Homeless Education...Louisiana Style: Understanding McKinney-Vento and its Implementation in Louisiana

Transcription

1 The Louisiana Department of Education and The National Center for Homeless Education Homeless Education...Louisiana Style: Understanding McKinney-Vento and its Implementation in Louisiana 1

2 Today s Goals Gain greater familiarity with important advanced homeless education concepts Role of the Local Liaison-Director of Federal Programs Eligibility and Enrollment Unaccompanied Youth Transportation Title IA Comprehensive Learning Support System Higher Education Share ideas

3 Louisiana Resources Louisiana s Education Reform Plan Tools for Integrating Education Funds Initiatives Louisiana s Critical Goals Tools for Integrating Education Funds: An Introduction 3

4 Educating Students Experiencing Homelessness in Louisiana Students need to be able to enroll immediately, stay in school, and succeed in school! Schools must enroll and continue to provide services after enrollment has occurred. 4

5 Vision Vision and Mission Create a World-Class Education System for All Students in Louisiana. Mission Ensure Higher Academic Achievement for All Students Eliminate the Achievement Gaps Between Races and Classes Prepare Students to be Effective Citizens in a Global Market 5

6 Critical Goals 1. Students enter Kindergarten ready to learn. 2. Students are literate by the third grade. 3. Students will enter fourth grade on time. 4. Students perform at or above grade level in English Language Arts by eighth grade. 5. Students perform at or above grade level in math by eighth grade. 6. Students will graduate on time. 7. Students will enroll in post-secondary education or graduate workforce-ready. 8. Students will successfully complete at least one year of postsecondary education. 9. Achieve all eight Critical Goals, regardless of race or class. 6

7 Role of the Local Liaison NCHE Training Webpage (Includes: Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit Homeless Education Issue Briefs Recorded Webinars Recorded mini-trainings ) NCHE Educational Rights Posters (for meeting the requirement for public educational rights posting) 7

8 Local Liaisons Local liaisons play a critical role in the implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act Every school district must designate a local homeless education liaison. Local liaison responsibilities include: Identifying homeless children and youth - The purpose of identification is to offer appropriate services to the family, child or youth. Coordination with schools and community agencies is an essential identification strategy, as are professional development, awareness and training activities within school buildings, school districts, and the community. Additional strategies are available at

9 Local Liaisons (cont) Ensuring that homeless students can enroll immediately and participate fully in school Informing parents, guardians, or youth of educational rights Supporting unaccompanied youth in school selection and dispute resolution; acting as an advocate for unaccompanied youth Linking homeless students with educational and other services, including preschool and health services Ensuring the public posting of educational rights through the school district and community; NCHE Educational Rights Posters are available at Ensuring that disputes are resolved promptly Collaborating with other district programs and community agencies

10 Determining Eligibility Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services Under the McKinney-Vento Act and Confirming Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Services: Do s and Don ts for Local Liaisons NCHE Information by Topic: Louisiana Homeless Education Memorandum Louisiana Student Residency Questionnaire Form (handout) Louisiana Dispute Resolution Policy: Bulletin 741, Section 341 at Louisiana legal citations: Search LA code at Loyola's McKinney-Vento-Status-Evaluation Form 10

11 Who Qualifies For Services? 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 Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of adequate alternative accommodations Living in emergency or transitional shelters Awaiting foster care placement Living in a public or private place not designed for living Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or a similar setting Migratory children and unaccompanied students living in the above circumstances

12 Determining Eligibility: The Ground Rules Determinations are made on a case-by-case basis by examining the living arrangement of each child or youth Some instances will be clear-cut; others will require further inquiry and then a judgment call Use fixed, regular, and adequate as your guiding principles; if the living arrangement does not meet all three criteria, it is considered a homeless situation The list of examples given in the definition describes common homeless situations, but is not exhaustive

13 Determining Eligibility: Fixed, Regular, and Adequate? Fixed: Stationary, permanent, and not subject to change Regular: Used on a predictable, routine, or consistent basis (e.g. nightly) Adequate: Sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments Can the student go to the SAME PLACE (fixed) EVERY NIGHT (regular) to sleep in a SAFE AND SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?

