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Information
on Meeting the Educational Needs of Students Displaced By
Hurricane Katrina
Prepared by the National Association for the Education of
Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), the National Center on
Homeless Education (NCHE), and the National Law Center on
Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP), September 2, 2005
For more articles like this
visit
https://www.bridges4kids.org.
The purpose of
this memo is to provide initial guidance about serving the
educational needs of storm victims.
Information on Meeting the Educational Needs of Students
Displaced By Hurricane Katrina
September 2, 2005
Many students from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama displaced
by hurricane Katrina are seeking refuge in other states. State
departments of education and local school districts are faced
with enrolling these students and providing services. This
process will be critical to children and youth whose lives have
been disrupted by the hurricane. Attending school will restore a
sense of normalcy while offering a critical source of stability
and support. However, educating these students is a developing
process and our partners in homeless education (National
Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth,
National Center on Homeless Education, National Law Center on
Homelessness & Poverty) will be continuing to provide you with
updates and information. The purpose of this memo is to provide
initial guidance about serving the educational needs of storm
victims.
Defining "Homelessness" Under the McKinney-Vento Act
Storm victims generally fit the definition of "homeless" under
the McKinney-Vento Act, which includes those who lack a fixed,
regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The Act further
specifies that students should be considered homeless if they
are in one of the following living situations:
- sharing the housing of others due to a loss off housing,
economic hardship, or a similar reason;
- motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to a
lack of alternative accommodations;
- emergency or transitional shelters;
- abandoned in hospitals;
- awaiting foster care placement;
- 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;
- cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard
housing, bus or train stations, or similar setting.
Enrolling New Students
Children and youth meeting the above criteria should be
immediately enrolled in the school district where they currently
reside. They do not need to provide birth certificates, school
records, immunization records, proof of guardianship, or proof
of residency to enroll in school. Given the lack of telephone
services at their former schools and the potential permanent
loss of school records, schools should begin new student files
and seek to make appropriate placements based on information
gathered from parents and students.
States that have imposed time limits on the collection of
records should make exceptions for storm victims. It could be
weeks and perhaps months before governmental agencies possessing
birth certificates, proof of guardianship, and academic records
are fully functioning and able to respond to request for
documents. Further, when they do resume business, they will be
overwhelmed with requests and possibly distracted by the need to
rebuild their internal infrastructures. Therefore, school
districts and states should be vigilant in ensuring that their
state-established records timelines do not lead to barriers to
enrollment and attendance that are prohibited under the
McKinney-Vento Act.
Finally, schools and districts should be aware that the
responsibility for obtaining records does not solely fall on
families. McKinney-Vento requires new schools to request
academic records while old schools must transfer those records.
The law further states that school district homeless liaisons
must assist families in obtaining necessary immunizations.
Monitoring Residential Movement
Some storm victims may move frequently before finally finding a
place to call home. Some may bounce between the homes of family
members and friends. Others may be living in shelters provided
by storm assistance efforts. As a result, their placements may
continue to change as organizers are able to make incrementally
better arrangements. The McKinney-Vento Act provides school
stability by allowing homeless students to continue attending
the same school, despite residential moves, if it is feasible
for them to do so and desired by their parents or guardians.
School transfers are detrimental to academic, social, and
emotional well-being, and should be avoided to the greatest
extent possible.
Transportation
If the district provides transportation for non-homeless
students, it must also provide transportation for homeless
students. If children and youth move within an area, they should
receive school bus service to their schools of origin.
School Meals
Generally, homeless students are automatically eligible for free
school meals. They should not be required to fill out forms or
present proof of income eligibility. The USDA has issued special
guidance in relation to storm victims.
Crisis-Related Services
Students may demonstrate great needs for mental health
counseling. They may also require essential material items such
as clothing, school supplies, books, and back packs. Although it
is permissible to use McKinney-Vento funds for these purposes,
more substantial resources may be available from other sources.
States and liaisons should contact government relief agencies
and charitable organizations to learn if they have available
funds or resources. We will post available information to NCHE's
website.
Other School Services
Homeless students are eligible for compensatory education,
bilingual education services, special education, or any other
programs offered by the local school district for which the
homeless child or youth is otherwise eligible. Homeless children
also should receive priority in pre-school placement.
Segregation
Young people affected by the storm live with constant reminders
of tragedy that they are still in the process of enduring. They
may be waking up on cots in temporary shelters and remaining in
those same spaces all day long. School is a time to escape these
situations and be a normal kid. Shelter classrooms would deprive
them of this vital component in improving their mental health.
Thus, it is important to for states and districts to remember
McKinney-Vento's prohibition against segregated educational
facilities. Such provisions are of great importance to those
students affected by Katrina. NCHE, NAEHCY, and NLCHP will post
updates on our websites.
Funding
Title 1 has a particular responsibility to serve homeless
students in both Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools. Title 1
Directors in districts assimilating large numbers of displaced
students may need to increase the amount of their district's
homeless Title I set-aside. Additional efforts are being made to
secure additional federal resources.
Sharing Information
Please share this information with relevant parties, including
state education and school district personnel, FEMA and relief
organizations, service workers, and affected families.
State and School District Policies
Many states and school districts are creating their own
education policies in relation to Katrina's victims. Many have
been making commendable efforts to reach beyond federal legal
requirements. Policies have addressed issues such as grief
counseling, additional trainings for school staff members,
increasing class size limits, and cross-state teacher
certification agreements. Samples of those policies will be
posted to NCHE's website.
Resource Information
NCHE, NAEHCY, and NLCHP will continue to keep you updated on any
developments.
To learn more,
please refer to the following:
Diana Bowman -
National Center on Homeless Education (NCHE)1-800-308-2145
http://www.serve.org/nche
Barbara Duffield
- National Association for the Education of Homeless Children &
Youth (NAEHCY)202-364-7392
http://www.naehcy.org
Joy Moses -
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP)
202-638-2535 http://www.nlchp.org
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