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McKinney– Vento Homeless Assistance ActIf your family lives in any one of the following situations:
- On the street
- In a shelter, motel, or campground
- In an abandoned building, trailer or any inadequate accommodation
- Doubled up, living with others because you can’t find affordable housing
Your preschool and school aged children have certain rights and protectionsunder the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act—those rights are:- to go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there
- to stay in their original or last school even though they move to another
district
- to get transportation to their original school
- to enroll immediately in a new school
- to receive automatically free breakfast and lunch at school
- to receive Title 1 services
- to receive all the educational and supplemental services that all other
children are provided
Parents and Gaurdians:
Please fill out this form if you or your family are experiencing homelessnessThe McKinney-Vento HomelessEducation Assistance Act states:Homeless children and youth must have accessto the education and other services that suchchildren and youth need to ensure that childrenand youth have an opportunity to meet the samechallenging state student academic achievementstandards to which all students are held. Homelessstudents have the right to enroll in theirneighborhood school without records, i.e. birthcertificates, transcripts, immunization, academicand/or evaluations for special education.Under McKinney-Vento, homeless studentsmust be given the same access to education asother students and cannot be separated from otherstudents.
Local Liaison for Homeless Education:Kim Sackett : sackettk@rainier.wednet.eduState Liaison for Homeless Education:Melinda Dyer: 360-725-6050Community Resourcesfor the HomelessFood:Rainier Emergency Food Center360-446-2517WIC (Women, Infants, Children)1-800-841-1410DSHS Community Services Office877-501-2233Health/MedicalMedical Assistance for Children877-501-2233Sea Mar Community Health CenterDental: 360-570-8016Medical: 360-704-2900Yelm Office: 360-400-4800Housing:Safe Shelter888-698-1825Safeplace360-754-6300Hotlines:Crisis Line360-586-2800Emergency Shelter Network:844-628-7343Haven House:360-754-1151Child Protective Services360-725-6700School’s Responsibility- Help students to enroll in school if needed
- Help students obtain meals and snacks at school
- Help to ensure that homeless students have access to all of the
programs and services offered at school
- Help to obtain educational and immunization records
- Help students and families to obtain health insurance, primary care, and immunizations
if needed
- Help identify homeless students, including children in ECAEP and Head Start
Parents’ Responsibility- Make sure your child attends school regularly and completes homework and projects on
time
- Attend Parent/Teacher conferences and other school related activities
- Stay informed of school rules, regulations and consequences when students break rules
- Participate in school decision making activities such as IEP’s, 504 plans, etc. for
your childHomeless students have the right to remain in their school or origin for the duration of the school year; even if they move outside of the district.
Definition of Homelessness: Children and youth who lack a regular adequate and fixed nighttime residence including: children who share housing with other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship; children living in emergency or transitional shelters; children living in motels, campgrounds, trailer parks, etc. as well as unaccompanied youth.Some statistics regarding homelessness:- Over 3 million men, women, and children become homeless each year. The demand
for shelters has increased annually by 14%.
- Reported barriers by school districts that may inhibit the education of homeless
children are domestic violence, lack of adequate housing and transportation, and lack of adequate family support systems.
- In the 2009-2010 school year, 21,826 students were identified as homeless in Washington state.