14 What If We Disagree? If there is a disagreement between the parents/youth and the school about whether the student is McKinney-Vento eligible, Louisiana s dispute resolution process should be followed. Under the dispute resolution process: The parent/guardian/unaccompanied youth must receive written notice of the district s decision, including information about their right to appeal The parent/guardian/unaccompanied youth should be referred to the local liaison for assistance with the appeal process. The student must be enrolled immediately in the requested school. The student must be provided with all services to which McKinney- Vento eligible students are entitled (e.g. transportation, Title I services, free meals). Enrollment must continue until the dispute is resolved. Louisiana Dispute Resolution Policy: Bulletin at

15 Determining Eligibility: The Process Step 1: Get the facts Use the Louisiana Student Residency Questionnaire **Must be included in schools enrollment packets Step 2: Analyze the facts Does the living situation fit into one of the specific examples of homelessness listed in the law? Does the living situation fit another type of situation that is not fixed, regular, and adequate? Use the Loyola's McKinney-Vento-Status-Evaluation form for additional next step questions (included in handouts)

16 Determining Eligibility: The Process (cont) Step 3: Get Additional Input Contact Laverne Dunn at (225) or Contact the NCHE Helpline at or

17 Determining Eligibility: Doubled-up McKinney-Vento defines doubled-up as sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason Considerations: Why did the family move in together? Due to a crisis or by mutual choice as a plan for mutual benefit? How permanent is the living arrangement intended to be? Where would the family live if not doubling up? Is the living arrangement fixed, regular, and adequate?

18 Determining Eligibility: Awaiting Foster Care Placement Louisiana does not have a formal policy State practice: Any students initially placed in temporary or short-term foster care are considered homeless while arrangements for long-term placements are being made Determine awaiting foster care placement eligibility on a case-by-case basis Collaborate with your local child welfare community Louisiana state law: LA RS 17:238

19 Louisiana s Homeless Education Memorandum Include LA Residency Questionnaire in all district enrollment packets Complete the Title X, Part C Referral Form to assess the needs of identified homeless students Inform parents, guardians, or youth of educational rights, including school or origin and transportation Local liaison must maintain student folders to include: Louisiana Residency Questionnaire Title X, Part C Referral Form

20 Unaccompanied Homeless Youth An unaccompanied youth s living arrangement must meet the Act s definition of homeless for him/her to qualify for McKinney-Vento services The McKinney-Vento defines unaccompanied youth as a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian There is no lower age limit for unaccompanied youth; the upper age limit (as with all McKinney-Vento eligible students) is your state s upper age limit for public education; Louisiana s upper age limit is 21 A youth can be eligible regardless of whether he/she was asked to leave the home or chose to leave; remember that sometimes there is more than meets the eye for youth s home life situations

21 The School s Charge 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

22 Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (cont) In Louisiana, schools are mandatory reporters of suspected abuse and neglect Running away is not a statutory offense in Louisiana; therefore, schools are not required to report runaways Visit es/state/ for useful information on state law

23 Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (cont) o Minor medical consent laws in Louisiana (search LA code at Emergencies: Consent is implied in emergencies (RS 40: ) General medical care: A minor who believes himself/herself to be afflicted with an illness or disease can consent to treatment (RS 40:1095) Pregnancy care: A minor can consent to treatment for the purpose of alleviating or reducing pain, discomfort, or distress of and during labor and childbirth (RS 40:1095) STD treatment: A minor who believes himself/herself to be afflicted with a venereal disease can consent to treatment (RS 40:1065.1) Substance Abuse Treatment: A minor who believes himself/herself to be addicted to a narcotic or other drug can consent to treatment (RS 40:1096)

24 Enrolling Unaccompanied Youth Common methods of enrollment: 1. Responsible adult enrolls (an option: use caregiver authorization form for contact information; can not be required for enrollment) 2. Youth enrolls himself/herself 3. Local liaison enrolls The person who enrolls the youth generally signs forms and makes educational decisions

25 Louisiana Homeless Education Memo Revise LEA policies, such as those related to attendance and credit accrual, to eliminate barriers to academic success for unaccompanied youth. Implement policies to address issues related to required signatures for unaccompanied youth to participate in field trips or extracurricular activities. Provide opportunities to enroll in diversified learning opportunities, such as vocational education, credit-for-work programs, and flexible school hours, yet ensure that they are integrated with the mainstream school environment, including extracurricular activities, as much as possible. Maintain a list of available surrogate parents to assist unaccompanied youth with their special education needs.

