

7. Unaccompanied Youth (cont) • Medical consent • Emancipated/married minors can generally consent as an adult (check state details) • Emergency medical care generally can be given without parental consent • Non-emergency services • Contraceptive care: Youth can consent • Pregnancy-related care: Youth can consent • Abortion: Youth can not consent (judicial bypass and an emergency exception) • STD care: Youth can consent • Substance abuse care: Youth can consent • Mental health care: Youth age 16 or older with a serious emotional disturbance or mental illness can consent

8. Latest Tennessee Data CREP 07-08 141 LEAs in Tennessee (including 4 special schools) 94 LEAs Reported 9,069 Students 47 LEAs Reported 0 Students

9. Homeless Education and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act • Education for Homeless Children and Youth will receive a total of $70 million • Tennessee will receive $1,011,156 • The TN allocation averages approximately $111.50 per student (identified in 2007-2008) • Funds will be distributed to LEAs by formula on a per pupil basis

10. McKinney-Vento ARRA Stimulus Funds • McKinney-Vento stimulus funds for the 2009-2010 Consolidated Application is based on the number of homeless students reported for 2007-2008 CREP (Center for Research in Educational Policy) Report data for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. • 15 LEAs receive McKinney-Vento subgrants • Additional ARRA funding will not affect current McKinney-Vento subgrants

11. McKinney-Vento ARRA Stimulus Funds (cont) • Title IA Stimulus funds homeless set-aside • 126 LEAs in TN without McKinney-Vento subgrants

12. Allowable Activities for ARRA Homeless Education Funds • LEAs may use McKinney-Vento stimulus funds for the 16 activities authorized under the McKinney-Vento Act (same approved usages as regular subgrants) • See pages 14-15 at www.serve.org/nche/downloads/mv_full_text.pdf

13. Allowable Activities for ARRA Homeless Education Funds (cont) • Examples of allowable activities • Provision of tutoring and supplemental educational services • Providing professional development for educators about homeless education issues • Paying the excess cost of transportation to the school of origin • Providing early childhood education services • Providing services to attract, engage, and retain homeless students, including unaccompanied youth, in public school • Paying costs associated with tracking, obtaining, and transferring records • Providing emergency assistance to enable school attendance

14. Timeline for the McKinney-Vento Stimulus/ARRA funds • All LEAs will have 27 months to expend the funds; July 1, 2009 – September 30, 2011 • If funds are not expended by September 30, 2011, the LEA will be asked to release the funds

15. Responsibilities of Subgrantees • The project will be operated in compliance with Title X, Part C, of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1990, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and in accordance with the statutes, regulations, policies, and other administrative rules promulgated by and required of the Tennessee Department of Education. • The LEA will keep such records and provide such information to the SEA as may be required for fiscal audit and program evaluation. • The LEA will use funds received under the grant to supplement, not supplant, funds used before the award of the grant for purposes of providing services to homeless children and youth. • The LEA will use fiscal control and funds accounting procedures that will ensure proper disbursement of; and accounting for, federal funds paid to that agency under this program and will observe all applicable grant requirements.

16. Responsibilities of Subgrantees (cont) • The LEA will prepare and submit to the Tennessee Department of Education reports and data as might be required. • The LEA will designate a homeless liaison to ensure that homeless children and youth enroll and succeed in school; and homeless families, children, and youth receive educational services for which such families, children, and youth are eligible, including Head Start and Even Start programs and preschool programs administered by the local education agency, and referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health services, and other appropriate services. • Each LEA shall adopt policies and practices to ensure that transportation is provided, at the request of the parent or guardian (or in the case of an unaccompanied youth, at the request of the liaison), to and from the school of origin. • Each LEA shall review and revise any policies that may act as barriers to the enrollment of homeless children and youth in school.

17. Responsibilities of Subgrantees (cont) • Each LEA shall provide the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) with a description of policies and procedures consistent with section 722 (e) (3), and will ensure that activities will not isolate or stigmatize homeless children and youth. • Each LEA will coordinate with state and local housing agencies responsible for developing the comprehensive housing affordability strategy described in section lO~ of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to minimize educational disruption for children who become homeless. • The LEA will use these funds to come into compliance with paragraphs (3) through (7) of section 722(g) of the McKinney-Vento Act. • The LEA will comply with maintenance of effort requirements.

