PCOE

Mckinney-Vento Homeless Education
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Information

McKinney-Vento Education

The Placer County Office of Education’s Homeless Education Team provides support to all 17 county school districts and 21 charter schools around identifying and supporting homeless (McKinney-Vento) students and their families. This team provides a comprehensive array of direct services, educational advocacy, and educational case management services for students and families experiencing homelessness.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The definition of homelessness is broad under McKinney-Vento and includes any students and their families who lack fixed, regular, or adequate housing and are living in:

Emergency shelters
Transitional housing
Motels and hotels
Trailer parks or campgrounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations
Doubling Up (sharing the housing of others due to economic hardship, loss of housing, unsafe housing, etc.)

Services We Provide

For school districts, charter schools, county and community partners:

Trainings/Professional Development on McKinney-Vento identification, implementation, related education code, and rights for students and their families
Assistance with identifying School Of Origin and enrollment processes
Technical assistance and consultation around McKinney-Vento implementation and individual student cases
Development and distribution of tools to assist with identification and education (e.g. McKinney-Vento posters)
Host countywide quarterly meetings for McKinney-Vento school district liaisons and community partners
Guidance on how to connect to local cultural supports
Assistance with navigating school(s) transportation
Trauma-informed school and community engagement
Linkages and support for Evacuee and Refugee students
Representation at local homeless councils (e.g. Continuum of Care, Homeless Resource Council of the Sierras, Placer Consortia on Homelessness)
Joining with school staff to meet families in the community
Student attendance support (e.g. conducting home/shelter visits)

For Students and Caregivers:

Whole Family Case Management including collaboration with housing case managers, county workers, and school district staff in order to coordinate services across agencies and providers
Assistance with housing navigation, including identifying affordable housing options, exploring housing assistance programs, and completing applications
Assistance with accessing basic needs, including food, clothing, bedding, healthcare and insurance, and transportation
Provision of limited school and hygiene supplies
Participate in and advocacy at school and county-based meetings (e.g. SSTs, IEPs, CFTs, Wrap, CWIT)
Supporting linkages to mental health and/or substance use treatment for student and parent(s)
Connection with PCOE Early Childhood Education department for free/low cost child care options

How can schools and community agencies work together to support homeless students?

Students and families who are experiencing homelessness or are at high risk of being unhoused live with many daily challenges and stressors. These unstable housing and financial circumstances can impact school attendance, academic performance and engagement, behavior, and connection to school. It’s reasonable to imagine that students who do not have a safe or consistent place to sleep at night would struggle to focus in school, complete assignments, or maintain positive peer and adult interactions. In order to mitigate educational disparities and avoid additional trauma, students in these living situations have a variety of educational rights. These policies and procedures attempt to provide all children with a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, even when they are experiencing housing instability, domestic violence, and/or financial distress.

These rights include:

The right to stay enrolled in the same school after they move into a homeless situation or move between homeless situations (e.g. move from shelter to doubled-up with another family). Students can have many schools of origin. The“school(s) of origin” can be:

The school they attended before they were homeless
The school they most recently attended, or
Any school they attended in the last 15 months that they feel connected to and is in their best interest to attend

The right to immediate enrollment, even if they don’t have all the required documentation at the time of enrollment, including immunization records
The right to be assessed for a graduation exemption, if they transfer school after their 2nd year of high school
The right to equal access to school, extended learning, and extracurricular activities and resources (e.g. tutoring, school dances, field trips, sports)
In some situations, the right to school of origin transportation

It is critical for school district staff to be aware of and reinforce these procedures; similarly, it is important for community partner staff working with families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to understand these rights in order to educate their clients, prevent unnecessary school transfers, and advocate for equity.

When school district staff suspect a student may be homeless, they should:

Ask students/families about living situation in a sensitive way
Refer the student/family to the district homeless liaison, or site designee
Code the student(s) as “homeless” in the district SIS (Student Information System)
Use the term “families in transition” or "in between homes" when communicating with families or students
Assist the family in calling 211
Help the family get connected to other social services, like CalWorks, CalFresh, food pantries, mental health care
Provide families with tangible supports, like clothing, school supplies, and connect to on-campus or in-district supports (e.g. free lunch, tutoring, transportation)
Be (or identify) a warm point of contact for youth on campus—it’s okay to reach out to them and offer your support!
Refer to PCOE if families are chronically homeless, having trouble with housing services, or not engaging with housing services
Avoid requiring inter/intradistrict transfers, proof of homelessness, residency affidavits or other documentation in order for student to remain enrolled in their school of origin OR enroll anew in their district of current residence
Avoid contacting landlords, housing agencies, or law enforcement to “prove” a family’s homelessness

When community partners are supporting a homeless family with children, they should:

Share information about the student(s) educational rights
Help families to understand school of origin rights and the importance of maintaining school stability for their children
Assist the family in navigating school transportation
Learn about the school schedule, start and end times, homework expectations, technology resources, etc. to assist in keeping students’ engaged in school
Provide or assist the family in obtaining internet access
Proactively notify the school/district about the family’s living situation
Contact PCOE or the district homeless education liaison for additional advocacy and support

Documents

Below you will find important documents to assist you. If you find any broken links, or you feel like a certain resource should be included here, please let us know. Click a link below to open the document.

Resources

Below you will find many important resources to assist you in finding more information. If you find any broken links, or you feel like a certain resource should be included here, please let us know.

Contacts

Alicia Rozum

Coordinator

(530) 745-1302

Chris Dunbaugh

Program Manager

(530) 745-1486

Ambrosia Cramer

Family and Youth Community Liaison

(916) 741-0613

Cheryl Bryan

Student Support Practitioner

(916) 784.6491

Jessica LeFohn

Staff Secretary

(530) 745-1467

FAQ's

DOES PCOE OFFER SUPPORT FOR HOMELESSNESS?

Yes. PCOE offers many resources and supports for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Visit our McKinney-Vento Homeless Education page to learn more.

MY CHILD STRUGGLES WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. WHERE CAN I FIND HELP?

PCOE offers a wide variety of support options for those experiencing a mental illness. Visit our Student Mental Wellness page to learn more.

WHAT SUPPORTS DOES PCOE OFFER FOR FOSTER CHILDREN?

PCOE is happy to offer assistance to foster children in need. We provide support with academics, social/emotional assistance, transitioning, vocational help, and counseling supports and interventions. Visit our Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program page to learn more.

Key Links

Public Health Resources

Placer County public health resources for you and your children.

Event Spotlight

Quotations

Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be.

― Rita Pierson

For parents & students

For Educators

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