McKinney-Vento Act

Homeless students are those who lack a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence. This includes students who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Homeless students are those who lack a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence. This includes students who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals. The definition includes migratory students who live in the aforementioned situations. Beginning Dec. 10, 2016, “those awaiting foster care placement” are not included in the definition. IDOE Information can be found HERE.

KEY POINTS

As a part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, every school district is required to identify a point of contact for families and students experiencing homelessness to assist with identification, enrollment, and coordinating services. This point of contact, also called the McKinney-Vento district liaison, must complete required training for certification by Friday, December 16, 2022. The contact must be updated annually and must be listed on your district website. Please see the IDOE McKinney-Vento District Liaison Contact List for contacts currently listed. Contact Mckinneyventopoc@doe.in.gov with any questions.

RESOURCES

  • (Added 8/6/24):  2024-2025 School Year McKinney-Vento Office Hours – McKinney-Vento office hours for the 2024-2025 school year will commence in August. Please access this document for dates, times, and links. Contact IDOE’s McKinney-Vento team with any questions.
  • (Added 4/23/24, IDOE Update):Benefits and Considerations of Purchasing a Vehicle with American Rescue Plan – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Funds – High rates of mobility and lack of reliable transportation contribute to academic challenges and extremely high chronic absenteeism rates. While the McKinney-Vento Act provides educational protections for students experiencing homelessness, including specific transportation requirements, transportation remains one of the biggest unmet needs for students experiencing homelessness. ARP-HCY provides an opportunity to meet transportation needs through more flexible uses of funding, including vehicle purchases. Please see this two-pager from SchoolHouse Connection for some key considerations for local educational agencies (LEAs). Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Pathways and Opportunities with questions.
  • (Added 3/1/24, IDOE Update):  Early Release of the 2024-2025 McKinney-Vento Subgrant Application: The Student Pathways & Opportunities McKinney-Vento team would like to announce the early release of the 2024-25 McKinney-Vento Subgrant Application. The 2024-2025 McKinney-Vento Subgrant Application will be open to all LEAs on Friday, March 15, and will close at the end of the day on Friday, April 26. The McKinney-Vento subgrant application will have an early release to assist LEAs with homeless children and youth program planning for the 2024-2025 school year. The early release will also assist to ensure that LEAs receive their subgrant funding award by the contract start date of October 1, 2024. The McKinney-Vento subgrant contract dates are October 1 through September 30 annually. Please contact McKinney-Vento team for support.
  • (IDOE Update, January 19, 2024):  Early Release of the 2024-2025 McKinney-Vento Subgrant Application” The 2024-2025 McKinney-Vento Subgrant Application will be open to all local education agencies (LEAs) on Friday, March 15, and will close EOD on Friday, April 26. The McKinney-Vento Subgrant Application will be released early to assist LEAs with 2024-2025 program planning for children and youth experiencing homelessness. This early release will also ensure that LEAs receive their subgrant funding award by the contract start date on Tuesday, October 1. Please contact the McKinney-Vento team with any questions.
  • (IDOE Update, January 5, 2024): 2023-2024 Homeless Children & Youth Data Report – The Student Pathways & Opportunities McKinney-Vento team forwarded the 2023-2024 LEA Homeless Children & Youth Data Report to all Indiana school districts on Tuesday, January 2. This data report will be used by IDOE to collect and assess Indiana’s homeless children and youth data for the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year. The data report is separate from the homeless children and youth data school districts are required to submit to Data Exchange by June 30 annually. The 2023-2024 LEA Homeless Children and Youth Data report is due on Tuesday, January 16. Contact the McKinney-Vento Team with any questions.
  • (IDOE Update, September 15, 2023): Guidance Letter for Final Year of American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – Homeless Children and Youth Funding (ARP-HCY) The U.S. Department of Education released a guidance letter to chief state school officers on the final year of ARP-HCY that provides clarifications on allowable uses of funds for grantees including the use of prepaid debit or store cards, providing school of origin transportation, and short-term temporary housing in emergency situations. It also covers a range of ways ARP-HCY funds can be used to support school attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism among students experiencing homelessness, provide them with physical and mental health support, and facilitate connections to early childhood education and transitions to post-secondary education. All ARP-HCY grantees are encouraged to read this letter. Contact Mckinneyventopoc@doe.in.gov with any questions.
  • (Update From the Indiana Department of Education for 3/24/23): McKinney-Vento Webinar Survey: IDOE’s Student Pathways and Opportunities team provides monthly McKinney-Vento Webinars that include guest speakers and monthly topics. To ensure topics, speakers, and timing for these webinars reflect the needs of McKinney-Vento liaisons and educators, please complete this survey. Contact McKinneyVentopoc@doe.in.gov with any questions.
  • IDOE Student Pathways Frequently Asked Questions Documents: The IDOE Student Pathways & Opportunities Team has FAQ documents for each of our areas of support. Prior to sending an email or calling our team for support, please be sure to utilize these FAQ resources! FAQ documents can be found at the following links:  Homeless Children & Youth/McKinney-Vento: https://www.in.gov/doe/home/mckinney-vento-homeless-children-and-youth-program/

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