Homeless Education,
Rights and Services
ProceduresHandbook
BoiseSchool District
Revised September 2011
For an electronic version of this handbook, log onto
and go to Staff BSD Intranet. Click on the Counseling/Social Work
department and then the Homeless Education link.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The BoiseSchool District would like to acknowledge and give special thanks to the following individuals for their time, knowledge and dedication in the development of the original handbook during the 2009-2010 school year:
Committee Chair:Sherry TippingHomeless Education Consultant
School Homeless Liaison
High School Social Worker
Committee Members:Dr. Teri ThaemertNorth Junior High Principal Rebecca Woodland School Homeless Liaison
BorahHigh SchoolSocial Worker/CRW
Wendy LimingSchool Homeless Liaison
LesBoisJunior High School Nurse
Ann TuthillSchool Homeless Liaison
GarfieldElementary SchoolCounselor
Sarah DunnSchool Homeless Liaison
Collister/Pierce Park School Counselor
Supervisor:Sandy RumpelDistrict Homeless Liaison
K-12 Counselor/Social Worker Supervisor
Homelessness is a temporary experience of residential loss or instability, and the term homeless is not a permanent or definitional label. Therefore, the term student(s) experiencing homelessness is used throughout this handbook.
Adapted from materials from the NCHE Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit.
Table of Contents
- Homeless Education Overview
a.Homeless Assistance Act
b.Flow Chart of Process
c.Homeless Liaisons’ Role
d.BoiseSchool District Policy
- Definitions
a.Homelessness
b.Awaiting Foster Care
c.Migratory Children
d.Unaccompanied Youth
e.School of Origin
f.Power of Attorney vs. Legal Guardianship
- Caregiver Authorization Form
- Student Identification
a.BoiseSchool District Student Enrollment Form
b.Census Verification
- Eligibility
a.Verifying Homeless Eligibility form
b.Verifying Homeless Eligibility flow chart
- Identifying Services
a.Identifying Services Form
b.School Placement
- School Selection Checklist
- Written Notification of Eligibility and/or School PlacementDecision form
c.Immediate Enrollment
d.Clothing/Personal Hygiene
e.School Supplies and Fees
f.Free School Meals/Food
- Free Meals Eligibility Documentation for Homeless Students form
g.Health Care
h.Mental Health
i.Academic Needs
j.Transportation
- McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act APPLICATION FOR TRANSPORTATION form
k.Community Resources
- Dispute Resolution
a.Dispute Resolution Process
b.Eligibility and/or School Placement Appeal Request form
- Data Collection and Program Evaluation
a.Infinite Campus
b.Accountability Reporting
- Annual Staff In-service PowerPoint
- Resources
Homeless Education Overview
Purpose
The Homeless Assistance Act was designed to address the problems that students experiencing homelessness have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, State Educational Agencies (SEAs) must ensure that each child and youth experiencing homelessness has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth. Students experiencing homelessness should have access to the educational and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, students experiencing homelessness may not be separated from the mainstream school environment.
Definition of Services
Students experiencing homelessness must be provided with services that are
comparable to services offered to other students not experiencing homelessness.
These services include public preschool programs and educational programs or
services for which a student experiencing homelessness meets the eligibility criteria,
such as programs for children with disabilities, programs for students with limited
English proficiency, vocational education, programs for gifted and talented students,
before-and-after-school programs, school nutrition programs, and transportation.
It is important to make sure, when identifying needed services, that ALL of the
students’ educational needs are address. Consider what barriers to education can
be removed by applying the Homeless Assistance Act and what is in the best
interest of the student.
Dissemination of Educational Rights
All schools within the BoiseSchool District shall ensure that public notice of the
educational rights of students in homeless situations is disseminated where children
and youth receive services. Each school homeless liaison will be provided with posters
in English and Spanish and ensure they are visible to families and students in each of
their schools. Whenever possible, posters will also be disseminated to homeless/runaway shelters, post offices, public housing authorities, low-cost motels, faith-based organizations, libraries, welfare departments, Laundromats, convenience stores, and other businesses at which families who are homeless or at risk of losing their housing may learn about their educational rights.
