S UPPORTING THE E DUCATION OF U NACCOMPANIED H OMELESS S TUDENTS Lynne Weise M.Ed/PPW Homeless Liaison Anne Arundel County Public Schools

S TEP 1: W HO IS H OMELESS ?  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

 Awaiting foster care placement  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 Does NOT match HUD’s definition S TEP 1: W HO IS H OMELESS ?

S TEP 2: W HO IS UNACCOMPANIED ?  According to the McKinney-Vento Act, an unaccompanied homeless student is a child or youth “not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian”  The Act refers to physical custody, not legal custody; in practical terms, this usually means that the student is living apart from his/her parent(s) or guardian(s)

A GE L IMIT ?  “Age limits”  Lower: There is no lower age limit for unaccompanied homeless youth  Upper: The upper age limit (as with all McKinney-Vento eligible students) in Maryland is the upper age limit for public education; this is usually 21 for special education  April 22 count = 187 total enrolled for SY 2012/13

“B UT, THE STUDENT CHOSE TO LEAVE …”  A youth can be eligible regardless of whether he/she was asked to leave the home or “chose” to leave  Sometimes there is “more than meets the eye” for youth’s home life situations

W OULD Y OU ? If your family life was problematic, would you disclose this information in detail to a person you are just meeting? Unaccompanied homeless students and/or parents may or may not wish to discuss or feel comfortable sharing issues occurring in their home life. Fear of being “taken” away

T HE S CHOOL ’ S C HARGE  Schools first and foremost are educational agencies  The school’s primary responsibility and goal is to enroll and educate, in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Act (federal); federal law supersedes state and local law  Schools do not need to understand and/or agree with all aspects of a student’s home life to educate him/her

U NDOCUMENTED STUDENTS  Plyler v. Doe: Undocumented students are eligible for McKinney-Vento services to the same extent as documented students; this would include undocumented unaccompanied homeless students

D EMOGRAPHICS Source: Homeless Youth in the United States: Recent Research Findings and Intervention Approaches,  Multiple studies estimate that 1+ million youth ages will become homeless unaccompanied homeless youth each year  Show a disproportionate representation of minority ethnic groups, GLBT youth, and pregnant/parenting teens  Generally aged 13 or older, but can be younger

P ATHS TO B EING “O N Y OUR O WN ”  Longstanding patterns of family conflict: blended family issues, pregnancy, sexual activity or orientation, school problems, alcohol/drug use  Abuse and/or neglect within the home  Parental incarceration, substance abuse, illness, hospitalization, or death  Human trafficking?

P ATHS TO B EING “O N Y OUR O WN ” ( CONT )  Foster care issues: running away from a foster care placement, aging out of the foster care system; significant correlation between involvement with the child welfare system and experiencing homelessness as an adult  Some students become homeless with their families, but end up on their own due to lack of space in temporary accommodations or shelter policies that prohibit adolescent boys

S CENARIO Jeremy, a senior in high school, shows up at your school by himself wanting to enroll. He says he left home because his stepdad is a jerk and he can’t stand living with him anymore. He is currently living with his grandmother, but isn’t sure if he can stay long.  Is Jeremy homeless?  Is Jeremy unaccompanied?  Other questions?

B ARRIERS TO E DUCATION  Lack of stable housing (affects access to bathing facilities, laundry facilities, etc.)  Lack of a parent or guardian (support, guidance, signing, etc.)  Lack of school records and other paperwork  Emotional crisis / Mental health issues/PTSD  Employment: Many are self-supporting and have to balance school and work

B ARRIERS TO E DUCATION ( CONT )  Lack of transportation  Lack of school supplies, clothing  Fatigue, poor health, hunger (difficulty meeting basic needs)  Credit accrual policies, attendance policies  Concerns about being apprehended by authorities

R IGHTS FOR A LL H OMELESS S TUDENTS  Immediate enrollment, even if lacking paperwork normally required  School selection: Local attendance area school or school of origin, according to the student’s best interest  Transportation to/from the school of origin  Comparable services, including transportation

