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| Identification of Homeless Students |
| Who is considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act? |
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals
who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. The term includes children and youth who are:
| • sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reasons; |
| • living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds; |
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| • living in emergency or transitional shelters |
| • abandoned in hospitals; |
| • awaiting foster-care placement; |
| • living in a primary night-time residence not used as a regular sleeping accommodation; |
| • living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and/or |
| • migratory children living in any of the circumstances described above. |
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| How many children and youth are homeless in Wisconsin? |
| Since the 2003-04 school year, the U.S. Department of Education has required each state to conduct an annual survey of homeless students identified by school districts. At the end of the 2006-07 school year, more than 8,000 students were identified as being homeless in Wisconsin public schools. |
| Must school districts identify homeless preschool children who may have special educational needs? |
| Inclusion of families without a permanent residence in Child Find efforts is required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). Schools should develop an informed referral network and include families residing in emergency shelters (domestic abuse and homeless), transitional housing programs, and temporary housing arrangements in Child Find efforts
(see http://dpi.wi.gov/ec/ecspedhm.html). |
| Are children and youth still attending school but not living at home ("unaccompanied") considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act? |
| Under certain circumstances. An "unaccompanied" child or youth is a student (preschool through 21) who is "not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian." |
| Are youth who refuse to live at home considered homeless? |
| In addition to young children living without their parents, at least 1.7 million youth run away from home annually due to family conflict, abuse, neglect, or are expelled from their homes. |
| Are children awaiting foster-care placement considered homeless? |
| Yes. Children and youth awaiting foster-care placement are considered homeless. Children and youth already placed in foster care are not considered homeless in most circumstances. However, the determination of eligibility for services as a homeless student should be discussed both with the district homeless liaison and the social service provider. Social service agencies may be able to define their relationship to the child or youth based on current or prior family court actions. |
| When adults with children leave their homes due to domestic violence, are the children considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act? |
| Yes. If an adult and accompanying children are living with others or in a domestic abuse shelter as a result of domestic violence, the children are considered homeless. |
| Can a family be homeless and not be eligible for services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act? |
| Yes. The McKinney-Vento Act applies to families and unaccompanied children and youth who cannot afford housing on their own. While a student may lose a home due to a fire or natural disaster, the student would not be considered eligible for McKinney-Vento services if the family can afford to pay (through wages, savings, insurance, or other resources) for alternative shelter such as a motel, hotel, or apartment. |
| School District Responsibilities |
| What are school districts required to do under the McKinney-Vento Act? |
Each school district must designate a homeless liaison. The liaison's responsibilities are to identify and immediately enroll homeless children and youth, then help them succeed in school. The liaison
| • assists with enrollment and dispute-resolution procedures; |
| • informs the parent/guardian, unaccompanied youth, district staff, and community agencies of the educational rights of homeless children and youth; |
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| • arranges transportation; |
| • obtains necessary school supplies; |
| • ensures students receive free school meals; |
| • ensures comparable educational services; |
| • works in partnership with community agencies; and |
| • has special responsibilities to assist unaccompanied children and youth. |
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| Do students experiencing homelessness receive services "housed" students do not receive? |
| Yes. Districts are responsible for removing educational barriers limiting a homeless student's full participation in school. Barriers may include lack of transportation; inability to pay for books, school supplies, eye glasses, program apparel, and the like; or policies (such as residential requirements) which may exclude them from enrollment. Students experiencing homelessness have the right to receive transportation to their "school of origin" - the school the child or youth was attending when permanently housed or last enrolled. |
| What legislative requirements must school districts meet to comply with the McKinney-Vento Act? |
See "Requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act" at http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/mv_full_text.pdf  for a complete copy of the McKinney-Vento Act. |
| Must private schools comply with the McKinney-Vento Act? |
| No. Only public schools are required to comply with the McKinney-Vento Act. Individual private schools may determine how they will assist a homeless family or unaccompanied youth. |
| What programs are available for children prior to kindergarten? |
| Preschool programs for children too young to attend 5-year-old kindergarten vary among school districts. All school districts offer early childhood special education programs for children with special needs. In addition, districts may offer Title I preschool programs, Head Start, 4-year-old kindergarten, migrant education programs, or child care. To learn what pre-kindergarten programs are available, contact the local school district or area Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (see http://www.wisconsinccrr.org). |
| How does Title I address the needs of children and youth who are experiencing homelessness? |
| Children and youth from homeless families are automatically eligible to receive Title I services. |
| Must school districts provide transportation for homeless preschool children? |
| If a district-administered preschool program offers transportation as part of its preschool services and a child becomes homeless while attending the preschool program, the district must provide transportation to the homeless preschool child. In addition, a district must provide transportation if a child is enrolled in a special education preschool program and has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that requires transportation for special education services (see http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/transp_legislative.html). |
| Must school districts assist homeless parents to find early education programs for their preschool children? |
| The district homeless liaison is required to discuss with parents the feasibility of enrolling their children in an early education program. If the school district does not conduct a preschool program, the liaison may refer the parents to any preschool program in the larger community. |
| Are there special transportation requirements for students experiencing homelessness? |
| Yes. The McKinney-Vento Act has specific requirements regarding transporting homeless children and youth (see http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/transp_legislative.html). |
| Are all homeless children and youth eligible to receive free school meals? |
| Yes (see http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/free_reduced.html). |
| Are grant funds available to Wisconsin school districts to support services for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act? |
| Yes. The U.S. Department of Education makes grant funds available to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to assist school districts in serving homeless students. These federal competitive-grant funds help local educational agencies (LEAs) develop programs to facilitate school enrollment, attendance, and the academic success of homeless children and youth. The grant program also helps LEAs develop and adopt best practices to serve homeless children and youth (see http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/grant_funded.html). |
| Community Involvement |
| What is the role of community agencies in working with school districts to help homeless children and youth? |
| Collaboration between schools and community partners (emergency shelters, Birth-to-3, Head Start, child care, public health, and human services) improves identification and recruitment of children in homeless situations while increasing the potential for expanding services to families and cross-training staffs. The homeless liaison is responsible for notifying community agencies of the educational rights of homeless students and refers homeless families and unaccompanied youth to community agencies that can help meet basic needs. |
| Additional Q & A |
| To access "The 100 Most Frequently Asked Questions on the Education Rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations," see http://www.naehcy.org/dl/faq.pdf. |
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