Students in Temporary Housing

The McKinney-Vento Act

Liberty Central School District students may be able to receive services under the McKinney-Vento Act. McKinney-Vento is the primary piece of federal legislation dealing with the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness in U.S. public schools.

It was reauthorized as Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act in January 2002. Students protected under the McKinney-Vento Act may be entitled to immediate enrollment in school, transportation, and other services.

Family homelessness takes many forms. The term “homeless children and youth” includes students who:

• Lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
• Continually spend the night at a friend or family member’s home or live in hotels, motels, trailer parks, or camping grounds;
• Live in emergency or transitional shelters, are abandoned in hospitals, awaiting foster care placement; or
• Otherwise does not have a fixed, regular or adequate nighttime residence with proper sleeping accommodations.

Families of students who meet the eligibility requirements should contact Sierra Hilliard to discuss your rights and protections under this federal program, which include:

• The right to either remain in their school of origin or to attend school where they are temporarily residing;
• Assistance in obtaining records from previously attended schools;
• Full participation in all school-sponsored events and programs; and
• Immediate enrollment in the school’s free breakfast and lunch program.

As coordinator, Sierra Hilliard assists the Student Services Department in ensuring that the needs of students in temporary living situations are met.