What is McKinney-Vento? 

Subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.) is included in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. The reauthorization requires that children and youths experiencing homelessness are immediately enrolled in school and have educational opportunities equal to those of their non-homeless peers. The statute requires every public school district and charter holder to designate a Homeless Liaison to ensure that homeless students are identified and their needs are being met.

In order to supplement services to these children and youths, the U.S. Department of Education provides funding for state and local activities. These dollars are allocated to the local education agencies through a competitive grant process, based on need and program quality.

Who may be considered homeless under the law?

According to McKinney-Vento definitions homeless children and youth may include those:
  • In a shelter, temporary shared housing, or transitional living program
  • In a hotel/motel, campground, or similar situation due to lack of alternatives
  • At a bus station, park, car, or abandoned building

Unaccompanied Youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence also have rights under McKinney-Vento. According to the law the term 'unaccompanied youth' includes a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

 

Students who have moved from school to school due to a migratory lifestyle and whose parents work or are actively pursuing work in agriculture may be eligible for additional resources through the Migrant Education Program.  

 

 

Students who have moved to the district in the past 12 months because of a change in the parent's employment in the agricultural field including: 

 

Working in a nursery	Watering trees or plants
Picking fruits or vegetables	Working in the orchards
Working on a ranch, farm or in the fields	Cultivating, harvesting, planting
Working in a dairy	Packing fruits or vegetables
Operating farm machinery (tractors)

 

If you believe your child qualifies for either program, please call (480) 987-5319.