Rebecca Derenge WV Mc KinneyVento Homeless Coordinator Homeless
Rebecca Derenge, WV Mc. Kinney-Vento “Homeless” Coordinator Homeless Family Sojourner’s Family Shelter
Two Pots of Money Support “Homeless” Students in West Virginia • Money provided through the Federal Government as a separate Entitlement Grant called Mc. Kinney-Vento “Homeless Children and Youth Education” in the amount of $595, 853. 00 in 2018 -2019 distributed in Mc. Kinney-Vento Grants to counties to assist homeless students. • And a Title I set-aside for just “Homeless” identified students as part of the counties’ Title I Application 1
Title I set-aside for “homeless” identified students Title I, Part A, Title X, Part C, Education for Homeless Children and Youth § The LEA shall reserve Title I, Part A funds to provide comparable services to homeless children that assist them to effectively take advantage of educational opportunities as provided to children in schools funded under Title I, Part A. 2
Title I set-aside requirement for Homeless § The set-aside is not determined by a set formula § It is determined by the LEA, as appropriate based on need § Is reviewed by the State as part of the Title I Application to ensure it’s based on need 3
Allowable Uses for Title I Homeless Education Set Asides § Provide academic support as well as non-academic support to homeless students in non-Title I schools § Provide activities other than direct instruction that promotes student achievement § Caps/Gowns for Graduation § SAT/ACT Testing Fees § Meet basic needs (clothing, supplies, health) of homeless students § Support a homeless liaison position § Hire special teachers, aides and tutors to provide supplemental instruction § Reach out to parents in homeless situations § Provide before-, after-school or summer programs § Collect data on homeless students 4
• West Virginia State Coordinator for Mc. Kinney-Vento and Neglected and Delinquent • According to West Virginia School Law each of the 55 Districts must have a Mc. Kinney-Vento Liaison who is also the Attendance Director • Data is gathered through the West Virginia Educational Information System (WVEIS) for State, local and EDFACTS reporting. • Due to the opioid crisis in West Virginia a disproportionate number of children are with Grandparents, Kinship Care and Foster Care making it necessary to implement trauma-invested practices to meet students’ needs, both in and out of school. • WVDE and DHHR have worked together to establish guidance on keeping both homeless and foster children in “the school of origin”. 5
Removed from Mc. Kinney-Vento Law • “Awaiting foster care and/or foster care placement” has been removed as an identifier for Mc. Kinney-Vento Homeless as of December 10, 2016 and is now under Title I, Part A and only as it pertains to “School of Origin” determination. • “School of Origin” means a child identified as foster or homeless has the right to remain in the last school he/she attended prior to becoming foster or homeless. This is decided through a “best interest determination” for both sides. 6
Transportation of “Homeless” Students • LEAs will adopt policies and practices to ensure that transportation is provided or arranged for homeless children and youths, at the request of the parent or guardian, to and from the school of origin for the duration of their homelessness 7
Mc. Kinney-Vento “Homeless” Identification • Shelter, transitional housing • Doubled-up – living with another family • Unsheltered (e. g. , cars, parks, campgrounds, temporary trailer, or abandoned buildings) • Hotels/Motels • Unaccompanied Youth 8
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IT’S THE LAW • THAT SHELTER CHILDREN ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITHOUT DELAY • AND ARE PROVIDED COMPARABLE SERVICES TO TITLE I IDENTIFIED SCHOOLS/STUDENTS INCLUDING FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH. 10
Counties are responsible to provide the following: • LEAs will adopt policies and practices to ensure that homeless children and youths are not stigmatized or segregated on the basis of their status as homeless. • LEAs will designate an appropriate staff person as a LEA liaison for homeless children and youths, who will fulfill his/her required duties and ensure equal access to a free, appropriate public education for homeless children and youths. In most instances, West Virginia’s County Attendance Director is also the Homeless Liaison. 11
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• Homeless children witness more violence and are more likely to exhibit frequent aggressive and antisocial behavior, increased fearfulness, higher levels of depression and anxiety, and have a greater acceptance of violence as a means of resolving conflict. • Of the children experiencing homelessness, 36% repeat a grade and 21% repeat a grade because of frequent absence from school, compared to 5% of other children; 14% repeat a grade because they have moved to a new school, compared to 5% of “housed” children. • Within one year, 40% of homeless children attend two different schools and 28% attend three or more different schools. 13
• How do we educate children to the best of our ability in light of poverty, dysfunctional families, opioids, transient populations, increases in foster placements, mental health and trauma to include social and emotional indicators and strategies and still teach to the standards and move schools forward in a modern society in order to provide an efficient and effective work force? 14
“SEE ME, MY NAME IS… I AM YOU! 15
Contact Information: • Rebecca Derenge, Mc. Kinney-Vento “Homeless” Coordinator for West Virginia, WVDE rderenge@k 12. wv. us 304 -558 -7805 x 53204 16
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