Answer: If a student is identified as experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Act this school year, and later in the year is taken into child welfare custody and put in foster care, the district can continue serving the student under McKinney-Vento for the rest of this school year, like any other previously McKinney-Vento student. If the student is still in foster care next school year, the student must be served under the Title I foster care provision next year.
Since the Title I foster care provisions require local plans to provide transportation to the school of origin, your district and local child welfare agency may elect to serve the student under the Title I foster care provisions. The bottom line under both the McKinney-Vento Act and Title I is that the student must be allowed to continue in the school of origin, if in the student’s best interest. Local agreements regarding payment for transportation may vary.