Transcript Document
THE WEBINAR WILL BEGIN SHORTLY
G ET TO K NOW NCHE…
NCHE is the U.S. Department of Education’s
homeless education technical assistance and
information center
NCHE has:
A comprehensive website: www.serve.org/nche
A toll-free helpline: Call 800-308-2145 or e-mail
[email protected]
A listserv: visit www.serve.org/nche/listserv.php for
subscription instructions
Free resources : Visit
www.serve.org/nche/products.php
S UPPORTING THE
E DUCATION OF
U NACCOMPANIED
H OMELESS S TUDENTS
National Center for Homeless
Education
800-308-2145
[email protected]
S ESSION O UTLINE
Who are unaccompanied homeless youth?
What are their educational rights?
How can school districts serve unaccompanied
homeless students best?
Process scenarios
Group Q&A and discussion
W HO A RE
U NACCOMPANIED
H OMELESS S TUDENTS ?
W HO ARE U NACCOMPANIED
H OMELESS S TUDENTS ?
2-step process
1. Does the student’s living arrangement meet the
McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless?
2. Once homelessness is determined, is the student
unaccompanied?
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
S TEP 1: W HO IS H OMELESS ?
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
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)
I S THERE AN 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) is your
state’s upper age limit for
public education; this is
usually 21, but is sometimes
older for special education
students
“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
WOULD YOU ?
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.
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,
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/homelessness/symposium07/toro/index.htm
Multiple studies estimate that 1+ million youth
ages 12-17 will become homeless
unaccompanied homeless youth each year
There is a disproportionate representation of
minority ethnic groups,
gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender youth, and
pregnant/parenting teens
Generally homeless youth are 13 or older, but
they can be younger
PATHS TO B EING
“O N Y OUR O WN ”
Longstanding patterns of family conflict,
blended family issues, abuse and/or neglect
within the home
Parental incarceration, substance abuse, illness,
hospitalization, or death
Pregnancy, sexual activity, sexual orientation,
gender identity, school problems, alcohol/drug
use
PATHS 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?
T HE L AW: E DUCATIONAL
AND OTHER P ROVISIONS
FOR U NACCOMPANIED
H OMELESS S TUDENTS
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
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: Eligible students can attend
either the local attendance area school or the
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
Student receives written notice in disputes
S PECIFIC M-V P ROVISIONS ON U NACCOMPANIED
H OMELESS S TUDENTS ( CONT )
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
S PECIFIC CCRAA P ROVISIONS ON
U NACCOMPANIED H OMELESS S TUDENTS
According to the College Cost Reduction and
Access Act (CCRAA), unaccompanied homeless
youth, as determined by a local liaison, HUD or
RHYA shelter worker, or college Financial Aid
Administrator (FAA), can apply for federal
financial aid as independent students using the
FAFSA
Independent students don’t need a
parent/guardian signature on the FAFSA and are
awarded aid without consideration for
parent/guardian income
S PECIFIC CCRAA P ROVISIONS ON
U NACCOMPANIED H OMELESS S TUDENTS
Visit www.serve.org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php for
more information on the FAFSA and additional
supports (SAT/ACT fee waivers, GEAR UP, TRIO,
etc.)
“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?
S TRATEGIES FOR
IDENTIFYING , ENROLLING ,
AND ENGAGING
UNACCOMPANIED HOMELESS
STUDENTS
I DENTIFICATION S TRATEGIES
Provide awareness activities for school staff
(registrars, secretaries, counselors, social
workers, nurses, teachers, bus drivers,
administrators, truancy and attendance officers,
security officers, etc.) about the specific needs
of runaway and homeless youth
Develop relationships with dropout prevention
programs, truancy officials, and other
attendance officers. Many unaccompanied
homeless youth are out of school!
I DENTIFICATION S TRATEGIES ( CONT )
Community agencies and schools can work together
in identifying eligible students; reach out to
community agencies and ask them to be your “eyes
and ears” in the community to support school
efforts to reach unaccompanied homeless students
Enlist other students to help spread the word
Post outreach materials where unaccompanied
homeless students may “hang out”, including
laundromats, parks, campgrounds, skate parks,
clubs/organizations
I DENTIFICATION S TRATEGIES ( CONT )
NCHE youth outreach materials:
Youth educational rights poster (K-12):
http://center.serve.org/nche/pr/er_po
ster.php
Higher education poster:
http://center.serve.org/nche/pr/he_p
oster.php
Surviving on Youth Own youth booklet:
http://center.serve.org/nche/pr/youth
_booklet.php
B UILD TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS
Be sensitive, honest, and trustworthy
Inform students up-front about the circumstances
under which you may be required to report them to
child welfare or law enforcement
Keep in mind the challenges that unaccompanied
homeless students are facing as you work with them
and provide support as you are able
Encourage unaccompanied homeless students to
stay in school; support them and advocate for them
in getting their education
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 S TRATEGIES ( CONT )
Three common methods for enrolling
unaccompanied homeless students
The student enrolls himself/herself
A caregiver enrolls the student (see
http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/
app_d.pdf for sample enrollment forms)
The local liaison enrolls the student
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
PARTICIPATION IN
E XTRA - CURRICULAR A CTIVITIES
McKinney-Vento defines enrollment as “attending
classes and participating fully in school activities ”; this
includes extra-curricular activities offered through the
school
McKinney-Vento charges SEAs and LEAs to develop,
review, and revise policies to remove barriers to the
enrollment and retention of homeless children and
youths in schools; to accomplish this, program fees and
deadlines can be waived (sample policy from Delaware
can be found at
www.serve.org/nche/forum/extra_curr.php )
PARTICIPATION IN
E XTRA - CURRICULAR A CTIVITIES ( CONT )
McKinney-Vento subgrant funds can be used to
assist with program fees, if needed
States have implemented a variety of policies
regarding signing/decision-making for
unaccompanied homeless youth to participate in
school activities
Youth sign for themselves
Local liaison signs for the youth
Caregiver signs for the youth
E DUCATIONAL S UPPORT
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
F OR MORE INFORMATION
State Coordinator for Homeless Education:
www.serve.org/nche/states/state_resources.php
NCHE website: www.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_youth.php
NCHE helpline: 800-308-2145 or [email protected]
NCHE National Partner:
National Association for the Education of Homeless
Children and Youth (NAEHCY): www.naehcy.org