“The McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, indicates that State Educational Agencies (SEAs) must ensure that homeless children and youths have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as is provided to other children and youths. The SEA and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in the State must review and revise any laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as barriers to the identification, enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youths. Homeless students must also have access to the education and other services that they need to meet the same challenging State academic standards to which all students are held.
Eligibility:
You might qualify for assistance through a federal law called the McKinney -Vento Act if your family lives in the following:
- In a Shelter
- In a motel or campground due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodation
- In a car, park, abandoned building, or bus or train station
- Doubled-up with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship
Additional qualification:
Unaccompanied Youth: If the student lives with an adult who has accepted responsibility for the pupil and provides a fixed nighttime abode for the pupil, then the pupil is a resident of the district in which that adult lives, as long as the pupil is not living with the adult for access to the educational programs of the district.
Who can parents talk with about my child's education?
1. Every school district has a local homeless education liaison.
The Central High School homeless education liaison is Trisha Lohman. Please contact Miss Lohman at (618)526-4578 or [email protected] if you need assistance.
2. Talk with your child's teachers when you enroll him or her in school. Meet with them on a regular basis to discuss your child's academic progress.
3. Meet with the school counselor to discuss the best interventions to use to assist with any changes or challenges he or she is facing.
4. The school principal, attendance officer, bus driver, social worker, school nurse, or district staff can all provide valuable assistance. Please reach out to them as needed.