R IGHTS FOR A LL H OMELESS S TUDENTS ( CONT )  Access to educational programs for which they are eligible (Title IA, IDEA, ELL, migrant education, vocational/technical education, gifted and talented, etc.)  Free school meals (USDA’s Child Nutrition Act)

S PECIFIC M-V P ROVISIONS ON U NACCOMPANIED H OMELESS S TUDENTS  Enrollment without proof of guardianship  Assistance from the local liaison in selecting a school of attendance and enrolling  Assistance from the local liaison in receiving transportation to the school of origin  Can initiate the dispute resolution process for himself/herself  Assistance from the local liaison in resolving any disputes that arise

S PECIFIC M-V P ROVISIONS ON U NACCOMPANIED H OMELESS S TUDENTS ( CONT )  Student receives written notice in disputes  McKinney-Vento subgrant application consideration: the extent to which case management or related services will be provided to unaccompanied homeless students  Authorized use of subgrant funds: “The provision of services and assistance to attract, engage, and retain homeless children and youths, and unaccompanied homeless youths, in public school programs and services provided to nonhomeless children and youths”

S PECIFIC IDEA P ROVISIONS ON U NACCOMPANIED H OMELESS S TUDENTS  Surrogate Parents  SEA “must make reasonable efforts” to appoint within 30 days  Are considered the unaccompanied homeless youth’s parent for special education purposes  Cannot be an employee of the SEA, LEA, or any other agency involved in the education or care of the child  Must have no personal or professional interests in conflict with the interest of the child  Must have the necessary knowledge and skills

S PECIFIC IDEA P ROVISIONS ON U NACCOMPANIED H OMELESS S TUDENTS ( CONT )  Temporary Surrogate Parents  Appointed immediately  Staff of shelters, independent living programs, and street outreach programs, and qualified school personnel (including local liaisons) that are involved in the education or care of the child may be appointed as temporary surrogate parents  Must have no personal or professional interests in conflict with the interest of the child  Must have the necessary knowledge and skills  Rights transfer to the student upon the student reaching the age of majority

“O THER S TUFF ”  Consider state-specific issues: Reporting, medical consent, etc.  FERPA: Parental consent is not required for transfer of records to an enrolling school  General liability concerns: The relationship between liability and negligence

S CENARIO Remember Jeremy? He couldn’t get along with his stepfather and is living temporarily with his grandmother. Two days after your school enrolled him, his mom calls insisting that the school force Jeremy to come home and threatens to sue the school if you don’t disenroll Jeremy immediately.  Would you disenroll Jeremy?  How would you respond?  Other questions?

E NROLLMENT S TRATEGIES  US ED Guidance: “Develop caregiver affidavits, enrollment forms for unaccompanied homeless youth, and other forms to replace typical proof of guardianship. Again, such forms should be carefully crafted so they do not create further barriers or delay enrollment” July 2004 Policy Guidance, Question G-8

E NROLLMENT R EMINDERS  A school district can not require a caregiver to obtain legal guardianship at any point prior to or following an unaccompanied homeless student’s enrollment  A school district can not discontinue a student’s enrollment due to an inability to identify a caregiver, guardian, or parent following enrollment or to produce guardianship or other paperwork

 Provide access to diversified learning opportunities (vocational education, credit-for-work programs, flexible school hours, etc.) yet don’t assume youth will need or desire this option  Provide before- or after-school support  Permit exceptions to school policies on class schedules, tardiness, absences and credits to accommodate the needs of unaccompanied homeless youth  Assist with credit accrual and recovery (chunking credits, partial credits, flexible school hours, etc.)  Provide access to a “safe place” and trained mentor at school E DUCATIONAL S UPPORT

G ENDER

G RADE LEVEL

E THNICITY

H IGH S CHOOL G RADES A/B38 C26 D16 Failing16 DropOut22 Total 118