NEW ENROLLMENTS:CURRENTLY ENROLLED:
Family/student completesStudent is identified by self,
BSD EnrollmentForm andpeer, or staff as possibly identifies self as homeless being homeless
Student(s) is Family/student is referred to the enrolled school’s Homeless Liaison
to complete the
“Verifying Homeless Eligibility” form
District Homeless Liaison’s Role
- Review policies and procedures to determine if there are potential barriers for students experiencing homelessness and seek to have them revised as necessary.
- Ensure that students experiencing homelessness are identified by school personnel, enroll and receive equal opportunity to succeed in school.
- Ensure that families and studentsexperiencing homelessness receive educational services for which they are eligible.
- Assist in the resolution of disputes, ensuring that they are mediated in accordance with the state’s dispute resolution process.
- Ensure that the parents or guardians of students experiencing homelessness are fully informed of all educational rights.
- Collaborate and coordinate with state coordinators, community service providers, and school personnel responsible for the provision of education and related services to students experiencing homelessness.
- Provide professional development at the district level, to school liaisons, service providers, and advocates who work with families and students experiencing homelessness to build awareness of the educational needs of students experiencing homelessness, legal responsibilities of the school and liaisons, and local policies and procedures.
- Provide outreach to community service providers and conduct a needs assessment to determine what needs to be improved in the district’s efforts to serve students experiencing homelessness.
- Conduct an evaluation of the district’s homeless education program.
School Homeless Liaison’s Role
- Comply with the district’s policies and procedures for providing educational services to students experiencing homelessness.
- Notify the district liaison if any policies or procedures present a barrier for students experiencing homelessness.
- Assist families experiencing homelessness when enrolling in school and accessing educational services.
- Inform parents or guardians of educational and related opportunities that are available to their children.
- Ensure parents are provided meaningful opportunities to participate in their children’s education such as school conferences and activities.
- Facilitate transportation arrangements.
- Display notice of educational rights of students experiencing homelessness in their school(s).
- Provide training, at least annually, to school staff regarding educational needs ofstudents experiencing homelessness, role of the liaison and legal responsibilities of the school.
- Identify the needs of the student experiencing homelessness and connect them with the appropriate services and resources.
BoiseSchool District Policy
2231
Page 1 of 2
Homeless Education, Rights and Services
The Board is committed to maintaining an educational environment that protects and promotes dignity, individual worth, and mutual respect for each individual, and is free from harassment. Each student deserves the opportunity to participate in a safe, supportive atmosphere that promotes equal opportunities, free from all forms of discrimination.
The Board recognizes the right of all students, including those students experiencing homelessness to:
- Receive a free, appropriate public education;
- Have meaningful opportunities to succeed in school;
- Participate fully in school activities; and
- Have equal access to all educational programs and services for which they are eligible.
Enrollment
The principal or designee is legally required to enroll and have in attendance students experiencing homelessness within one full day of an attempt to enroll.
School Selection Determination
School selection for students experiencing homelessness should:
- Be based on the “best interest” of the student;
- Be based on the wishes of the parent/guardian/liaison;
- Keep the student in the school of origin, to the extent feasible;
- Be made on a case-by-case basis; and
- Be for the duration of the current school year.
Transportation
The District shall provide students experiencing homelessness with transportation services in accordance with Federal and State laws. Transportation will be provided for the entire time the student has a right to attend that school, including during pending disputes. Parents, guardians and unaccompanied youth will be informed of their right to transportation before school selection is determined.
Free Meals
Once a student is verified as homeless, the student shall be expeditiously enrolled for free access to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.
Disputes
In compliance with Federal and State law, the Superintendent or designee shall develop procedures to resolve disputes regarding the rights and services of students experiencing homelessness. If the dispute is not resolved through the District’s procedures, the grievant has the right to appeal to the Idaho State Department of Education.
DEFINITIONS
Liaison: the staff person designated by each school as the person responsible for homeless education, rights and services.
Students Experiencing Homelessness: students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including those who:
- Are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardships, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, campgrounds, or trailer parks due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement.
- Have a primary nighttime residence that is a private or public place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
- Are living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting.
- Are migratory and living in a situation described above.
Unaccompanied Youth: a student not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian, who is homeless as defined above.
School of Origin: the school the student attended when the student was permanently housed or the school in which the student was last enrolled.
