McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Protocol

42 U.S.C. 11302

1.0 Homeless Education Assurances

The Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School (GNBRVT) recognizes that homelessness exists in our
community. Children who have lost their housing may live in a variety of places, including but not limited to motels, shelters, shared
residences, transitional housing programs, cars, buses and campgrounds. Their lack of permanent housing can lead to potentially
serious physical, emotional, mental and academic consequences.

It is the policy of the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School (GNBRVT) to ensure that homeless children
and youth are provided equal access to its educational programs, have an opportunity to meet high quality academic standards and
are not segregated on the basis of their status as homeless.

The Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational technical High School (GNBRVT) will:

1.1 Establish safeguards that protect homeless students from harassment and/or discrimination on the basis of their homelessness;

1.2 Ensure that all children and youth will receive a free appropriate public education and are given meaningful opportunities to
succeed in our schools;

1.3 Follow the requirements of the federal McKinney-Vento Act.

2.0 Definition of Children and Youth in Transition
The Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School (GNBRVT) recognizes the individual needs of its children and
the stigmatization often associated with homelessness. Such students who lack permanent housing will be referred to as Children and

Youth in Transition. Those children and youth are defined as otherwise legally entitled to, or eligible for an appropriate public
education, including preschool, and who lack a fixed regular and adequate night time residence, including:

2.1 Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
are living in motels, hotels, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or
transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement.

2.2 Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a private or public place not designed for or ordinarily used as
a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

2.3 Children and youth who are living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substantial housing, bus station, or similar
setting.

2.4 Migratory children and youth who are living in a situation described above.
A child or youth shall be considered to be in transition for as long as he or she is in a living situation described above.

3.0 Common Definitions
“Unaccompanied youth” – a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian, who is in transition as defined
above. (The more general term youth also includes “unaccompanied youth.”)
“Enroll” and “enrollment” – attending school and participating fully in school activities.
“Immediate” – without delay.
“Parent” – a person having legal or physical custody of a child or youth.
“School of origin” – the school the child or youth attended when permanently housed, or the school in which the child
or youth was last enrolled.
“Liaison” – the staff person designated by the Middleborough

4.0 Identification
In collaboration with school personnel and community organizations, the liaison will identify children and youth in transition in the
district both in and out of school. The liaison will train school personnel on possible indicators of homelessness, sensitivity in
identifying families and youth as in transition, and procedures for forwarding information – including homelessness – to the liaison.
The liaison will also instruct school registrars, including but not limited to secretaries, counselors and administrators to inquire about
possible homelessness upon the enrollment and withdrawal of every student and to forward information indicating homelessness to
the liaison.

The liaison will keep data on the number of children and youth in transition in the district, where they are living, their academic
achievement – including performance on state mandated assessment, and the reasons for any enrollment delays, interruptions in
their education, or school transfers.

5.0 School Selection

Each child and youth in transition has the right to remain at his or her school of origin or attend any school within the attendance
area in which the child or youth is actually living.

6.0 Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School Liaison

Dr. Heather Larkin, LMHC
Director of Guidance & Pupil Personnel Services
(508) 998-3321 Ext. 790
Heather.larkin@gnbvt.edu

MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

Homeless Data Reporting Requirements

When Should Homeless Students be Reported in the New Process?

• At the point, when he/she arrives, if a new student, or when the district staff learns that an already enrolled student has
  become homeless.
• In addition, students whose homelessness spans school years will need to be reentered as homeless in subsequent years.

Districts will need to identify once the students’ SASID number has been entered –

• The homeless student’s grade level, pk-12; and
• The homeless student’s primary nighttime residence – the basis for identifying a student as homeless – at the time of the
  initial identification by the school district, either:

   

  • Shelters
  • Doubled-up (sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship)
  • Unaccompanied youth – A youth not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian
  • Unsheltered (cars, parks, campgrounds, abandoned buildings, and substandard/inadequate housing)
  • Hotels/motels, or
  • Children/youth awaiting foster care (e.g. DSS emergency, temporary, transitional placement)
  • Indicate whether or not the student is receiving services through a McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant.
    For more information about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Student Data Collection please contact
    Sarah Slautterback at 781-338-6330 / sslautterback@doe.mass.edu.

DISTRICT POLICIES:

MASC- HOMELESS STUDENTS: ENROLLMENT RIGHTS AND SERVICES

MASC- EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE

MASC- EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY CHILDREN