TEACH-NW

The rights of homeless children and youth to have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education provided to other children is ensured under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Subtitle VII-B, Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program, enacted in 1987.  Students qualify for McKinney-Vento Homeless Program assistance when they reside in living situations that are not fixed, regular, and/or adequate. 

 The Act requires that every district designate a Homeless Liaison to identify and provide services to homeless students and to contribute to the annual data collection on pre-school (ages 3-5) through grade 12 public school-enrolled homeless children and youth.  The Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program works to ensure that school age-eligible homeless children and youth are provided with immediate school enrollment and access to education services, despite lack of a permanent residence, a supervising parent or legal guardian, or lack of records from a previous school.  To reduce frequent school changes, districts are required to stabilize homeless students in their school of origin, even though the transportation route might involve crossing district boundaries. 

 How is “Homeless” defined?  For the purposes of the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program under the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act, homeless children and youth “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” A homeless family could live in an emergency shelter or transitional housing unit, share housing with others due to loss of housing or economic hardship, reside in motels, or live in tents or trailers for lack of alternative, adequate housing.  Unaccompanied minors who have been abandoned by their parents or who have run away from home – whatever the reason – are also eligible for educational rights and services as homeless students.

Mike Deeds
McKinney-Vento Liaison/Principal-Teacher
P.O. Box 70365 Springfield, OR, 97475
mdeeds@marcola.k12.or.us
541-952-1142