Supporting Mental Health and Academic Success

lo How can school staff help new students and parents feel
° welcome and become invested in our school?

To Support Students

© Start a “New Students” club.

e Replicate beginning-of-the-year rituals and procedures when new
students enter the classroom so they receive the same orientation
to the school culture as other students. For example, have
counselors and/or administrators meet with students when
registering. Follow up with a second meeting in the weeks
following enrollment to address any questions or concerns

In St John the Baptist Parish
Public Schoo! District, LA,
administrators and staff from all
local schools set up orientation
rooms at the site where
displaced students were being
enrolled. Once assigned to a
school, students and their
families went to their orientation
room to meet the staff, ask
questions, and identify “friendly
faces” to look for during their
first day at school

¢ Organize periodic school-wide activities to encourage the student
body to welcome and accept new students

* Give new students a faculty and peer mentor/buddy.
(continued on the next page)

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

Supporting Mental Health and Academic Success

Peer mentors or buddies not only help new students feel
more comfortable in their new school but also give pre
existing students a window into the circumstances that
have brought their buddies to their school. Such
connections can help avoid conflicts or turf issues between,
new arrivals and other students

(continued ftom the previous page)

« Make sure new students have a chance to
participate in sports and other
extracurricular activities.

« Ifthe student previously attended a school
that is considered a “rival” or competitor of
your school, meet with the student to address
potential feelings of exclusion or aggression
upfront

* Give new students a small welcome gift that
shows the school colors and/or team name to
invite them to share school spirit and pride.

e Invite the students to share a story, food, or activity from their
background or their hometown; use this as a teachable moment
for the current students.

e% 7 After receiving a large number of
3] students from New Orleans in the weeks
r following Hurricane Katrina, a schoo! district
re , in Arkansas held a Mardi Gras party for the

school community New students were
able to show off their culture and home
town, while the whole school learned to
appreciate the gifts the new arrivals
had to offer

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and

a8 Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



to the Classroom

Enrollment Basics

{continued from the previous page)

e Make sure parents and youth understand the right to remain at
the school of origin, the right to transportation, and the harmful
effects of school transfers. Work with them to make good
decisions about which school is in the student's best interest.

In the years since the McKinney-Vento Act first required immediate
enrollment for children and youth in homeless situations, states and
school districts have developed many strategies to streamline the
process and make sure students are enrolled immediately, attending
regularly, and participating fully in school. Following are some

success

ul strategies.

Enrollment c!

Qs How can we simplify the immediate enrollment process
© for front-line staff?

Proactively develop and implement district-wide policies that
facilitate immediate enrollment. Work with your State
Coordinator for Homeless Education to develop and implement
statewide policies and guidance documents, where appropriate.

Train all school staff involved in enrollment, including
secretaries, school counselors, school social workers, truancy
officers, and principals, about the requirements for immediate
enrollment under McKinney-Vento and the procedures in place in
your state and district

Develop simple forms to replace typical proof of age, residency
and guardianship. Such forms should be carefully designed so
that they do not create further barriers or delay enrollment. For
examples of forms being used around the country, consult the
Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit, available from NCHE
at www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_e.pdf.

(continued on the next page)

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

* Prepare students, parents, and school staff for the possibility that
a student's program may need some adjustments after the school
receives complete records.

lo What can we do about
° immunizations?

Students must be enrolled immediately, even if they are unable to
provide immunization records.

Keep the following in mind when enrolling students who lack
immunization records:

« Since every state requires immunizations for school enrollment, it
is most likely that students who have been enrolled previously in
school have received all necessary immunizations. Most homeless
students have been enrolled in school before and have had the
required immunizations.

¢ When enrolling immigrant students, be aware that many foreign
countries, including most Latin American and many Asian
countries, immunize children at rates comparable to or higher
than those in the U.S. (More information is available from the
World Health Organization and UNICEF
www.who.int/vaccines/GlobalSummary/Immunization/)

« Every state provides for exemptions to immunization
requirements for families with religious and/or philosophical
objections. These exemptions are considered medically
reasonable. Since the vast majority of students are immunized,
the community is protected against a major outbreak of disease.

is concept “herd immunity.”) Should an

occur, the same procedures used to protect

unimmunized children can be used to protect students whose

immunization records have not yet been obtained.

(continued on the next page)

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



The following NCHE products may be of special interest to you. All
NCHE products are available on the NCHE website at
www.serve.org/nche/products.php.

