What is the McKinney-Vento Act?

2. What is the McKinney-Vento Act? • The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth.

3. Who Qualifies As McKinney-Vento? • Children or youth who lack a FIXED, REGULAR , and ADEQUATE nighttime residence, including: • Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason (“doubling up”) • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of adequate alternative accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Abandoned in hospitals

4. (continued) • Living in a public or private place NOT designed for humans to live • Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or a similar setting • Migratory children living in the above circumstances • Unaccompanied youth living in the above circumstances

5. So what Does Fixed, Regular and Adequate Mean? • Fixed • Stationary, permanent, not subject to change • Regular • Used on a predictable, routine, consistent basis • Consider the relative permanence • Adequate • Lawfully & reasonably sufficient • Sufficient for meeting physical & psychological needs typically met in a home environment

6. Overall…. Can the student go to the SAME PLACE (Fixed) EVERY NIGHT (Regular) to sleep in a SAFE & SUFFICIENT SPACE (Adequate)? So… How doES FFSD evaluate if a family/student is McKinney-Vento?

7. Substandard Housing Considerations include: • Accessibility of utilities • Infestations of vermin or mold • Working condition of kitchen or bathrooms • Presence of dangerous living conditions due to structural issues • Building or housing code violations or requirements

8. Economic Hardship This is a result of when limited financial resources forced the student to leave home and share housing due to an inability to pay rent/mortgage and other household bills. Clarifying question that is often asked, but NOT required to be answered… Did an accident, illness, loss of employment, loss of public benefits, or a similar reason force the family or youth to share housing of others temporarily?

9. Sharing Housing of Others (Doubled Up) Due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason • Involves a crisis of some type; is not mutually beneficial or planned housing • Intended to be short-term • Typically the family has no legal right to be in home; they can be asked to leave at any time • Family/student often times do not have keys to home • Leaving the situation would result in other types of homelessness

10. Loss of Housing • Eviction or foreclosure • Destruction of or damage to their home • Unhealthy or unsafe conditions • Domestic violence • Abuse or neglect • Abandonment, parental incarceration, or other similar reasons

11. Motels, Hotels, Trailer Parks, & Camping Grounds Due to a lack of alternative adequate accommodations students may live in the above. Things to consider… • Is it a move due to a crisis or natural disaster? • Where would the student live if not there? Are Fixed Regular and Adequate options available? • Is it a hotel with kitchen? Is there adequate space for the entire family? • How is the family paying for the room – weekly, daily, hourly?MV staff can ask for a receipt, but the lack of one cannot be a barrier to identifying or enrolling students

12. Transitional Housing IS… NOTE: Families in the above situation are still consider displaced/homeless • Temporary accommodation for homeless individuals and families as a step to permanent housing • May last up to 24 months, provide wraparound services, and typically requires participants to pay a portion of their housing costs based on a sliding scale

13. Why are there so Many MV Students? • Affordable housing shortage (Rent versus family size) • Job loss • Illness • Increasing cost of living and frozen wages • Natural disasters • Family discord / Divorce • Domestic Violence • Loss of Housing Assistance (Section 8 or other housing program)

14. Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UY) Not in Physical Custody Homeless • Homeless children or youth are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. To qualify for McKinney-Vento services: • Student’s living arrangement must meet the homeless definition, AND • Student must not be in the physical custody of a parent or guardian UY

15. Specific UY Considerations • Eligibility is based on the current living situation • Can be eligible regardless of whether the youth "chose” to leave or was “asked” to leave • Behavior of student while at home is not relevant • There is usually more than meets the eye to the youth’s home life

16. Federal Law States…Enroll Now, Ask Later • Means “attending classes and participating fully in school activities” • Must be immediate • Even if students lack school records, medical, or other records normally required • Even if enrollment or application deadlines were missed while homeless • Even if the student has history of absences or outstanding fines/fees

17. School Placement… WhY MY School? • School of ORIGIN • School attended when the student was permanently housed and LOST housing OR • School in which the student LAST attended • School of RESIDENCE • School where the student CURRENTLY resides; the school where non-homeless students living in the area are eligible to attend

18. Okay…so How lOng Can they Stay? • Students can remain in school of origin … • For the duration of the homelessness • Until the end of the school year in which the student obtains housing • If student becomes homeless over the summer and is still homeless at start of school year • Decisions are based on the individual student’s best interest FFSD NEW SCHOOL

19. Best Interest COnsiderations • In general “School of Origin” is presumed to be in student’s best interest when they are moving during the school year or if they are a graduating student. • Unless this is contrary to parent or unaccompanied youth’s wishes • MV Staff also consider student-centered factors • Impact of mobility on achievement, education, health, & safety • US Department of Education encourages consideration of sibling school placement

