Who is Homeless Under the McKinney-Vento Act?
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Subtitle B-Education for Homeless Children and Youth), reauthorized in January 2002, ensures educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness. All definitions below are contained, exactly as written here, in the McKinney-Vento Act Sec. 725(2); 42 U.S.C. 11435(2).
The term homeless children and youth means:
(A) individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and
(B) includes —
(i) children and youths 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; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
(ii) children and youths 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 (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C));
(iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
(iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).
Enrollment Information for Homeless Students or Unaccompanied Youth:
If you or someone you know is living in any of these situations:
• Shelter
• Motel/Hotel
• Car, on the street, or outside space not designed for people to live in
• In an abandoned building, travel trailer, or other inadequate accommodations
• Doubled-up with friends or relatives because you cannot afford housing
• Or Living with an adult who is not your parent or legal guardian
You may enroll in school without any of the following normally required documentation:
• Proof of residence
• Immunization records or a TB skin test result
• Birth certificate
• School records
• Legal guardianship papers
Online Resources:
Seguin ISD McKinney-Vento Program Brochure: English
Seguin ISD McKinney-Vento Board Policy
Texas Education Agency: Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Region 20 Education Service Center: McKinney-Vento Program
Texas Education of Homeless Children and Youth
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
McKinney-Vento Information for Parents
McKinney-Vento: Información para Padres de Jóvenes en Edad Escolar
McKinney-Vento Information for School Aged Youth
McKinney-Vento: Información para Jóvenes en Edad Escolar
Fill out Survey if in a displaced situation.
WHAT IS FOSTER CARE?
When children can’t live safely at home and an appropriate non-custodial parent, relative, or close family friend is currently unable or unwilling to care for them, the court can give temporary legal possession to CPS and that agency temporarily places these children in foster care. Foster care settings include:
-
Kinship Caregiver homes;
-
Foster family homes;
-
Foster family group homes;
-
Residential group care facilities; and
-
Facilities overseen by another state agency.
Foster care is meant to be temporary until a permanent living arrangement is found and CPS no longer has legal custody of the child. However, for some children, it can become permanent.
Enrollment Information for students in Foster Care
Under Texas Law, students in foster care are entitled to enrollment when arriving at a new school or district regardless of whether they have the necessary documentation or paperwork. A student in foster care can attend the public school in the district in which the foster parents live, free of any charge to the foster parent or CPS.
Foster Parents and/or CPS will be required to present documentation to confirm Foster Care status. Required documentation may include DFPS Form 2085-Any Category or a Court Order naming DFPS Temporary Managing Conservator or a Permanent Managing Conservator.
Note: If a student is involved in CPS, but not in conservatorship or substitute care, they may qualify for services under the McKinney-Vento Act.
Resources for Foster Care Students:
• Free Breakfast and Lunch through the Child Nutrition Program
• Free Pre-Kindergarten Eligibility for students currently or previously in foster care PK-Foster Care.pdf
• College and Dual Credit Tuition and Fees Waiver: provides tuition and fees waivers for eligible current and former foster youth Tuition-Fee Waiver -TX Schools.pdf
• Texas Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program: helps current and former foster youth and young adults, youth adopted at age 16, and youth that enter Permanency Care Assistance at age 16 to make a smoother transition to a successful adulthood by providing funding and supports to help youth and young adults achieve their educational goals.
Community Assistance: Ways to Donate!
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education and the Foster Care Program of Seguin ISD always welcomes community involvement and support. Due to limited financial resources, we are still in need of the following donation to help our students:
• New or gently used coats and jackets (child and adult)
• Backpacks (Clear and Regular)
• Restaurant/Fast Food gift certificates
• Monetary Contributions that are used to purchase gift certificates for clothing/shoes, laundry expense, hygiene items
• Adopt a Family Program during Thanksgiving and Christmas
Due to storage space limitation, please contact Teresa Cuevas, Homeless and Foster Care Liaison, for current student needs. She is available to present to school groups, community organizations, and any other interested groups. Please, contact her for availability at (830) 401-8617 or tcuevas@seguin.k12.tx.us
Other Resources
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services: Foster Care
Region 20 Education Service Center: Foster Care Services
https://www.esc20.net/apps/pages/foster-care
Texas Foster Youth Justice Project
Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents - Child Welfare Information Gateway
Texas Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Migrant Education Program
The Migrant Program is a state operated federal program that offers supplementary services to students that traveled with a parent, guardian, spouse, or alone to obtain or seek temporary or seasonal fishing or agricultural related activities.
Employment Surveys are administered to each student in the registration packet. Each survey is reviewed by the Migrant recruiter and according to the answers on the survey, staff will make contact with the family. The family then fills out a COE (Certificate of Eligibility). The COE is sent to the ESC (Education Service Center) Region 20 in for qualifying approval.
The Texas Migrant Education Program’s goal is to provide all migrant children with the opportunity to reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma (or complete a GED) in order to prepare them for responsible citizenship, further learning and productive employment.
Seguin ISD is in the SSA (Shared Services Arrangement) with Region 20 Education Service Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Migrant program offers a variety of supplemental academic and support services through our school district and the ESC 13 to meet the educational and health needs of migrant children. Some of the services consist of tutoring classes, basic clothing, school supplies, vision, hearing and dental screenings, assistance earning High School Credits through the University of Texas campus, CAMP Program (College Assistance Migrant Program).
The school district has a person identified to help maintain communication between the campus and ESC 20. Ms. Teresa Cuevas, Highly Mobile Populations, can help assist any migrant students and their families with receiving services through ESC 20.
Resources:
Region 20 Education Service Center: Migrant Education Program
Migrant Education - ESC Region 20
Association of Migrant Educators of Texas: Student Resources
Student Resources | amet
Texas Migrant Education Program (TMEP) Web Portal: Parent/Family Resources/Portal de Padres y Familias de TMEP: Recursos Disponibles de Padres y Familias
https://www.txmigrant.net/Home/Parents