Parent Pack Pocket Folder

This sturdy, laminated folder provides parents a
place to keep important records and documents
related to their children's education. The folder also
includes information on the rights of children and
youth experiencing homele and helpful tips
about enrollment and disenrollment. Available in
Spanish and English.

Parent Pack
Pocket Folder

Educational Rights Posters

These posters explain who qualifies as homeless
under the McKinney-Vento Act and lists the
educational rights of children and youth
experiencing homelessness. Place these posters in
you school and throughout the community to
generate public awareness. Available in English and
Spanish in parent and youth versions.

Educational
Rights Poster

Homeless Education Awareness Folder

This sturdy, laminated folder provides an attractive
way to inform colleagues and potential donors about
the issues central to the education of children and
youth experiencing homelessness. Customize the
information presented by filling the folder with the
resources most pertinent to your audience.

Homeless Education

Awareness Folder

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

Resources from the National Center for Homeless Education

NCHE resources may be found on the NCHE website at

Resources include:

«Posters

¢ Brochures

«Parent Pack Pocket Folders

«¢ Homeless Education Awareness Folders
¢ Publications

«= Briefs

¢ Web-based Audio Trainings

¢ Homeless Education Listserv

e Disaster Preparation and Recovery Listserv
e Onsite trainings (by request)

National Partners in Homeless Education

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth (NAEHCY)
www.naehcy.org

National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
www.serve.org/nche

National Law Center on Homeless
wuww.nlchp.org

ss & Poverty (NLCHP)

NCHE publications are supported through a contract with the U.S. Department of Education's
Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs.

National Center for Homeless Education
P.O. Box 5367
Greensboro, NC 27435
Toll-free HelpLine: 800-308-2145
ww g/nche



Academic Placement and Support

(continued from the previous page)

Train front-line staff in strategies to gather all available
information from students and parents, including written
information (any academic records, tests, homework,
immunization or other medical records, IEPs or special education
referrals, evaluations, meeting notes, or any other school papers
the parents or child may have) and verbal information
(interviewing parents and children about their previous school,
classes, teachers, classmates, and school activities).

Using good questions to get good answers

When interviewing parents and students about their previous
school, it is important to avoid jargon and technical terms. Asking
“What was your schedule?” or “Was your child in special education
working under an Individualized Education Program (LEP)?” may
draw blank stares or a simple “no,” while a more descriptive
question might elicit important, substantive information. Here are
some questions enrollment personnel may want to ask.

~

To Parents:

Do you have any papers from the previous school? Notes
from teachers, homework assignments, tests, progress
reports, or any other papers?

Have you worked with your child ony

any recent homework assignments? If \(9
so, what were the assignments about? N
What were your child's grade’s like?

What does he/she find easy? Difficult?

Did you ever go to a meeting at school with a lot of
teachers, maybe with a doctor or someone from the school
district office?

Did you ever sign any papers that talked about goals for
your child or special school services?

XN wv

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

cademic Placement and Support
(— To Students: >

What was your school day like?

Do you remember the names of any of your books or what
the covers looked like?

What were you learning in your
math/history/science/language class?

What were some of your recent
homework assignments? Do you
have any old homework
assignments, tests, notes from
teachers, or any other papers from
school?

What was the name of your math/history/science/
language class?

How many kids were in your cl:
How many teachers were in your class?

Did you ever spend time alone or in a small group with a
different teacher?

Did you ever spend time alone or in a small group in a
different classroom?

X

\) Can we place students in homeless situations into
° enrichment programs, extended-day programs, and other
supplemental services immediately?

Vhat were your grades like? )

Yes. Enrollment is defined to include attending classes and
participating fully in school activities, and enrichment programs and
other supplemental services are school activities. To the extent that
these programs are available and can benefit students experiencing
homelessness, the students must have access.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and

20 Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Enrollment Basics

(continued from the previous page)
unaccompanied youth in school. In some cases these forms allow
the caregiver to consent to school-related medical treatment, field
trips and extra-curricular activities, ¢
academic decisions. ‘They do not apply to the special education
process, and they do not grant legal guardianship or change the
legal relationship between the caregiver and the youth.

¢ Local liaison enrollment: Some states and school districts
empower the local liaison to sign enrollment and other documents
for unaccompanied youth, Again, this process does not apply to
special education and does not grant legal guardianship or
change the legal relationship between the local liaison and the
youth,

ial worker enrollment: Unfortunately, many youth who are
wards of the state are also unaccompanied youth. Young people
may leave foster homes, group homes, or other placements that
do not meet their needs and find themselves on their own. In such
cases, the social worker still may be an appropriate person to sign
school enrollment papers on the youth's behalf. Some older youth
may not ever enter the child welfare system, as social workers
choose not to pursue services for them. However, even in

es, social workers may be willing to a with school
enrollment.

