The McKinney-Vento Act as amended by ESSA requires school district liaisons to ensure that public notice of educational rights is disseminated in “locations frequented by parents, guardians, and unaccompanied youth,” in a “manner and form understandable to them.” Today, many families and youth get information from the internet. This makes it important for school district websites to contain information about the McKinney-Vento Act. Is your school district’s website a McKinney-Vento tool? We’ve created a simple guide to help.

1. Assessment:

Are your websites McKinney-Vento tools?

• Is there McKinney-Vento information on your district website?
  • Yes
  • No
  • Don’t Know
• Are the websites mobile-friendly?
  • Yes
  • No
  • Don’t Know
• Is there McKinney-Vento information on individual school websites?
  • Yes
  • No
  • Don’t Know
• Is the information in a form understandable to parents and students?
  • Yes
  • No
  • Don’t Know

2. Improvement:

What information needs to be on the websites to make them McKinney-Vento tools?

• What legal information should be on the websites?
  • What information about students’ and parents’ rights?
  • What information about services?
  • What information about disputes?
  • What other information?
• Whose contact information in the district and at school buildings?
• Whose contact information in the community?

3. Get Practical:

• What steps do you need to take administratively to get this information on the websites?
• Whose help do you need?
• As you wait for website updates to happen, how can you get information out in the
  meantime?
  • Where can you put posters and brochures?
  • What community organizations can put information on their websites quickly?
  • How else can you get McKinney-Vento information out there?

Legal Reference: Local educational agencies must:

• “ensure that public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths is disseminated in locations
  frequented by parents or guardians of such children and youths, and unaccompanied youths, including schools,
  shelters, public libraries, and soup kitchens, in a manner and form understandable to the parents and guardians of
  homeless children and youths, and unaccompanied youths.” 42 USC §11432(g)(6)(A)(vi).
• “inform school personnel, service providers, advocates working with homeless families, parents and guardians of
  homeless children and youths, and homeless children and youths of the duties of the [LEA] liaisons.” 42 USC
  §11432(g)(6)(B).