RESOURCE LIBRARY
Choose from the wide range of topics listed below to learn the corresponding educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness.
Jump to a topic:
Attendance Improvement
Awareness Materials
Charter Schools
Data & Statistics on Homelessness
Determining Eligibility
Disaster & Emergency Response
Dispute Resolution/Appeal Process Domestic Violence
Early Childhood Education
Enrollment & School Selection
Federal Law
Foster Care
Free Meals
Higher Education & Postsecondary Opportunities
Immigrant Students
Immunizations
McKinney-Vento Grant Program
McKinney-Vento Liaisons
NYS Education Dept. Laws & Guidance
NYS-TEACHS Publications
Privacy of Student Records
Research on Homeless Education
Special Education
STAC 202
Summer School
Teaching Strategies to Reach Highly Mobile Students
Title I
Transportation
Trauma Sensitive Strategies for School Success
Unaccompanied Youth
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Charter schools, like school districts, must appoint a McKinney-Vento liaison to identify students in temporary housing, help them enroll in school, and arrange for transportation and other needed services.
DATA AND STATISTICS ON HOMELESSNESS
Datasets currently include: identification of homeless students, identification of sub-populations of homeless students, and assessment achievement rates.
ATTENDANCE IMPROVEMENT
Designed for professional and family use, these resources provide guidance in addressing chronic absenteeism and improving attendance.
AWARENESS MATERIALS
Awareness materials can help to inform, train, and discuss the McKinney-Vento Act and homeless education with school personnel and social service providers.
DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY FOR MCKINNEY-VENTO
Under McKinney-Vento and state law, students are considered to be in temporary housing if their nighttime residence is not fixed, regular, and adequate.
DISASTER AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
The public education of students in temporary housing, including those who are temporarily displaced due to disaster, are protected under the federal legislation of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION & APPEAL PROCESS
Refer to these resources for guidance if a family or student in temporary housing disagrees with the school district on the student's McKinney-Vento eligibility for enrollment, school selection options, or transportation.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
These resources can help ensure the safety of students impacted by domestic violence.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
McKinney-Vento liaisons are responsible for connecting young children with early care and education programs including Head Start, Early Head Start, Pre-K, Early Intervention, and preschool special education services.
ENROLLMENT AND SCHOOL SELECTION
he federal McKinney-Vento Act and New York Education Law § 3209, provide important school selection and enrollment protections to students in temporary housing from the preschool level to grade 12.
FEDERAL LAW
The federal McKinney-Vento Act and New York Education Law § 3209, provide important school selection and enrollment protections to students in temporary housing from the preschool level to grade 12.
FOSTER CARE
Children and youth in foster care are not McKinney-Vento eligible, but many continue enrollment and receive transportation to their school of origin.
FREE MEALS
Studies show that good nutrition stimulates positive school outcomes. Students in temporary housing are always eligible to receive free meals, otherwise known as "Categorical Eligibility."
HIGHER EDUCATION & POST SECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES
Students experiencing homelessness greatly increase their chances of escaping poverty by receiving a higher education. Programs available through the Higher Education Act help students to graduate high school, apply and enroll in college, and complete their higher education.
IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
Immigrant students who experience homelessness are protected under the McKinney-Vento Act, regardless of their immigration status.
IMMUNIZATIONS
Students experiencing homelessness are entitled to an immediate enrollment in school, even if immunization records or any other documentation typically required for enrollment is unavailable.
MCKINNEY-VENTO GRANT PROGRAM
Grant funding is available to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), including school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, through a competitive application process administered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
MCKINNEY-VENTO LIAISONS
All Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), which includes all school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, must designate an appropriate staff member to serve as the McKinney-Vento liaison to help students in temporary housing and their families.
NYS EDUCATION DEPT. LAWS & GUIDANCE
Although the McKinney-Vento Act is federal legislation, New York State laws clarify a number of federal protections. Read about important protections for New Yorkers.
PRIVACY OF STUDENT RECORDS
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides important protections to ensure students and families can access their school records and keep them private.
RESEARCH ON HOMELESS EDUCATION
Access even more research and reports on various topics correlating with today’s homeless education.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education offers specially designed instruction to meet the individual needs of a child with a learning disability, at no cost to parents.
SUMMER SCHOOL
Students in temporary housing, required to attend summer school to advance in grade level or to graduate on time, must be provided the opportunity to attend summer school free of charge.
TEACHING STRATEGIES TO REACH HIGHLY MOBILE STUDENTS
Discover numerous strategies used by teachers to better educate highly mobile students.
TITLE I
Students in temporary housing are categorically eligible for services under Title I, even if they do not attend a Title I school or match the academic standards required of other children for eligibility.
TRANSPORTATION
Under the McKinney-Vento Act and N.Y. Education Law § 3209, a student in temporary housing is entitled to transportation to their school of origin.
TRAUMA-SENSITIVE STRATEGIES FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS
Many students have additional needs that stem from chronic stress and trauma. Learn more about trauma-sensitive resources and research.
UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH
An unaccompanied youth is a student who is not in the physical custody of their parent or legal guardian; this includes young people who have run away from home, have been kicked out of their home, or have been abandoned by parents.