18. Identification and Enrollment Step 1 – Student Identification Ensure that school personnel know how to identify and refer students to the Homeless Education Liaison by using a referral flag on the Student Enrollment Form Step 2 – Gather Information Input data in the Student Management System (i.e. SASI, Oran, Chancery, STAR, etc. ) Student Name TOS – (Type of Service ex. Home School, Primary Service at one school, but registered at another school.) State Id Grade Level Date of Birth Enrollment/Withdrawal Date Ethnicity and Gender Classification – (Homeless, ELL, etc.) Step 3 – Disseminate Information Display posters Collaborate with CBO

19. Identification and Enrollment (cont) • Update your student residency form If you selected “None of these apply”, you do not need to answer Question 2; if you selected any other option, please answer Question 2.

20. Identification and Enrollment (cont) • Update your student residency form (cont)

21. Gathering Student Data Input data in the Student Management System (i.e. SASI, Oran, Chancery, STAR, etc.) Student Name TOS State Id Grade Level Date of Birth Enrollment/Withdrawal Date Ethnicity and Gender Classification

22. Order online at no cost or download from NCHE at www.serve.org/nche/products.php; available in English and Spanish

23. NCHE The National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE creates and distributes a number of valuable and informative resources dealing with the issue of the education of homeless children and youth. • Products page: www.serve.org/nche/products.php • Information by topic: www.serve.org/nche/ibt/ibt.php • Online Forum: www.serve.org/nche/forum/forum.php • Best Practices and Model Programs: www.serve.org/nche/best/best.php • Disaster Planning and Response: http://www.serve.org/nche/dis/dis.php

24. 2008-09 Immunization Report Tennessee Code Annotated – Section 49-6-5001 as amended April 12, 2007 requires the commissioner of education to report annually the number of homeless children who enrolled in public schools without immunization records. – Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 50 List each school name with the number of homeless children without immunization or proof of immunization who were enrolled during the 2008-09 school year. Time period – July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009 Due: Monday, July 13, 2009

25. 2008-09 Immunization Report

26. The Title IA Set-Aside • Title IA of the No Child Left Behind Act requires districts to set aside Title IA funds to be used to serve homeless students; these funds can be used: • To support homeless students not attending a Title IA school • To provide services to homeless students that are not ordinarily provided to other Title I students and that are not available from other sources, according to the need of the homeless student

27. The Title IA Set-Aside (cont) • Federal law does not give any set method for determining the set-aside; some suggested methods include: • Project for next year based on this year’s numbers and any anticipated new needs or change in the homeless population • Multiply the # of homeless students by the Title IA per pupil allocation • Reserve a % of your Title IA funds based on your district’s poverty level

28. The Title IA Set-Aside (cont) • Neither Title I nor McKinney-Vento provides a specific list of approved usages of Title I set-aside funds, however the funds must be used to support the academic achievement of the child • Title IA set-aside dollars can not be used to transport a homeless student to the school of origin due to supplanting restrictions

29. The Title IA Set-Aside:Permissible Usages of Funds • Tutoring (including in shelters, motels, and other places where homeless students live) • School uniforms (if not available from other sources) • Transportation to participate in afterschool activities • Health, nutrition, and other social services, if not available from any other source (including basic medical equipment, such as eyeglasses and/or hearing aids)

30. The Title IA Set-Aside:Non-Permissible Usages of Funds • Transportation to/from the school of origin • Rent • Utilities • Clothing for parents

31. The Title IA Set-Aside:Guiding Questions for Usages of Funds • Is it already identified as a program component or need in the consolidated plan? • Is it an educationally-related need or support service? • Are there other district or community funding sources already set up to provide what is needed? • What is the cost in proportion to the overall program budget or per-pupil expenditure? • Is the expense critical to maintaining the student’s enrollment, attendance or success in school?

32. NAEHCY National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Annual Conference Denver, Colorado November 14 – 17, 2009 www.naehcy.org/conf/conf_2009.html

33. Access to Higher Education • NCHE higher education webpage: www.serve.org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php • New FAFSA provisions allow unaccompanied youth to apply for federal financial aid without a parental signature or consideration for parental income • Opportunities for ACT and SAT fee waivers • LeTendre Education Fund: scholarships for homeless or formerly homeless students

34. Questions or Comments?

35. Additional Resources TDOE Homeless Education webpage www.tennessee.gov/education/fedprog/fphomeless.shtml Karen P. Munn, Project DirectorHomeless Education & School RecognitionP 615-532-6309   F 615-253-5706 karen.munn@tn.gov Christina Dukes, Program SpecialistNational Center for Homeless Education at SERVE (NCHE)Toll-free helpline: (800) 308-2145 cdukes@serve.orgwww.serve.org/nche