McKinney-Vento 101: Helping Students Displaced by Sandy (NYS)

1. McKinney-Vento 101: Helping Students Displaced by Sandy (NYS) Presented by NYS-TEACHS Toll-free Hotline: 800-388-2014

2. About Us NYS-TEACHS • Funded by the State Education Department; housed at Advocates for Children • Provide technical assistance on homeless education issues • Hotline (800-388-2014) • Website: www.nysteachs.org • Professional development sessions: Webinars, Annual Workshops, and on-site training • Posters, brochures and other materials

3. Today’sTraining

4. KEY TAKEAWAYS • McKinney-Vento covers students temporarily living: • in shelters, • in motels/hotels • Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship or other similar reason (doubled-up) • McKinney-Vento eligible students can: • Stay in their same school and get transportation to that school OR • immediately enroll in a local school even if they don’t have dox normally needed, AND • Get free meals, Title I services, referrals to outside agencies • Where to find help? The McKinney-Vento Liaison in the school district or BOCES, and NYS-TEACHS can help connect students experiencing homelessness with needed services.

6. The McKinney-Vento Act • Federal law • Enacted in 1987 • Every district has a MV Liaison

7. Who is Covered by McKinney-Vento?

8. Examples of Temporary Housing • Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship or other similar reason • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Abandoned in hospitals • Awaiting foster care placement • Living a in public or private place not designed for sleeping • Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, etc. • Migratory living in circumstances described above (M-V Section 725)

9. Determining Eligibility PERMANENT

10. Three Steps

11. Residency Questionnaire • Fill out for students seeking: • Enrollment • Change of address http://www.nysteachs.org/media/INF_SED_EnrollForm_ResQuest.doc

12. STAC 202 • Fill out any student identified as homeless • BUT only send to SED if entitled to add’l State Aid http://www.nysteachs.org/media/INF_SED_STAC202_Form.pdf

13. Confidentiality and Sensitivity • Keep Residency Q and STAC 202 in centralized file, NOT in student’s file • Only share MV status on a need to know basis • Avoid using words: “homeless” and “shelter” when referring to particular students

14. Does McKinney-Vento eligibility depend on income? • Yes • No If the student meets the definition of homeless, the student is eligible regardless of how much money the parents make.

15. Is there a time limit on eligibility? • Yes • No The student is eligible for the duration of homelessness

16. QUESTIONS?

18. School Selection Up to 3 Choices: Last permanently housed Last attended Local school MV Section 722(g)(3)(A)&(G); Education Law Section 3209(2)

19. School Stability School transfers • Lower test scores • Repeating grades • Higher drop-out rates • Academic/social disruptions

20. Transferring vs. Staying Put: Factors to Consider • Social adjustment and well-being • What are the strengths of the child’s ties to peers and staff members at the current school? • How would changing schools affect the child emotionally? • Educational programs in the current school vs. local school (e.g. special education, accelerated programs/G&T) • Involvement in extracurricular activities • Child’s grade level • Length of commute • # of transfers the child has already had • How changing schools would affect the student’s ability to earn full academic credit, proceed to the next grade, or graduate on time • Expected length of time in temporary housing

21. Can a displaced family enroll their child in a district other than the district of origin or the district of current location? • In general, no. However some districts have policies that allow, for example, non-resident staff to enroll their children in the district.

22. QUESTIONS?

24. Immediate Enrollment MV Section 722(g)(3)(C); Education Law Sections 3209(2)(e) & (2-a)

25. Can I enroll a displaced student who is not currently staying with a parent or guardian? • Yes • No Students who are homeless are entitled to enroll, without the normal papers, even if they are not living with a parent or guardian. Such students are referred to as homeless unaccompanied youth. MV Sections 722(g)(3)(B)(iii) & 725(6); 8 NYCRR 100.2(x)(1)(ii)(&(vi)

26. Records …5 Education Law 3209(2)(f) Enrolling without records see: Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students without Records http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/assessment.pdf

27. Continued Enrollment • MV eligible student can stay in the same school for: • the duration of homelessnessAND • through the remainder of the school year in which the student becomes permanently housed MV Section 722(g)(3)(A)

28. Takeaways • McKinney-Vento defines homelessness broadly: • Includes doubled-up • No income restrictions • No time limit • Enroll first. Get documents later. (Even for Unaccompanied Youth) • Best interests usually = school of origin • Continue in same school for duration of homelessness and through remainder of school yr in which student becomes perm housed

29. Should I enroll a student who comes in and says they have been displaced by the hurricane? • Yes • No. However, before enrolling, make sure that the parent knows that the student can remain in their school of origin, provided that school is operational. What kind of proof do I need to get? NONE.You may enroll the student even if he doesn’t have any of the documents normally needed for enrollment or proof of displacement.

30. QUESTIONS?

32. Transportation required to… Education Law 3209(4)

33. Transportation to School of Origin School where last permanently housed Up to 50 miles from temporary housing to either: School last attended Education Law 3209(4)

34. Which district is responsible for transporting a student who is homeless? • School district of origin • School district of current location • Designated district of attendance In other words, the district where the child is enrolled in school is responsible for transporting that student.

35. Transportation: DSS Education Law 3209(4)(a)

36. QUESTIONS?

38. Free School Meals • McKinney-Vento eligible students get free meals for school yr w/o application (MV = categorically eligible for free meals) • Liaison should give Food Service Director: • name of student, • DOB and • date of eligibility (date student became homeless)

40. Title I Set-Aside If district has non-participating T1 schools MUST do set-aside Set-aside look-up: http://www.forms2.nysed.gov/emsc/titlei/supplement/home.cfm

41. Title I Set-Aside Uses • Academic programs and educational support services • Basic/emergency supplies • Extended library hours/after school programs • Counseling services • Parental involvement • Intervention programs • Transportation once the student is permanently housed • Outreach efforts to identify the STH population and help them • The work of the liaison • Research based programs that benefit highly mobile students • Data collection to assess the needs/progress of STH

43. State Aid for Instruction • Transfers to local school: • SED will reimburse the district of current location for the cost of instruction • District of current location must submit a completed STAC 202 • Remains in the district of origin • District will NOT receive any additional aid.

44. State Aid for Instruction

45. QUESTIONS?

47. Homeless Data in SIRS

48. Why is accurate data collection important? • Impacts funding • Alerts staff to students who may need additional assistance • Valuable when developing program improvements and responding to issues (identifies gaps and strengths)

49. QUESTIONS?

50. Post-Test