Homeless Assistance

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 and subsequently referred to as the McKinney-Vento Act, defines “homeless children and youths” as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.”   This includes children and youth who are:

• sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing or economic hardship
• living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, campgrounds, or similar settings
• living in emergency or transitional housing
• living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, or substandard housing

However, because the circumstances of homelessness vary with each family or unaccompanied youth, determining the extent to which the family or youth fits the definition must occur on a case-by-case basis.

The education provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act ensure Homeless educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Our department staff work in collaboration with campus staff and other departments to facilitate access to services.  For those who are eligible, these services include:

• Nutrition services
• Enrollment (Immediately)
• Transportation Assistance (School of Origin)
• Student Case Management
• School-Wide Programs
• Transition Planning

Every Klein ISD campus has a McKinney-Vento campus liaison.  Potential families will meet with the campus liaison to complete intake paperwork for the program.

Students who are experiencing homelessness have the right to attend school in their school of origin or in the school in the attendance area where the family or youth is currently residing. School of origin is defined as the school in which the child/youth was enrolled when they became homeless or the school in which the child/youth was last enrolled. The campus a child attends is determined by which campus can serve the best interests of the child. In Texas, a student experiencing homelessness may enroll in any district they choose, regardless of the location of their residence, school of origin, or attendance zone campus. [TEC § 25.001(b)(5)]

Disagreements over school enrollment and best interest determinations must be resolved through the dispute resolution process. While in the dispute resolution process the child is entitled to attend the campus in question until the matter is resolved.

Students experiencing homelessness have the right to transportation to their school of origin. This provision applies even if a student moves outside of the school of origins’ attendance zone or district boundaries. School of origin transportation must continue for the duration of the child’s homelessness or until the end of the school year in which a child becomes permanently housed.

Students experiencing homelessness who are not on a Title-I campus are eligible to receive Title-I services. These services are provided at the discretion of the LEA through existing Title-I programs or through the use of Title-I, Part A set-aside funds for students who are not on Title-I campuses. Students on Title-I campuses may receive additional supplemental services to the services being provided on their campus through the Title-I, Part A set-asides as well. Services may include personal school supplies, items of clothing that are necessary to meet a school’s dress requirement, immunizations, supplemental counseling services, tutoring, costs associated with credit recovery, or other similar activities to address a child’s opportunity for school success.