* Youth self-enrollment: Many school districts simply permit
unaccompanied youth to enroll themselves in school, and in some
cases to consent to field trips and extra-curricular activities and
make academic decisions for themselves

Some states ana school districts
empower the Local Liaison to sign
enrollment and other documents
for unaccompanied youth.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

Enrollment Basics

(Mary schools are concerned about potential legal action arsing \
from the enrollment of unaccompanied youth. Legal liability is
generally based on negligence, which is a failure to exercise
“reasonable care” Schools can help protect themselves from
liability by exercising reasonable care toward unaccompanied
youth, as toward all their students: by responding appropriately
to emergencies, by complying with applicable laws, and by
maintaining a safe and supportive school environment.

Moreover, schools must comply with the McKinney Vento Act
and other federal and state laws, regardless of liability concerns.
In fact, if a school violates the Act by refusing to enroll an
unaccompanied youth in schoo! and the youth is subsequently
injured off school grounds, the school could face liability for
having turned the youth away. In cases of particular concern,
the local liaison can consult the schoo! district’s legal counsel
and/or risk management staff

lo What are some specific considerations and strategies for
° enrolling large numbers of displaced students?

While standard enrollment procedures for students in homeless
situations will be critical tools in enrolling large numbers of
displaced students, some adjustments will likely be ne ary. For
example, school districts that were heavily impacted by the 2005
Gulf Coast hurricanes reported making some of the following
adjustments:

¢ Starting to plan and prepare as soon as they learned that
displaced students might be arriving in the district.

Assembling a planning-and-response team consisting of the local
liaison plus other key staff, such as a district administrator with
the authority to establish and make exceptions to district policies;
transportation director; school nurse; school counselors; special
education staff; child nutrition staff; preschool providers;
principals; adult education staff; mental health providers; and
representatives from relief agencies

* Coordinating with relief agencies to identify students; arrange
parent meetings and on-site enrollment; and obtain information
about services, housing placements, and anticipated mobility

(continued on the next page)

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Enrollment Basics

{continued from the previous page)

« Consider establishing a school-based immunization clinic and/or
collaborating with schools or health clinics that offer
immunizations to streamline the process for those students who
do need immunizations.

When the student arrives:

© Call, fax, and/or email previous schools, doctors, and health
clinics to get immunization records

¢ Collaborate with state and local public health agencies to access
immunization databases, where available.

e If records are slow to arrive, try direct communication between
school nurses or other health care providers or direct
communication between local liaisons. These strategies can
sometimes produce records faster than standard procedures.

* Ifnecessary, try contacting the State Coordinator for Homeless
Education for help in expediting the process.

(— FERPA, HIPAA, and the privacy of >

immunization records

FERPA, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, does
allow transferring of records between schools without
Parental consent when a child is changing schools

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996, regulates the disclosure of health information.
According to HIPAA staff, HIPAA DOES allow transferring,
immunization records between schools and other health
providers without parental consent for transferring
students. You can streamline the transfer of immunization
records by contacting local health care providers to discuss
HIPAA; providers can even furnish you with consent forms
for parents to sign upon enrolling in school, if such forms

\aectiare the process. yy

From the School Office ta the Classroon
Supporting Students Experi

Strategies for Enrolling and

gg Homelessness

Enrollment Basics

Qs How can we facilitate the enrollment of
° unaccompanied youth?

« The McKinney-Vento Act requires that the lack of a legal
guardian not pose a barrier to school enrollment. But how states
and school districts eliminate that barrier is up to them

e The most important step is to develop efficient, workable state
and/or local enrollment policies for unaccompanied youth and to
make sure enrollment personnel and school administrators are
aware of those policies.

* Having policies in place in advance may be even more critical in
the case of a large-scale disaster. In such cases, the school may
also need to coordinate with relief agencies to help reunite youth
with parents or caretakers.

Unaccompanied youth confront
the immense challenges of
homelessness without the
support of a parent or guardian.

l) Who can enroll unaccompanied youth
° in school?
This
Polit

depends on the policies adopted in your state or school district
s that are in place and working across the country include:

« Caregiver enrollment: Many unaccompanied youth have a caring
adult in their lives who is not a parent or legal guardian, such as
a relative, neighbor, member of their faith community, teacher,

manager, or adult friend. A growing number of states and

districts use caregiver forms to allow such adults to enroll

(continued on the next page)

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



rollment Basics Checklist

Proactively develop and implement policies that facilitate

immediate enrollment.

