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Homeless Resources: McKinney-Vento

 

McKinney-Vento: Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY) Program

UT Tyler University Academy’s McKinney-Vento program provides services to help students experiencing homelessness have equitable access to education and opportunities for success.

Under federal and state law, children and youth experiencing homelessness have a right to a free, appropriate public education. The McKinney-Vento Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, ESSA, defines the following terms:

  1. Homeless child or homeless children means children or youths who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The term includes:
    • Children who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;
    • Children who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
    • Children who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
    • Migratory children living in circumstances described above. “Migratory child” means a child who made a qualifying move in the preceding 36 months (a) as a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher; or (b) with, or to join, a parent or spouse who is a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher.
  2. Enroll and enrollment include attending classes and participating fully in school activities.
  3. Unaccompanied youth includes a homeless child or youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.
  4. School of origin is defined as the school that the child attended when permanently housed or the school in which the child was last enrolled, including a preschool. When a child completes the final grade level served by the school of origin, the term “school of origin” shall include the designated receiving school at the next grade level for all feeder schools, as applicable.

 

Information for Families - Spanish

Information for Youth - Spanish

Student Residency Questionnaire - Spanish

University Academy McKinney-Vento Manual - Spanish

Univeristy Academy McKinney-Vento Family Guide - Spanish

Immediate Enrollment

A school selected, based on a homeless child’s or youth’s best interest, must immediately enroll such child or youth even if he or she has missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness. The McKinney-Vento Act ensures the immediate enrollment of children and youth experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied youth, even if the child or youth lack records (academic, medical, proof of residency, immunizations, health records, birth certificates, or other documentation), including the enrollment in early childhood programs. Additionally, outstanding fees and fines cannot be a barrier to immediate enrollment (including full participation). Immediate enrollment includes attending classes and fully participating in school activities. All schools are required to follow these enrollment guidelines when registering a homeless child or youth in school. Students identified as unaccompanied youth will be enrolled without parent or guardian.

Per the UTTUA board policy “Admission of Homeless Students,” UTTUA shall immediately enroll a homeless child, depending on available seats, even if the child:

  1. Is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment, such as previous academic record, records of immunization and other required health records, proof of residency, or other document; or
  2. Has missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness.

UT Tyler University Academy may require the parent or guardian of a homeless child to submit contact information.


Services

UT Tyler University Academy shall provide a homeless child with services comparable to those offered to other students in the school in which the child is enrolled.


School Selection

In determining the best interest of the student for the purpose of continuing the student’s education in the school of origin, UT Tyler University Academy shall presume that keeping the student in his or her school of origin is in the student’s best interest, except when doing so is contrary to the request of the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth. UT Tyler University Academy shall also consider the best interests of the student with regard to the impact of moving schools on the student’s achievement, education, health, and safety, including such relevant factors as:

  1. Continuity of instruction;
  2. Age and grade placement of the student;
  3. Distance of the commute and its impact on the student’s education or special needs;
  4. Personal safety of the student;
  5. The student’s eligibility and need for any specialized services and supports, such as Section 504, special education and related services, or bilingual or English as a second language services;
  6. Length of anticipated stay in a temporary shelter or other temporary location, if applicable;
  7. Likely area of the family’s or youth’s future housing;
  8. Time remaining in the school year; and
  9. School placement of siblings.

Services that UT Tyler University Academy is required to provide shall not be considered in determining the student’s school of attendance.


Dispute Resolution

If a dispute arises over eligibility, or school selection or enrollment in a school:

  1. The child shall be immediately enrolled in the school in which enrollment is sought, pending final resolution of the dispute, including all available appeals;
  2. The parent or guardian of the child or an unaccompanied youth shall be provided with a written explanation of any decisions related to school selection or enrollment made by UT Tyler University Academy, including the rights of the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth to appeal such decisions.
  3. The parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth shall be referred to the homeless liaison, who shall carry out the dispute resolution process as expeditiously as possible after receiving notice of the dispute; and
  4. In the case of an unaccompanied youth, the liaison shall ensure that the youth is immediately enrolled in the school in which the youth seeks enrollment pending resolution of such dispute.

 

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