Do school districts have the responsibility to identify or locate children and youth experiencing homelessness?
Yes. Every school district must designate a homeless liaison for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The McKinney-Vento Act requires liaisons to ensure that homeless children and youths are identified by school personnel and through coordination with other entities and agencies. 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. Do’s and Don’ts for District Homeless Liaisons and Enrollment Staff and Ten Startegies School District Can Use to Help Homeless Students provide strategies for homeless liaisons.
Yes. The McKinney-Vento Act requires school districts to ensure that “homeless children and youths are identified by school personnel and through coordination with other entities and agencies.” 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(6)(A). The purpose of identification is to offer appropriate services to the family, child or youth. Q: The McKinney-Vento Act states that children and youth who lack “a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” will be considered homeless. 42 U.S.C. §11434A(2). Is there any guidance on what “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” means? A: The Act does not define those terms. However, the following definitions may provide guidance: • Fixed: Securely placed or fastened; Not subject to change or fluctuation. (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.) A fixed residence is one that is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change. • Regular: Normal, standard; Constituted, conducted, or done in conformity with established or prescribed usages,
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