Homelessness

Homeless Families

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, you are considered homeless if you must live in a shelter, motel, vehicle, campground, on the street, in abandoned buildings or trailers, or if you are temporarily staying with relatives or friends due to a lack of housing.

Your Children have the right to:

• Go to school, no matter where you live or how long you have lived there.
• Continue in the school they last attended before you became homeless or the school they last attended if that is your choice and feasible.
• Receive transportation to the school they last attended before your family became homeless or the school they last attended, if you or a guardian requests such transportation
• Attend a school and participate in school programs with children who are not homeless
• Enroll in school without giving a permanent address.
• Enroll and attend classes while the school arranges for the transfer of school and immunization records or any other documents required for enrollment.
• Enroll and attend classes in the school of your choice while the school and you seek to resolve a dispute over enrolling your child.
• Receive the same special programs and services, if needed, as provided to all other children served in these programs.
• Receive transportation to school and to school programs.

At School, ask about these Special Services:

• Free breakfast and lunch programs
• Free transportation services
• Special transportation for children to remain in their home school
• Special Education programs, especially if the student has previously received Special Education services
• Tutoring programs
• Programs to help children learn English
• Gifted or talented programs
• Summer school programs
• Pre-School programs
• After-School programs

For assistance please contact your child's school counselor or Clint Strom at (715) 294-3457 Ext. 1010

In July of 1987 President Ronald Reagan signed into federal law the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act guarantees the educational rights of children and youth who are homeless regardless of whether they are living with parents, guardians or are on their own.

Homeless children and youth in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 are defined as:

• Individuals who do not have a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes:
  • children and youth who share the housing of others such as friends or relatives as a result of the loss of their housing, economic hardship or because they cannot find or afford housing.
  • This includes children and youth living in motels, hotels, temporary trailers or campgrounds, emergency or transitional shelters; have been abandoned in hospitals or are waiting for foster care placement.
  • Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private space that was not designed for or is used as a sleeping accommodation for human beings.
  • Children and youth who live in cars, parks, public spaces, on the streets, in abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations or similar types of settings.
  • Some migratory children and youth may qualify as homeless because they are living in the circumstances listed above.

Children and youth who are homeless have the right to:

• Go to school. These children must be given the same access to a public education as all other students.
• Continue your education in the school you attended before you became homeless or the school you last attended.
• Receive transportation to the school last attended before becoming homeless or the school last attended, if transportation is requested.
• Go to a school and participate in school programs with other students who are not homeless.
• Enroll in a school without providing a permanent address.
• Enroll and attend classes while the school is requesting or waiting for records or documents from a previous school.
• Enroll and attend classes in the school of your choice while a conflict regarding enrollment is being settled.
• If needed receive the same special programs and services provided all other students.
• Receive transportation to school and to school programs.

Each school district is required by the McKinney-Vento Act to designate a homeless liaison. Clint Strom has been designated as homeless liaison at The School District of Osceola. Mr. Strom's office is located in the Elementary School and he can be reached at 715-294-3457  Ext.1010 or at stromc@osceolak12.org. The homeless liaison's primary responsibility is to identify and immediately enroll any homeless children and youth in the district and then help them to succeed in school. Other homeless liaison responsibilities include:

• assist with the enrollment process, including dispute-resolution procedures
• share information/educate parents/guardians, unaccompanied youth, staff, school board members and community agencies of the educational rights of homeless children
• discuss with parents preschool options for preschool aged children
• offer and help arrange transportation
• help obtain school supplies when needed by homeless students
• make sure homeless students receive free school meals
• ensure the same educational services non-homeless students receive
• work with agencies in the community to serve homeless students
• carry out special responsibilities to support unaccompanied children and youth within the district

Osceola Public School responsibilities include:

• Comply with legislative requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (www.serve.org/nche)
• Designating a homeless liaison
• Remove barriers that would limit a homeless students ability to fully participate at school. Some of those barriers may be; transportation, inability to purchase books, school supplies, clothing and glasses. Remove policy barriers - residential requirements, permanent address verification.
• Automatic eligibility for Title 1 services.
• Follow specific transportation requirements for homeless children and youth (http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/transp_legistive.html)
• Provide free school meals (http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/free_reduced.html)
• Private schools located within the Osceola School District are not required to comply with the the McKinney-Vento Act. Private schools can choose how they will address homeless families or unaccompanied youth attending or wishing to attend a particular private school