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Homelessness | McKinney-Vento

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Lorain City Schools provides direct and comprehensive instructional and support services to children and youth in transition (i.e., residing in temporary emergency shelters, transitional housing, and doubled-up students staying with other families due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar situations) to ensure a kind and compassionate approach to addressing the rights of children and youth under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. 

Our approach is to deliver instructional and support services necessary to facilitate access to free and appropriate education by removing barriers that include but are not limited to enrollment, food services, and transportation. Our goal is to meet students’ physical, social and emotional needs and empower parents to support their children. 

What is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act? The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law first signed into law by President Ronald Reagan and has been reauthorized several times throughout the years. In 2001, the Bush Administration passed the No Child Left Behind Act reauthorizing the McKinney-Vento Act to ensure that homeless children are provided the same opportunity at public education as other children and youth. It is designed to support the enrollment and education of homeless students. McKinney-Vento is intended to provide homeless students the same educational opportunities as housed students by removing as many barriers to learning for homeless students as possible.

HOMELESSNESS DEFINED

  • A student experiencing homelessness is defined as an individual who lacks fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime including:

  • Sharing housing with other people due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
  • Living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or campground due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
  • Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
  • Abandonment in hospitals;
  • A primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
  • Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;
  • Migratory students living in the circumstances described above;
  • An unaccompanied youth who is experiencing homelessness and not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

IS YOUR FAMILY TEMPORARILY STAYING IN: someone else’s house or apartment due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason? a hotel or motel? a shelter? a car, park, campground, abandoned building, or other inadequate space?

If your family is staying in these living situations, your children have the right to receive extra services and supports in school under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. These include:

  • Staying in the same school, even if you move, and receiving free transportation to and from that school if it is in your best educational interest to stay

  • Immediate enrollment, even if you don’t have the documents that are typically required for enrollment

  • Receiving free school meals

  • Connecting younger children to early childhood services

  • College readiness assistance for high school students

  • Referrals to the community for help with other needs

CONTACT US!

 
LORAIN CITY SCHOOLS ENGAGEMENT CENTER
2601 Pole Avenue, Lorain, OH 44052
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
 
HELP LINE (440) 830-HELP (4357)
SPANISH (440) 830-4088
EMAIL help@lorainschools.org
 
Stephanie Alexander Johnson
Homeless Liaison

EMAIL ME!

 

GET HELP!
 

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Procedures for resolving disputes regarding school selection and enrollment will be established. Parents/guardians of homeless students will be informed of their rights and the dispute resolution process.
 
Admission of Homeless Student Dispute Resolution Policy
 
LCS Homeless Liaison 
Stephanie M. Alexander-Johnson
 
ODE State Homeless Education Coordinator / ODE Coordinators of Homeless Education:
Brittany Miracle | EMAIL                      
Ashley Heuser | EMAIL
Jordan Falb | EMAIL
 
Email homeless issues
homelesseducation@education.ohio.gov  
614-369-4918