Adopted: 7/1/10 (3/22/10) Reviewed: Revised:
Cross Reference:Attendance – Absences and Tardies #3121
Bully, Hazing and Harassment #3231
Civil Rights #3211
Free and Reduced Price Meals#8211
Immunization #3411
Student Enrollment #3110
Student Qualifications for Transportation #8110
Handbook Reference:Homeless Education, Rights and Services Handbook
Legal Reference:Idaho Code 33-1404
McKinley-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (2001, Section 724(g)) as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 42 USC 11431, et seq.
Definitions
Homelessness
The Homeless Assistance Act defines “homeless children and youth” as individuals who lack
a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes:
- Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; living in emergency or transitional shelters; abandoned in hospitals; or awaiting foster care placement.
- Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
- Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
- Migratory children or unaccompanied youth who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.
Awaiting Foster Care
Awaiting foster care placement is included in the definition of homelessness in the Homeless Assistance Act and all rights and services apply to this population of students experiencing homelessness. However, the Act does not provide a specific definition of what ‘awaiting foster care placement’ means and leaves it up to the individual state to determine which students qualify for services under this category. With input from the Department of Health & Welfare and until otherwise directed by the state, ‘Awaiting Foster Care Placement’ has been identified as:
- A temporary placement or shelter care order, such as Hays Shelter Home, after the student has been removed from the home and before being placed in the legal custody of the Department of Health & Welfare;
- A situation in which a student is initially placed in a foster care setting that cannot committo caring for the student for the duration of placement that is necessary; or
- A hospital or other institutional placement only when the student’s release is being delayed due to a lack of placement.
The school liaison should make every effort, to the extent feasible, to coordinate school placement, transportation and other school related services with the Child Protection or Foster Care representative.
Migratory Children
Migrant students must have a “Certificate of Eligibility” (COE) on file in order to be considered “migrant” for educational purposes. Local liaisons should coordinate with the district’s migrant education staff to identify migrant students eligible for homeless services through the Homeless Assistance Act.
Unaccompanied Youth
An unaccompanied 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).
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. However, a student 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 a student’s home life situation.
A school can not require a caregiver to obtain legal guardianship at any point prior to
or following an unaccompanied student’s enrollment and they 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.
Unaccompanied youth, as verified by a local liaison, shelter worker, or other authorized person, can apply for federal financial aid using the FAFSA without a parent/guardian signature and without consideration for parent/guardian income
School of Origin
The school of origin is defined as the school the student attended when the student was permanently housed or the school in which the student was last enrolled.
For a student that is attending a school on open enrollment and then becomes homeless, the school of origin is the school in which the student was last enrolled (the open enrollment school) and therefore has the right to continue attending if the parents request it and it’s determined in the best interest of the student.
For transportation of students residing outside of the school of origin’s attendance area, refer to policies #2231 Homeless Education, Rights and Services and #8110 Student Qualifications for Transportation.
Please refer to the School Selection Checklist form, located in the Identifying Services section, when determining if remaining in the school of origin is feasible and in the student’s best interest.
Power of Attorney versus Legal Guardianship
A Power of Attorney is a document that gives one person the right to act for another person in business and legal matters, including education. A Power of Attorney is temporary and does not have to be approved by the courts or a judge. A Power of Attorney does not take away parental rights or guardianship. Although not required for caretakers of unaccompanied homeless youth, it is always best practice to obtain a Power of Attorney when possible. If unable to obtain a Power of Attorney, have the caretaker(s) complete a Caregiver Authorization Form, located in this, Definitions, section.
A legal guardian is a person who has been appointed by a judge to take care of another person. Guardianship of a child takes away the parents’ right to make decisions about their child’s life. However, it does not permanently terminate parental rights. This means that although the guardian now has custody and is responsible for raising the child, the parents are still the child’s legal parents.
This form is intended to address the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 107-110) requirement that children experiencing homelessness have access to education and other services for which they are eligible. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act states specifically that barriers to enrollment must be removed. In some cases, a student who is homeless may not choose to or be able to reside with his/her parent or guardian; however, this fact does not nullify the student’s right to receive a free, appropriate public education.
Instructions:
Complete this form for a minor student presenting himself/herself for enrollment while not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian and when no Power-of-Attorney has been assigned.
- To authorize the enrollment and/or address school-related issues for a student already enrolled; and
- To authorize school-based medical care such as wound care, emergency care, medication distribution, allergy accommodations, etc.
I am 18 years of age or older and have agreed to fulfill the role of caregiver for the minor student named below.