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Charter Schools, Alternative Programs, Supplemental
Educational Services, and McKinney-Vento Homeless

McKinney-Vento Liaisons

According to the Commission on Higher Education, students who drop out of high school:

• Earn $7,216 less per year than a high school graduate;
• Contribute $9,800 less income taxes over their lifetimes than a high school graduate; &
• Cost their communities as much as $500,000 in public assistance, incarceration, & health care costs.

Unfortunately, the kind of disruption experienced by homeless students is exactly the kind of disruption that puts them in extreme danger for becoming dropouts.  McKinney-Vento Liaisons are the first line of defense in preventing that reality.  The impact liaisons have on their schools’ community lasts long after they have themselves left the workforce.  The most gratifying part of being a McKinney-Vento Liaison though, is getting to touch the lives of real students on a daily basis by helping a homeless child enroll in school, get appropriate school supplies and hot meals, catch the bus to school, and help involve parents in their children’s education. 

The McKinney-Vento Act requires that all school corporations and public charter schools identify a liaison.  Do you know who your liaison is?  Click here for a liaison directory.

If you have not yet registered a liaison with the Department of Education, please do so now by completing a simple online survey.  It can be found here. (Coming Soon)

The difference a Liaison can make: A 12 year old girl in an emergency shelter...refused to read. She sat in the back of the class at school and often exhibited poor behavior when asked to do any task involving reading. She told a shelter caseworker, " Reading gives me a headache." The caseworker had the girl's vision checked; she needed glasses. Once she received her glasses, her school behavior immediately improved and she became a voracious reader... -P. Julianelle & M. Foscarinis Responding to the School Mobility of Children & Youth Experiencing Homelessness

 

School liaisons must:

• Help to identify homeless children and youth in the community, with the assistance of local social and other service agencies;
• Help to enroll homeless children and youth in school and school activities;
• Mediate enrollment disputes;
• Ensure that the parents of homeless children and youth are aware of the educational opportunities available to their children and provide parents with meaningful opportunities to participate in their children's education;
• Connect homeless children and youth to services such as Head Start, Even Start, healthcare, dental, and mental health services, appropriate Title I, Gifted and Talented, and before- or after-school programs. Homeless children and youth are also eligible for Free and Reduced Price Benefits (free lunch and textbooks);
• Ensure that parents or guardians of homeless children and youth are aware of all transportation services available. Unattached youth should also be informed of these services;
• Display posters regarding the educational rights of homeless children and youth as a form of public notice;

If you are looking for more information about being a McKinney-Vento Liaison, please contact Christina Endres at endres@doe.in.gov or 317-232-0590. 

A teenager...was placed in special education for all her academic classes because she was behind in school. She did not believe she had a learning disability, and she was embarassed and hurt by the label. With the support of her teachers, she was able to excel academically and prove that she did not need special education. She graduated from high school with honors in a regular education program and is now attending college on a scholarship. -P. Julianelle & M. Foscarinis Responding to the School Mobility of Children & Youth Experiencing Homelessness

 

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Please direct comments and suggestions about the web site to Christina Endres.