The McKinney-Vento Act: A Brief Overview What Schools and Education Service Centers Need to Know Prepared by the Texas Education Agency, Region 10 Education Service Center, and the Texas Homeless Education Office

Purpose of this Presentation This presentation is a brief overview of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. It covers the most important components of the Act. In-depth information can be found on the Texas Homeless Education Office (THEO) website at To speak with a representative from THEO, call

The Challenge Before Us… Children living in homeless situations usually… Perform about two to three years below grade level Have a higher likelihood of missing school and/or experiencing multiple transfers Are more likely to require additional supports for academic achievement and success on state assessments 3

The Federal Law McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act 4 Defines and protects the rights of homeless students to enroll in, attend, and succeed in public schools Federal law supersedes state and local laws and polices

Key Components of the McKinney-Vento Act 5 The following slides outline the key components of the McKinney-Vento Act. Several documents are referenced in the slides. Those documents are available on the Texas Homeless Education Office website at

Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason Living in motels, hotels, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations Living in emergency or transitional shelters Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus/train stations Migratory children living in above circumstances Children/youth awaiting foster care placement 6 McKinney-Vento Education Definition of Homelessness

Every LEA must designate an appropriate staff person as a local homeless education liaison. Liaison may be a coordinator of Federal Programs THEO website has a database of homeless liaisons All liaisons must register on the THEO database; visit website for instructions on how to register or update liaison information Liaisons must have ample time to carry out the responsibilities of the position Districts may also designate campus liaisons 7

McKinney-Vento requires... …that the Homeless Liaison: Assist with identification and enrollment Assist in settling enrollment disputes Connect students to district and community services including nutrition, transportation, tutoring, special education, immunization, medical, dental, mental health, housing, food, and post-secondary opportunities Has autonomy to make decisions for qualification of services 8

Documents Local Educational Agency Liaisons Fact Sheet The Educational Rights of Students in Homeless Situations: What District Administrators Need to Know 9

Every LEA must identify students experiencing homelessness within its district. Must be done regularly and in a way that is auditable Homeless students must be reported through PEIMS Most districts use a student residency questionnaire, administered at time of enrollment, to identify students experiencing homelessness 10

Documents Student Residency Questionnaire Checklist for Identifying Students Experiencing Homelessness 11

Students who are experiencing homelessness are to be enrolled immediately. Districts cannot require proof of residency, immunizations, birth certificates, guardianship, “host family” signatures, or any other sort of required paperwork before enrolling the student Requiring such paperwork or otherwise causing enrollment delays is a violation of the McKinney-Vento Act 12

Documents Enrollment (Law into Practice) FAQ on Requirements for School Admittance Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students Without Records 13

Students who are experiencing homelessness have the right to attend school in their school of origin or in the school in the attendance area where the family or youth is currently residing. 14

“School of Origin” – the school in which the child/youth was enrolled when s/he became homeless OR the school in which the child/youth was last enrolled School of attendance is determined by best interest of the child Texas law allows a child experiencing homelessness to enroll in any district, regardless of the location of his/her residence, school of origin, or attendance zone campus 15

Documents School Selection Fact Sheet School Selection Provisions from the McKinney-Vento Act and the Texas Education Code Checklist for McKinney-Vento School Choice Considerations 16

Disagreements over school enrollment and best-interest determinations must be resolved through the dispute resolution process. The child is allowed to remain in the school selected until the dispute has been resolved. 17

Documents Dispute Resolution Sample Dispute Resolution Notification Letter 18

Students experiencing homelessness have the right to transportation to their school of origin. This provision applies even if the student moves outside of the attendance zone of the school of origin or even outside of the district School-of-origin transportation must continue for the duration of the child’s homelessness or until the end of the school year in which a child/youth becomes permanently housed. 19

Documents Transportation Fact Sheet Transportation Questions and Answers 20

Students experiencing homelessness who are not on a Title I campus are eligible to receive Title I services. The LEA has discretion in determining the services it will provide through Title I Students can be served through the Title I regular program or the Title I, Part A, set-aside Title I can pay for the excess costs of transporting students to and from the school of origin Title I, Part A, set-asides can be used to serve homeless students in ways not ordinarily provided to other students 21

Documents Four Methods for Determining New Mandatory Title I, Part A, Set-Aside for Homeless Children Title I and Homelessness 22

Students in homeless situations are automatically eligible for free school meals (the Child Nutrition Program). LEAs should put systems in place to ensure that children experiencing homelessness have immediate access to free school meals The school breakfast and/or lunch is often the only balanced meal the child will have 23

Documents Effective Date of Free or Reduced Price Meal Eligibility Determinations U.S. Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Memos Child Nutrition Brief 24