20. Programs to support McKinney-Vento Students and parents

21. Who assist McKinney-Vento Families In FFSD • Yolanda Rodgers-Garvin, Homeless Liaison 314-506-9987 or YRodgers-Garvin@fergflor.org • Chelsea Schaffer, MV Social Worker 314-506-9957 or CSchaffer@fergflor.org • FFSD District Social Workers School social workers serve as the link between students, families, community, and the school • Debbie Bodden • Kate Obermeier • Lynda Partee

22. Questions and COmments

23. ESSA Foster Care

24. ESSA Foster Care & McKinney-Vento On December 10th, 2016 the ESSA Foster Care provisions went into effect. • ESSA also amended section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act), REMOVING children “awaiting foster care placement” from the definition of “homeless children and youths”for purposes of the Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program.* • *Taken from the Non-Regulatory Guidance: Ensuring Educational Stability for Children in Foster Care from U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Guidance on the Foster Care Provisions in Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015

25. Foster Care & School of Origin Foster Care- substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the child welfare agency (Children’s Division or Contract agency) has placement and care responsibility. School of Origin- the school in which a child is enrolled at the time of placement in foster care. If a child’s foster care placement changes, the school of origin would then be considered the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of the placement change.

26. What is NOT considered Foster Care? • Children living at home with parents and receiving in-home services • Children who are on a Safety Plan • Children informally placed with relatives without Children’s Division involvement • Children who are not involved in the court system

27. Foster Care & School Stability Youth in foster care experience multiple changes to their living arrangement during their time in foster care. On average, children in foster care move 1 to 2 times per year. Multiple changes in a child’s foster care placement often results in changes to the school they attend. When children move schools, they lose… • Connections to supportive adults • Friendships • Class credits • Education services (in some instances) • Involvement in extra-curricular/enrichment activities (i.e. school band, clubs, sports) *Information taken from the Department of Child Safety Open Discussion on ESSA Foster Care PowerPoint

28. What are Best Interest Determination Meeting (BID Meetings)? BID meetings emphasize the importance of limiting educational disruption by keeping children who move in foster care (due to entering the foster care system or changing placements) in their schools of origin, unless it is determined to be in their best interest to change schools. • FFSD, the school of residence or origin and Children's Division collaborate in determining the best interest of a child in foster care. Although, Children's Division is the final decision maker regarding a foster child’s school selection if any conflict cannot be resolved. • During these meetings the cost of transportation CANNOT be considered when determining the best interest of the child!

29. Best Interest Determination (continued) • A BID must take place with the last or current school district BEFORE a foster care student can be enrolled in a new school. • WHY? The Fostering Connections Act and ESSA both state that a foster care child must remain in his/her current school, unless it is not in his/her best interest. • The BID determines what is in the best interest of the student. If a foster care child enrolls in another school without having a BID, the law has not been followed.

30. ESSA Foster CareLegal Information • ‘‘(i) any such child enrolls or remains in such child’s school of origin, unless a determination is made that it is not in such child’s best interest to attend the school of origin, which decision shall be based on all factors relating to the child’s best interest, including consideration of the appropriateness of the current educational setting and the proximity to the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement; • ‘‘(ii) when a determination is made that it is not in such child’s best interest to remain in the school of origin, the child is immediately enrolled in a new school, even if the child is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment;

31. Foster Care Liaison’s Role • Collaborate with the Children's Division to maintain school stability • Ensure the best interest is determined regarding school selection • Ensure necessary transportation is provided, funded and arranged • Ensure immediate enrollment & transfer of records • Ensure school staff are trained on the provisions & educational needs of children in foster care

32. Factored into the Best Interest Determination meeting should be: • the safety of the child; • the wishes of the parent, caregiver, and child; • the toll of the commute, distance, and time for the child to travel to and from the school he/she is attending at the time of placement; • projected duration of out-of-home placement; • the child’s academic, developmental, and socialization needs; • the effect a school change will have on the child's learning; and • for high school students, any potential for loss of credits which may occur due to changing schools in the middle of a term or semester.* • *Taken from the Department of Child Safety Open Discussion on ESSA Foster Care PowerPoint

33. Foster Care Questions

34. 2019-2020 Social Worker Assignments • Kate Obermeier School Assignments: PK-2 Buildings – BE, CE, CL, DU, HO, PR, WG • Debbie Bodden School Assignments: 3-5 Buildings and 6th Grade Centers – BK, CO, GR, HF, LH, RO, JW, and WE • Lynda Partee School Assignments: Middle and High Schools – FM, CK, Steam-MS, MC, MN, Steam-HS, Innovation Center, and Restoration Center