26 Unaccompanied Youth: Liability Concerns o Liability is based on negligence o Negligence: Conduct that falls below the standards of behavior established by law for the protection of others against unreasonable risk of harm; a person has acted negligently if he or she has departed from the conduct expected of a reasonably prudent person acting under similar circumstances o To establish liability: Must prove that there was the duty to act, that there was a failure to fulfill that duty, and that this failure caused harm to the student Note: This slide is not official legal advice; please consult with your district s general counsel when making decisions at the district level

27 Janet Janet shows up at your school to enroll, saying she left home because things weren t good there and is now staying with a friend that lives in the area. She seems hesitant to give more details. Poll: What do you think? If you responded that you needed more information, what additional information do you need? How would you respond if Janet s mom called your school saying she didn t want Janet enrolled there? Other questions?

28 Transportation Increasing School Stability for Students Experiencing Homelessness: Overcoming Challenges to Providing Transportation to the School of Origin and Transportation for Homeless Children and Youth: Strategies for Rural School Districts at NCHE Information by Topic: NCHE Forum: 28

29 Transportation: The Basics Under McKinney-Vento: Transportation must be provided to/from the school of origin if it is in the student s best interest to attend there Feasibility is based on the student s best interest and is a student-centered determination Transportation can figure into feasibility only to the extent that the commute affects the student s education Transportation must also be provided under McKinney- Vento s comparable services provision

30 Transportation: Covering the Cost McKinney-Vento subgrant funds can be used to cover the excess cost of transporting homeless students Title I funds can be used for non-school of origin transportation, if the transportation supports the child s education (e.g. afterschool programs, field trips, beforeschool programs, etc.) Can use general transportation funds or other funds, as appropriate

31 Transportation Strategies Think creatively (strategies from NCHE s rural transportation tip sheet) Reroute busses Consider logical transfer points (for intra-and interdistrict transportation); ask transportation personnel for assistance in mapping Use special education busses (often have the most flexibility in routing) Use alternative education busses Encourage afterschool program participation, as this broadens transportation options: more bus drivers may be available, parents may be able to pick up the child, Title I dollars can be used Use public transportation, as appropriate

32 The Title IA Set-Aside: The Basics o Title IA of ESEA requires districts to set aside Title IA funds to be used to serve homeless students o Homeless students are automatically eligible for Title IA services, even if they don t attend a Title IA school or meet the academic standards required of other students for eligibility o Homeless students are eligible to receive Title IA support for the rest of the academic year in the form of tutoring services at Title I designated schools and other forms of support if placement is not in a Title I school (i.e. assistance with graduation cap/gown).

33 The Title IA set-aside (cont) Federal law does not give any set method for determining the set-aside; some suggested methods include: Project for next year based on this year s numbers and any anticipated new needs or change Multiply the # of homeless students by the Title IA per pupil allocation Match your McKinney-Vento subgrant Reserve a % of your Title IA funds based on your district s poverty level Funds must be reserved even if no homeless students have been identified yet; in this case, 3% of the total student population is a good estimate

34 Using Title IA Set-Aside Funds Set-aside funds can be used to provide: Services to homeless students attending Title IA or non-title IA schools that are comparable to those provided to nonhomeless students in Title I schools Services to homeless students that are not ordinarily provided to other Title I students and that are not available from other sources, according to the need of the homeless student (e.g. comparable may not mean identical) Title I funds should be used to support the student in meeting the state s academic standards Homeless Liaisons that should familiarize themselves with egms Title I section 1113 Plans and Reservations. Public Access is available to anyone. Click on public access.

35 Permissible Usages o Used only when not available from other sources o Partial list: Clothing/shoes (school uniform/dress code/gym uniform) Fees to participate in the general education program School supplies Birth certificates necessary to enroll in school Medical/dental services (glasses, hearing aids, immunizations) Counseling for issues affecting learning Outreach services to students living in shelters, motels, and other temporary residences Extended learning time or tutoring support Supporting parent involvement Supporting the position of the local liaison o Full guidance: www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/guidance/title i-reform.pdf

36 Prohibited Usages of Funds o Transportation to/from the school of origin for the regular school day o Rent o Utilities o Clothing for parents

37 MOVING IN NEW DIRECTIONS A Unified Approach to School Improvement Planning