Connecting the Dots: Collaborations Required Under Federal Law

Requirements for collaboration: McKinney-Vento Requirements for collaboration: other laws Levels of collaboration: cooperating, coordinating, collaborating Evaluating your collaborative work Ways you collaborate & new things you may need to do Questions you have Topics for the morning

Simple questions to ask any time: –What did you say? –What did you mean when you said….? –Can you repeat that? Complex questions to write on your index card for discussion breaks: –Why? –How should we…? –Do you have resources for….? –You mentioned this situation, but what happens when…? –I was told something else before. What should I do? Questions vs. discussion breaks

Places strong emphasis on collaboration –Expands capacity of liaisons –Meets needs of students that impact learning but that schools cannot meet (e.g., housing) –Removes barriers by providing access to resources (e.g., medical records, EMIS, transportation) Liaisons required to collaborate with school personnel, other entities & agencies McKinney-Vento Collaborations

Identifying homeless children & youth (HCY) Facilitating transportation services Obtaining school & other records Identifying & implementing services appropriate for students homeless while awaiting foster care placement Providing education & related services for all homeless students, including access & reasonable proximity to the services Raising awareness of school personnel & service providers about effects of short-term stays in shelters & other challenges associated with homelessness McKinney-Vento Collaborations

To & from school of origin Common agreement between districts or 50/50 split on cost & responsibility Comparable to services provided to other students Beyond the school bus: other safe options are ok Avoid stigma All HCY have a right to transportation to the school of origin for the full duration of the homelessness Transportation Requirements

Liaisons need to work with Parents & unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) to determine transportation needs & options The transportation department to arrange the transportation Parents to design reasonable methods for checking in when students are sick or moving frequently Other districts to determine the most reasonable means of transportation & responsibilities for providing it Shelters Collaborations: Transportation

Language in McKinney-Vento Act specifically notes that HCY must be referred for meals The Richard B. Russell School Lunch Act also provides categorical eligibility for HCY USDA policy outlines procedures for enrollment, reimbursement Requirements for School Meals

Liaisons work with School nutrition staff to –Make sure student lists are up to date –Design lunch applications that include information about eligibility based on homelessness & liaison information Shelter directors to ensure they know they can request free meals on behalf of students UHY to make sure they have access Collaborations: School Meals

Title I, Part A of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act requires districts to set aside funds to serve homeless students Services must be educationally related Services must be comparable but not necessarily exactly the same as what other students receive Needs of homeless students must be addressed in district needs assessments All HCY are categorically eligible for Title I services Title I Requirements

Liaisons & Title I directors need to work together to Assess the needs of HCY Assess the district’s ability to meet the needs under current programming Determine the amount of the set-aside, what it will be used for, & how it can be accessed Re-evaluate programming as the year unfolds Liaisons need to work with shelters, hotels, & other locations To provide onsite educational opportunities To raise awareness about available services Collaborations: Title I

Questions about what has been covered so far Open floor questions about anything McKinney- Vento related Discussion Break

Both McKinney-Vento & the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) require identification Can expedite evaluations Timelines keep going even if students move –Exception: sufficient progress is being made AND –Parent consent for delay Temporary Surrogate Parents can be someone involved in the student’s care (not so for Surrogate Parents) While need for special services impacts best interest decisions about school placement, fiscal responsibility for special education is governed by IDEA Special Education Requirements

Liaisons need to work with Special education staff –To identify students –To train Temporary Surrogate & Surrogate Parents –To raise awareness on the impact of homelessness on students & the specific educational needs addressed by Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) Early intervention specialists to provide services in natural environments other than the home Shelters to provide space for home based & early intervention services School staff on implementing appropriate discipline (i.e. no punishment for manifestations of IEP needs) Caregivers acting as parents Collaborations: Special Education

Children awaiting foster care are homeless; children in foster care are not Fostering Connections Act requires all children in care to have a plan for educational stability –When placing students, the placement’s proximity to the school must be considered Schools & child welfare agencies must work together to ensure students enroll in school immediately, records are transferred in timely fashion Child Welfare Requirements