O Train all school enrollment staff, secretaries, school counselors,
school social workers, principals, and other staff about the
requirements for immediate enrollment under McKinney-Vento
and the procedures in place in your state and district.

2 Develop simple forms to replace typical forms used to document
proof of age, residency, and guardianship

& Help school nurses and administrators understand why
enrolling students in homeless situations without immunization
records is required and is not a significant public health risk.

© Consider using caregiver forms, youth self-enrollment, or local
liaison/social worker enrollment for unaccompanied youth

© Assemble a planning-and-response team to develop and
implement appropriate enrollment procedures in the case of a

large-scale disaster.

OQ Use electronic and paper filing systems to maintain data on
highly mobile students, including providing parents with Parent
Pack Pocket Folders to organize and maintain important school
records.

Helpful Contact

National Center for Homeless Education
Toll-free HelpLine: 800-308-2145
www.serve.org/nche

‘This checklist. was taken from the publication entitled From the School Office
National Center for to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and Supporting Students
Honeless Education Experiencing Homelessness, available at www.serue.org/nche/produsts,php

Academic Placement and Support

Qs How can we decide on classes and services without

° school records?

Contact the previous school for records. In the case of disasters in
which the previous school was destroyed or closed, contact the
school district office or State Coordinator for Homeless Education
to see what records may be available in electronic or other form.

While waiting for official records, talk with previous teachers.
school counselors, and others for informal assistance with
interest to
get as much information as possible from the prior school, both
through informal conversations and official transcripts and
records. Homeless students must be enrolled and participating
fully in school activities while these assessments are in process.

Use short, easily-administered educational

assessments to place students immediately

while awaiting complete academic records. For

example, some local liaisons have used the

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy

Skills (DIBELS) for a quick reading

assessment; the Wide Range Achievement

‘Test (WRAT) for quick assessment in reading

and math; the Kaufman Test of Educational

Achievement (K-TEA) for a: ment in reading, math, and
spelling; curriculum-based tasks; informal reading inventories
and graded reading vocabulary lists; and available unit pretests
from local curricula. For more information on quick ¢ ments.
download Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students
Without Records at www.serve.org/nche/products.php.

Access any standardized testing or other achievement data
available from state or local database syste

Accept school records directly from families and youth

Keep in mind that FERPA, the Family Education Rights and
Privacy Act, does allow transferring records and informal
conversations between schools without parental consent when a
child is changing schools.

(continued on the next page)

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



hs
i

From the School Office
to the Classroom:

Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students
Experiencing Homelessness

A Handbook for Local Liaisons, Enrollment Staff,
and School District Administrators

Connecting Schools and
Displaced Students Series
ater Winter 2006

asation
eave

This document was produced under U.S. Department of
Education contract ED-04-CO-0056 0001

For more information on the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Program, contact the U.S. Department of Education,
Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs
(SASA), Office of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA).

Phone: 202-260-0826

Website: www.ed .gov/programs/homeless/index.htm|

For additional information on providing assistance for schools
serving students displaced by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes,
visit Hurricane Help for Schools at
http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/index.html

The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) is a
national resource center of research and information enabling
communities to address the needs of children and their families
and of unaccompanied youth in homeless situations

NCHE is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is
housed at SERVE at the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro. Phone: 800-308-2145

Website: www.serve.org/nche.

For additional information and resources on providing assistance
for schools serving students displaced by the 2005 Gulf Coast
hurricanes or other disasters, visit www.serve.org/nche and click
on Disaster Relief Efforts.



Academic Placement and Support

Qs How can we expedite special education
° services?

Students who have special education needs must be enrolled in
school and be provided immediately with the most appropriate

s possible. For students who are not changing school districts
their current Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) remain in
effect (or, if they are still in the process of being evaluated, the
process must continue uninterrupted). Strategies for serving
students who are changing school districts vary slightly, depending
on whether the students have current IEPs.

For students entering a new district with current IEPs, the
new Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the
enrolling school to provide appropriate services, comparable to those
described in the current LEP, immediately. The new district then
must hold a meeting with the parents to adopt the previous [EP or
create a new one.

