Under federal law (the McKinney-Vento Act), state and local educational agencies are required to develop, review, and revise policies to “remove barriers to the identification of homeless children and youths, and the enrollment and retention of homeless children and youths in schools in the State, including barriers to enrollment and retention due to outstanding fees or fines, or absences.” [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(I)].
This important requirement helps ensure that state and local policies are aligned with federal law, and that they do not create barriers that prevent children and youth experiencing homelessness from being identified, enrolled, and receiving the support they need to stay in school and succeed. We’ve created a checklist to help implement this requirement.
Purpose of the checklist:
- Assist local educational agencies in evaluating their own policies.
- Review the checklist with other LEA staff.
- Identify components within McKinney-Vento compliance.
- Highlight areas requiring policy adjustments and improvements in LEA practices.
Proud of your LEA policy on homelessness and want to share it with others? Please let us know by responding to this email. We’re collecting examples to share on our website.