Liaisons need to work with Caregivers of homeless parents Child welfare agencies –To create a common language –To create shared understanding of education & school goals, limits, policies & procedures, culture –To create procedures for obtaining educational consent –To address unique needs –To mitigate impact of transfers, plan for future Collaborations: Child Welfare

Questions about what has been covered so far Open floor questions about anything McKinney- Vento related Discussion Break

McKinney-Vento requirements Liaisons shall coordinate with state & local housing agencies responsible for developing the comprehensive housing affordability strategy HEARTH Act assurances for funding Designate a staff person to ensure that children are enrolled in school & connected to the appropriate services within the community, including early childhood programs such as Head Start, Part C of IDEA, & McKinney-Vento education services Collaborate with school districts to assist in the identification of homeless families & inform homeless families of McKinney-Vento education services Housing Requirements

Establish policies & practices consistent with educational rights for HCY –Policies & practices cannot restrict the exercise of educational rights of HCY under McKinney-Vento or other laws that provide educational & related services to HCY Consider educational needs of children when placing families in emergency or transitional shelter &, to the maximum extent practicable, place families as close as possible to the school of origin Housing Requirements

Liaisons need to work with CoC members to ensure identification of students CoC providers to locate housing, mainstream resources when possible Shelter providers to transition students, with consideration of best interest of students Housing providers to arrange transportation Domestic violence providers to ensure safety Collaborations: Housing

Liaisons responsible for ensuring referrals to health, mental health, dental, & other appropriate services are given Student must be enrolled immediately, even if they do not have immunizations, medical or birth records –Students must be immediately referred to the liaison –Liaisons must assist with obtaining immunizations or medical records Review & revise policies that create barriers to enrollment Health Requirements

Liaisons need to work with School nurses to evaluate need for & obtain immunizations School nurses & other staff to adapt medical procedures for HCY Administration & the state coordinator to draft or revise immunization policies for enrollment Community health clinics to provide all types of healthcare (including mental health, dental) Special education to ensure appropriate IEPs Collaborations: Health

Questions about what has been covered so far Open floor questions about anything McKinney- Vento related Discussion Break

Collaboration on behalf of HCY should result in problem solving, resource sharing to meet common goals in concrete ways Meetings should meet some level of need on part of all participants –Should be action oriented; no admiring the problem Be sure to communicate what you can & can’t do, as well as why –Try to make suggestions for someone who can fill the gap Collaborate, Cooperate, Coordinate

How does your staff discuss the needs of HCY & ways to meet them with school resources? How does your staff make referrals to community resources for homeless families who have unmet basic needs? Do families actually access them? How does your LEA partner with community agencies to meet needs & coordinate resources? How do you know it is working? What is the Title I set-aside for your district? How was it determined? Good Questions to Ask

Did your collaborations –Result in higher parent involvement? –Result in higher student achievement? –Result in better attendance? –Result in fewer office referrals? –Result in more students receiving meals? –Result in fewer disputes with parents/UHY? –Result in fewer disagreements with other districts? –Meet a statutory or district requirement, even if the impact wasn’t obvious? Measuring Impact

EMIS data –Homeless students are eligible for services for the entire school year –Only education service impacted by an effective end date: transportation –Include students on data reports even if no longer homeless –Record the effective dates a student was homeless in EMIS Do the students who were homeless last school year get carried over as homeless in EMIS for the new school year? –No, student housing status should be re-established each year for all students Discussion Break

A student moved to the area; it’s not in the student’s best interest to attend the school of origin. The student wants to attend school in a district in which they are not temporarily residing. Is this allowed? –Not under McKinney-Vento –Maybe under state or local policy Is a family living in a hotel considered homeless if they are paying the hotel fee? Can we ask for proof that they are living there? –All situations are case-by-case determinations –Is the housing fixed, regular, & adequate? –The district can ask for proof, but they cannot require it Discussion Break

Questions about what has been covered so far Open floor questions about anything McKinney- Vento related Discussion Break

Christina Endres Program Specialist (336) NCHE Helpline: (800) or Website: center.serve.org/nche center.serve.org/nche NCHE Resources