Access to Programs & Services

 Students eligible for this program have access to the same programs and services that are available to all other students, including transportation and supplemental educational services.

Child Nutrition

Free meals without a Free & Reduced Application is provided for the school year. The USDA policies allow for automatic enrollment of students identified in the McKinney-Vento Program, known as "direct certification," to ensure students receive meals quickly.

Inclusion

Students in transition attend school with housed students. A school cannot segregate a student because he or she is in transition.

Dispute Process

If the school, school liaison and/or parent/guardian/youth disagree on McKinney-Vento eligibility, a process is in place to appeal the decision. Every state must establish procedures to promptly resolve disputes regarding the educational placement of students in transition.

If the school and the parent/guardian/youth disagree on the school the student should attend, the School McKinney-Vento Liaison should be contacted.

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, a student in transition has the right to attend either the school of origin, if this is in the student’s best interest, or the local attendance area school.

School of origin is defined as the school that the child or youth attended when permanently housed or the school in which the child or youth was last enrolled. Local attendance area school is defined as the school assigned to an address (even if the address is temporary). School of origin includes Title 1 preschool, Special Education preschool, feeder schools (ESSA, 2016).

Whenever a dispute arises, the student must be enrolled immediately and be allowed to participate fully in all school activities while the dispute is being resolved.

The school must refer the student, parent, or guardian to the district liaison to carry out the dispute resolution process as expeditiously as possible.

Local liaisons must ensure that the same access to the dispute resolution process is provided to unaccompanied homeless youth.

WCPSS Board Policy 4125