1. Project HOPE-VA Youth Summit Older Youth Experiencing Homelessness June 2013 Barbara Duffield, NAEHCY Policy Director bduffield@naehcy.org 1

2. 2 Stephanie Stephanie, age 15, said she ran away from home because she could not get along with her stepfather and refused to provide her parents’ name or contact information. She is staying with a family in your school district and wants to enroll in school. Stephanie’s mother said Stephanie left home after a fight about Stephanie’s boyfriend, who is 18 and a senior at the high school. The family she’s staying with is her boyfriend’s family. Stephanie’s mother is threatening to sue the school and the boyfriend’s family for not reporting Stephanie as a runaway.

3. 3 Stephanie Whose story is true, Stephanie’s or mother’s? Is school required to locate and contact parents? Is school required to report to child welfare? Is school required to report to the police? Enrollment and strategies to prevent liability?

4. 4 Whose story is true? Why might Stephanie not tell the truth? Why might Stephanie’s mother not tell the truth? Strategies to get to the bottom of the situation?

5. 5 Is the school required to locate and contact parents when enrolling unaccompanied youth? No; There is no law requiring schools to locate or contact parents when enrolling unaccompanied youth.  School is the safest place for the youth to be  VA law requires school records of missing children to be marked If a parent contacts the school looking for child, the school cannot lie about the child’s whereabouts.  Confirm parent’s identity  Talk to youth: are there safety issues?

6. 6 Is the school required to contact child welfare / child protective services when enrolling unaccompanied youth? Not as a matter of course. Educators must report suspected abuse and neglect.  Homelessness alone does not qualify.

7. 7 Is the school required to contact the police when enrolling unaccompanied youth? No; Schools must eliminate barriers to enrollment.  Would you go somewhere if you thought you’d be arrested there? “Protocol for Enrolling Unaccompanied Youth in School: Whom Do We Call?”  www.naehcy.org/toolkit-high-school- counselors

8. 8 Immediate Enrollment under MV Without a parent or guardian?  Yes! Without other enrollment documents, such as school records, immunizations, proof of residency, etc.?  Yes! The McKinney-Vento Act requires immediate enrollment of homeless children and youth. Lack of a parent/guardian and/or enrollment documents cannot delay or prevent enrollment. School districts must eliminate barriers to youth’s enrollment in school.

9. 9 What about parental disapproval and school liability? Liability is based on the concept of negligence, or a failure to exercise reasonable care.  Following federal law and providing appropriate services are evidence of reasonable care.  Violating federal law and denying services are evidence of negligence.  It’s always OK to enroll a student in school!

10. 10 How to be Reasonable Schools can check if students have been reported missing at www.missingkids.com or 1-800-THE-LOST. Are the school records marked as a missing child? Connect unaccompanied youth with school counselors or social workers. Talk with caregivers about their relationship to the youth. Talk to the youth!

11. 11 Now Stephanie wants to go on a class field trip. Who signs the permission slip? “Enrollment” under McKinney-Vento includes participating fully in school activities District policy  The caregiver  Stephanie  Stephanie’s mother

12. 12 Who can access Stephanie’s school records under FERPA? Her mother The adults she’s staying with also may meet the definition of parent  “individual acting as a parent in the absence of a parent or a guardian” Stephanie  Schools may allow students under age 18 to access their records and consent for disclosures, as long as those rights do not supersede the rights of their parents

13. 13 Helping Young Parents and Their Children: Public PreSchool and Head Start Liaisons must ensure that families and children have access to Head Start, Even Start, and other public preschool programs administered by the LEA. Homeless children are categorically eligible for Head Start programs. Head Start programs are required to identify and prioritize homeless children for enrollment; allow homeless children to enroll while required paperwork is obtained; and coordinate with LEA liaisons.

14. 14 Strategies for Young Children Identify the existing early childhood programs within your district: classrooms for birth to 5 year olds; preschool special education programs; other federally funded projects and community/district collaborations. Connect with key public early childhood and elementary school staff to build relationships, share data, and create awareness of the impact of homelessness on young children to work toward future partnerships. Advocate for slots for homeless children within those existing preschool programs.