(continued on the next page)

To streamline special education services for displaced
students at the Astrodome, Houston Independent School
District conducted IEP meetings onsite as special needs
students were enrolled. Students arrived at schoo! the first
day with a current Houston IEP, and services were put in
place immediately

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

24

Academic Placement and Support

(continued from the previous page)
If the previous district was in the process of doing
evaluations or developing an IEP but had not finished the
process, the new district must continue the process immediately
IDEA now states that standard evaluation time limits do not apply
to students who change school districts while evaluations are
pending, but only if the new district is “making sufficient progress to
ensure a prompt completion of evaluations” and “the parent and the
LEA agree to a specific time when the evaluation will be completed.”
Therefore, enrolling districts must ensure that evaluations are
completed promptly and set a deadline with the parents, or they
must complete the evaluations within the time remaining from the
original referral.

(continued on the next page)

(— The Evaluation Shuffle >

While evaluations are in process or before services are
implemented, special needs students may be struggling in
regular classrooms, unable to make academic progress. To
avoid this situation, schools must coordinate evaluations
with prior schools and implement creative strategies to
expedite evaluations and services. For example

e Get all the evaluations, questionnaires, and other
Paperwork completed on the student from the previous
school(s}

Talk to the schoo! counselor, teachers, and evaluation
team from the previous school(s) about the student's
needs.

Implement appropriate supportive services immediately.
academic suppo!t, behavior manager nent interventions,
mentoring, and other services can help without being
labeled as special education

Collaborate with community medical and mental health
providers, Medicaid service providers, social workers,
and others to pursue necessary evaluations

e Consult with your special education team to see if
{interim IEPs or other interim services can be provided _/

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Academic Placement and Support

Qs How can we collaborate with other agencies to support the
° academic success of unaccompanied youth?

Unaccompanied youth confront the immense challenges of
homelessness without the support of a parent or guardian. ‘They
may be involved in several systems: social services, if they have been
in foster care or group homes; law enforcement, if your state
considers running away from home to be an offense; the "Child in
Need of Services" system (the specific name varies by state: CHINS,
PINS, YINS. if parents or law enforcement have referred them;
public benefits, if they are parenting or have a disability; and other
runaway and home| youth programs, such as emergency shelters
transitional living programs, street outreach programs, family
mediation, and drop-in centers i ers, various local,
state, and national relief agencies may also be involved.

To ensure that unaccompanied youth do not face barriers to
enrollment or retention in school, schools must establish
relationships with thes stems. For example:

« Many states and local communities have established Youth Task
Forces to help agencies collaborate and coordinate to maximize
their services,

¢ A local liaison in Pennsylvania started meeting with the social
workers in his district, providing McKinney-Vento training and
strategizing with them about how to enroll unaccompanied youth
who are also wards of the state. They developed a protocol in
which the local liaison alerts social services about the youth's
situation and whereabouts, but the local liaison completes
enrollment papers and determines the appropriate placement for
the youth without a social worker's intervention

son in Arizona provided sensitivity training to local
police about runaway youth. After learning about the realities of
the youths’ situations, the police agreed to work with the local
liaison to avoid arrest or other punishments for the youths’
runaway status. The local liaison contacts the police as suggested
by state law. Rather than come to the school immediately, the
police give her time to work with the youth and the family to
develop an appropriate plan.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

Academic Placement and Support

lo What services should we provide to a student who has not
© been ina school and wants to enroll mid-semester, when our
procedures say the student can’t receive credit?

The McKinney-Vento Act requires schools to enroll the student
immedi: nd to remove barriers to the student's retention in
school. The inability to earn any credit is a barrier to retention;
there may be little incentive to remain in school if the student has
no chance to earn credit. Schools must address this barrier. Some
strategies that have proven successful include:

« Awarding partial or pro-rated credit.

« Having the student supplement a regular class with extra
assignments, a work or volunteer experience, or additional
testing, so the student can earn the full credit.

e Providing supervised independent study programs.

Providing immediate access to appropriate alternative programs,
in which the student can receive credit while transitioning back
into the regular school.

e Implementing a credit recovery program. Through a collaboration
with the University of Texas, the Texas State Coordinator for
Homeless Education's Office has begun a credit recovery
demonstration project, offering three basic options: credit by
examination; a distance-learning high school diploma program for
students who have dropped out; or online courses for credit.

* Contacting state departments of education in sending states to
identify online distance learning opportunities they are providing
for displaced students

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Enrollment Basics

(continued from the previous page)

Bringing school administrators, special education staff, nurses,
counselors, teachers, and other staff to enrollment sites to begin
orienting students and families to the school and providing
appropriate services immediately, For example, in Houston,
Individualized Education Program (LEP) meetings were
conducted at the Astrodome so that displaced students with
special needs arrived at school with a current [EP and services
were put in place immediately.

