What is the best way to handle situations where a parent has been untruthful about their living situation? A family told me in August they had lost their housing and were living doubled up with a sister outside of our district (20 miles away). We set up transportation. Recently, another staff member was talking with the mom about another issue, and the mom revealed that she actually had bought the new house and was not living with a sister. Should I revoke the bus even though we’ve been transporting for almost half of the year? Remove the McKinney-Vento flag and automatic free lunch status?

Answer: There are some steps you need to follow under the law. First, you have to put in writing why you believe the family did not meet the definition of homelessness, and information about how the parent can dispute the decision if she wishes. If anything was lost in translation – for example, if she started out doubled-up and then bought a house – she’ll have the opportunity to share any supporting information.

If she chooses not to dispute your decision, or if the dispute process results in a determination that the family was never eligible, then yes, you would remove McKinney-Vento status and tell the parent that she can apply for free lunch through the usual application process. For educational stability purposes, it likely would be best for the student to continue at your school for the rest of the year. It would be a best practice to offer that stability to the student, if his mother can provide/arrange transportation. However, that is not required if her McKinney-Vento status was fraudulent.

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