Education for Homeless Children

MJUSD
DIVISION 6000
INSTRUCTION

EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN

The Governing Board desires to ensure that homeless students have access to the same free and appropriate public education provided to other students within the district. The district shall provide homeless students with access to education and other services necessary for them to meet the same challenging academic standards as other students.

The Superintendent or designee shall identify and remove any barriers to the identification and enrollment of homeless students and to the retention of homeless students due to absences or outstanding fees or fines.  (42 USC 11432)

When there are at least 15 homeless students in the district or a district school, the district's local control and accountability plan (LCAP) shall include goals and specific actions to improve student achievement and other outcomes of homeless students.  (Education Code 52052, 52060)

The Superintendent or designee shall designate an appropriate staff person to serve as a liaison for homeless children and youths. The district liaison shall fulfill the duties specified in 42 USC 11432 to assist in identifying and supporting homeless students to succeed in school.

In order to identify district students who are homeless, the Superintendent or designee may give a housing questionnaire to all parents/guardians during school registration, make referral forms readily available, include the district liaison's contact information on the district and school web sites, provide materials in a language easily understood by families and students, provide school staff with professional development on the definition and signs of homelessness, and contact appropriate local agencies to coordinate referrals for homeless children and youth and unaccompanied youth.

Information about a homeless student's living situation shall be considered part of a student's educational record, subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and shall not be deemed to be directory information as defined in 20 USC 1232g.  (42 USC 11432)

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that placement decisions for homeless students are based on the student's best interest as defined in law and administrative regulation.

Each homeless student shall be provided services that are comparable to services offered to other students in the school, including, but not limited to, transportation, educational programs for which the student meets the eligibility criteria (such as federal Title I services or similar state or local programs, programs for students with disabilities, and educational programs for English learners), career and technical education programs, programs for gifted and talented students, and school nutrition programs.  (42 USC 11432)

Homeless students shall not be segregated into a separate school or program based on their status as homeless and shall not be stigmatized in any way.  However, the Superintendent or designee may separate homeless students on school grounds as necessary for short periods of time for health and safety emergencies or to provide temporary, special, and supplementary services to meet the unique needs of homeless students.  (42 USC 11432, 11433)

The Superintendent or designee shall coordinate with other agencies and entities to ensure that homeless children and youth are promptly identified, ensure that homeless students have access to and are in reasonable proximity to available education and related support services, and raise the awareness of school personnel and service providers of the effects of short-term stays in a shelter and other challenges associated with homelessness. Toward these ends, the Superintendent or designee shall collaborate with local social services agencies, other agencies or entities providing services to homeless children and youth, and, if applicable, transitional housing facilities. In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall coordinate transportation, transfer of school records, and other interdistrict activities with other local educational agencies. As necessary, the Superintendent or designee shall coordinate, within the district and with other involved local educational agencies, services for homeless students and services for students with disabilities.  (42 USC 11432)

District liaisons and other appropriate staff shall participate in professional development and other technical assistance activities to assist them in identifying and meeting the needs of homeless students and to provide training on the definitions of terms related to homelessness.  (42 USC 11432)

At least annually, the Superintendent or designee shall report to the Board on outcomes for homeless students, which may include, but are not limited to, school attendance, student achievement test results, promotion and retention rates by grade level, graduation rates, suspension/expulsion rates, and other outcomes related to any goals and specific actions identified in the LCAP. Based on the evaluation data, the district shall revise its strategies as needed to better support the education of homeless students.

Legal Reference:

EDUCATION CODE

39807.5 Payment of transportation costs by parents

48850  Educational rights of homeless and foster youth

48852.5  Notice of educational rights of homeless students

48852.7 Enrollment of homeless students

48915.5  Recommended expulsion, homeless student with disabilities

48918.1  Notice of recommended expulsion

51225.1-51225.3  Graduation requirements

52052  Accountability; numerically significant student subgroups

52060-52077  Local control and accountability plan

CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5

4600-4670  Uniform complaint procedures

UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20

1087vv  Free Application for Federal Student Aid; definitions

1232g Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

6311  Title I state plan; state and local educational agency report cards

UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 42

11431-11435 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

12705 Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act; state and local strategies

 

Management Resources:

CALIFORNIA CHILD WELFARE COUNCIL PUBLICATIONS

Partial Credit Model Policy and Practice Recommendations

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS

Homeless Education Dispute Resolution Process, January 30, 2007

NATIONAL CENTER FOR HOMELESS EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS

Homeless Liaison Toolkit, 2013

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GUIDANCE

Dear Colleague Letter, July 27, 2016

Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program, Non-Regulatory Guidance, July 2016

WEB SITES

California Child Welfare Council:  http://www.chhs.ca.gov/Pages/CAChildWelfareCouncil.aspx

California Department of Education, Homeless Children and Youth Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/hs/cy

National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE:  http://www.serve.org/nche

National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty:  http://www.nlchp.org

U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/programs/homeless/index.html

Governing Board Adoption 9/8/21

 

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