McKinney-Vento Support

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Supporting the Education of McKinney-Vento Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Natalie Brooks, TCPS McKinney-Vento Liaison

Email: nbrooks@talbotschools.org, Phone: 410-822-0330

What is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act?

Originally passed in 1987
Reauthorized in 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Works hand-in-hand with Title 1, Part A and other federal education programs (e.g. IDEA, Head Start)
Federal law that addresses the educational barriers and challenges created by homelessness by guaranteeing students experiencing homelessness the right to immediately enroll in school, attend school, fully engage in school including extra curricular activities and be provided interventions and supports needed for school success.

Who qualifies as Homeless under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act?

Homeless student means a child or youth who is eligible to attend Talbot County Public Schools, and who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This term includes:

Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations: are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;
Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings: and
Migratory children (such as defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (1) through (3).
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act) is a homeless child that is living in circumstances described above and are not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian.
Migratory students (as defined by Section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as amended) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this section because the children are living in circumstances described above.

Who qualifies as McKinney-Vento Unaccompanied Youth?

To be eligible for McKinney-Vento services/funds the child or youth must meet BOTH of the following:

A child or youth who is not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian AND
Lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence as defined above by the McKinney-Vento Act

Is doubling up or couch-surfing the same as being homeless?

Yes! When children and youth (with or without other family members, parents, or guardians) stay with extended family or friends because of a loss of housing they are considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act.

What rights do McKinney-Vento Eligible Children and Youth have?

All McKinney-Vento Eligible Children and Youth have the right to:

Receive a free, appropriate public education
Enroll in school IMMEDIATELY, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment such as immunization, birth certificate or proof of residency
Enroll in school attend classes, and fully participate in school including extracurricular activities while the school gathers needed documents
Enroll in the local area school; or continue attending their school of origin (the school or PreK the child or youth attended when permanently housed/the school or PreK in which the child or youth was last enrolled). School of origin is presumed to be in the best interest of the child or youth unless it is against the wishes of the parent/guardian or unaccompanied youth.
If the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth believes that the school or preschool selected is not in the child or youth’s best interest, they can appeal the decision. In this case, the school system must provide the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth with a written explanation of its position and inform the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth of the right to appeal its decision.
Receive transportation to and from the school of origin.
Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other children or youth based on the child or youth’s needs.

What are the TCPS Enrollment Procedures for children and youth qualifying under McKinney-Vento?

All enrollments in TCPS are done through the local School Counselor/School Based McKinney-Vento Liaison. When a McKinney-Vento family, child, or youth present themselves at a school or shelter, the School Counselor, Student Services Worker, and the McKinney-Vento Liaison shall be notified immediately to expedite the school enrollment/placement process.

In what school can a McKinney-Vento eligible child or youth enroll?

School of origin means the school or preschool the student attended when they had permanent housing or the school or preschool in which they were last enrolled. The school of origin shall include the designated receiving school at the next grade level for all feeder schools.

The Local School is the school or preschool that is served by the address where temporary housing is located.

Any other school besides the School of Origin or the Local School requested is considered an Out of Area Request. If the parent/guardian, applies for and is granted permission to attend an Out of Area school or preschool, transportation for the Out of Area school or preschool will not be provided.

What happens when a McKinney-Vento eligible family obtains permanent housing during the school year?

After a child or youth is identified as eligible for McKinney-Vento, the child or youth will remain under McKinney-Vento effective for the entire school year even if the family or unaccompanied youth obtains permanent housing that same school year. Once permanent housing has been acquired, the School Counselor must collect the required Proof of Residency documents and place them in the child or youth’s cumulative file.

Note: The designated School Counselor (also known as the School Based McKinney-Vento Liaison) serves as the McKinney-Vento contact at the school who will assist with enrollment of McKinney-Vento eligible children and youth. Please contact the specific school for this information using this link to the TCPS website: https://tcps.k12.md.us/schools

What is Best Interest Determination?

Schools shall enroll each homeless child or youth in the school or preschool determined to be in the child or youth’s best interest. A homeless child or youth shall remain in his or her school of origin, unless doing so is against the wishes of the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth. The school of origin is presumed to be in the best interest of the child or youth. The right to attend the school of origin extends for the duration of homelessness, or, if the child or youth becomes permanently housed, for the remainder of the school year.

What if the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth disagrees with the Best Interest Determination?

Once school personnel is informed of a parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth’s disagreement with the enrollment or access to services provided to a homeless child or youth, school personnel will refer the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth to the McKinney-Vento Liaison and the Student Services Worker for assistance with dispute resolution.

What are the responsibilities of the McKinney-Vento Liaison and the School Based McKinney-Vento Liaison?

TCPS will designate an official McKinney-Vento (Homeless) Liaison to serve the students and families experiencing homelessness within Talbot County Public Schools. This liaison will:

Participate in professional development provided by the Homeless Coordinator of the Maryland State Department of Education.
Collaborate with community agencies and the Homeless Coordinator of the Maryland State Department of Education to ensure delivery of appropriate services and supports to children and youth who are homeless.
Will inform school personnel, service providers, advocates, parents, guardians and students of the McKinney-Vento Liaison’s duties.
Work with Title 1 Administrators to ensure that Title 1 services are provided in accordance with the reservation of funds required by the McKinney-Vento Act.
Participate and assist with mediating disputes that occur regarding the enrollment, school selection, and provision of services for homeless children and youth, and ensure the consistent implementation of the dispute resolution process.
Designate all School Counselors as School Based McKinney-Vento Liaisons.
Work in partnership with Student Services Workers to provide technical support to School-Based McKinney-Vento Liaisons.
Provide annual training for School-Based McKinney-Vento Liaisons (School Counselors) and Student Services Workers to ensure prompt identification, enrollment, and delivery of appropriate educational and related services to children and youth who are homeless.
School-Based McKinney-Vento Liaisons will provide annual training to all school staff to ensure prompt identification, enrollment, and delivery of appropriate educational and related services to children and youth who are homeless.
School-Based McKinney-Vento Liaisons will ensure that homeless children and youth receive appropriate credit for full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed while attending a prior school.
School-Based McKinney-Vento Liaisons will provide counseling to homeless children and youth regarding college and career readiness and assistance with the FAFSA.

School-Based Services to Support McKinney-Vento Children:

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) A multi-tiered approach to providing the most effective student support for those students who require various forms of assistance to address any barriers to successful academic progress, school attendance, and full participation in school. The goal of the MTSS process is to join the academic/instructional program with the student support services and resources to the maximum extent possible.
Dropout Prevention identifies students at risk of dropping out of school by early identification and assessing level of risk based on standardized set of criteria including attendance, grades, behavior and other risk factors. Once identified, work with students, staff, parents/guardians to evaluate situations, problem solve, resolve conflict, refer to appropriate professionals and enhance student success in school. Apply an appropriate prevention/intervention strategy that maximizes student success and fosters a sense of community.
Re-engagement works with students who have disengaged from the educational system. Make personal contact with students and their parents/guardians within ten days of dropping out and again 30-45 days for the purpose of determining reasons for dropping out and removing barriers to re-entry into the school system. Contact all students who have dropped out in the last 5 years to offer needed services to re engage. These services could be educational or in the workplace.