McKinney Vento Resources
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance ActThe McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act and is part of Title I. It ensures educational rights for children and young people experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness is a lack of permanent housing resulting from extreme poverty or from the lack of a stable and adequate living arrangement. The McKinney-Vento Act contains a specific definition of homelessness that includes a broad range of inadequate living situations.
The term homeless children and youth means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and includes—
- sharing the housing of other people due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason:
- living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodation;
- living in emergency or transitional shelters;
- being abandoned in hospitals, or awaiting foster care placement;
- having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
- living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
- migratory children who are living in circumstances described.
Districts must provide educational stability for homeless students. Changing schools greatly interferes with students’ academic and social growth. Highly mobile students, including students who are homeless, have been found to have lower test scores and lower overall academic performance than peers who do not experience homelessness.
For additional information or for assistance, please contact Reggie Rhines at rhinesr@kisdtx.net
Frequently Asked Questions
How can students and families be referred for homeless assistance?
- How can students and families be referred for homeless assistance?
- How is homeless defined under McKinney-Vento?
- What are the student rights under McKinney-Vento?
- What living situation is considered homeless under McKinney-Vento?
- How are students and families identified within our district?
- How long are students and families eligible to receive services?
How can students and families be referred for homeless assistance?
How is homeless defined under McKinney-Vento?
What are the student rights under McKinney-Vento?
What living situation is considered homeless under McKinney-Vento?
How are students and families identified within our district?
How long are students and families eligible to receive services?
Tips For Educators And School Staff
- Identification Tool for School Staff - Sample Identification tool that will provide increased awareness of possible indicators and risk factors of students and families experiencing homelessness.
- Homeless Students in Texas Public Schools
- TEHCY Directory of Homeless Liaisons
- Supporting the Success of Homeless Children and Youth
- FAQ Education Rights and amendments by ESSA