* Providing extensive information about the local community,
including maps; mass transit schedules; locations of stores,
services, laundromats, health clinics, and government offic
other resources for meeting basic needs.

e Bringing transportation directors to enrollment sites to facilitate
the immediate arrangement of transportation

e Providing a safe, comfortable space for families to congregate,
share stories, and look for lost relatives and friends. For example,
in Lafayette, Louisiana, the local liaisons set up communal tables
and local restaurants provided meals at the enrollment site,
creating a supportive environment for parents and students to
congregate

e Interrupting the enrollment process briefly to coordinate with
housing placements, when appropriate, due to immediately
pending moves

« Providing mental health support for both students and parents in
school and at shelter sites. Many school distr’ ought help from
retired school counselors and mental health professionals who
were themselves displaced by the hurricanes.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

Enrollment Basics

lo What are some strategies for keeping data on students in
° homeless situations?

¢ Coordinate with your district's student data-management
systems to ensure that homeless students are included in data
systems.

* Maintain a case file on each student with
academic records, medical records, notes
from meetings, key assignments, status of
any special education referrals, evaluations
or placements, and correspondence that will
assist subsequent schools with enrollment
and placement.

¢ Help parents compile a parent folder (Parent
Pack Pocket Folders are available from
NCHE, at www.serve.org/nche/
products.php), and tell them what
information is important to provide to new schools.

NCHE Parent Pack

¢ Provide information on displaced students to the State
Coordinators for Homeless Education in the students’ former
states to assist in their data management.

Following the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, it was
critical for schools to keep accurate, current records
on their enrollment of displaced students. These records
allowed school districts to track the whereabouts of
students, coordinate transportation and services, and
receive supplemental funding. Many districts have
incorporated data fields into their student data
management systems to track displaced students. School
districts in Florida and other heavily impacted areas have
gone as far as to add several additional fields, indicating
the particular storm or disaster that forced the students
from their homes. Schools with less flexible data systems
have created separate file cabinets and color coded
folders and papers to track displaced students.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Basic Requirements Under McKinney-Vento

(— >

Following the hurricanes of 2005, many schoo! districts
enrolled displaced students within one day of their arrival
to the district However, staff later realized that the extreme
mobility of displaced students increased the need to
coordinate school enrollment with housing placements
Although in some situations this coordination may have
taken a few days, the extraordinary circumstances of those
students may have justified such short interruptions in the
enrollment process to produce enrollments that supported
both educational achievement and emotional adjustment
For example, such coordination would have allowed
some displaced students to remain enrolled in a single
school in the neighborhood of their housing, helping
them develop continuity and connections.

XX mA

|) In what school should students experiencing homelessness
© be enrolled?

Students in homeless situations have the right to enroll immediately
in the school in the attendance area where they are living or to
remain in their school of origin. The school of origin is the school
they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they
were last enrolled. The McKinney-Vento Act states that students
must remain in their school of origin to the extent feasible, unless
their parents prefer the local school. Feasibility is an
individualized, student-centered determination

Students displaced by disasters have the same legal rights. School
districts that have enrolled large numbers of displaced students
have developed procedures to support parents in evaluating
feasibility and making sound decisions about whether a displaced
student should remain in his or her school of origin. An example of
such a procedure is available at
wuww.serve.org/nche/katrina/school choice chec

ist.pdf.

o to the Classroon

Strategies for Enrolling and
¢ Homelessness

tudents Experi

Basic Requirements Under McKinney-Vento

For example, to assist parents in making a decision about which
school is best for their child, local liaisons, teachers, and other school
staff can

* Reinforce the importance of school stability and educational
continuity for children.

¢ Provide valuable input to parents on the academic, social, and
emotional impact that transferring to a new school could have on
a particular child.

e Help the parents find out which programs at the two schools are
comparable and appropriate for the child, and make
arrangements for the parents and child to visit the school
considered for a possible transfer.

¢ Provide information on the distance to the schools under
consideration, both in terms of miles and travel time. A parent
needs to know that while a district must provide transportation
to and from the school of origin, this transportation generally
applies only to attendance during the regular school day.
‘Therefore, transportation concerns might limit a student's ability
to participate in after-school activities.

e Provide a written explanation to the parents and explain their
right to appeal the decision if the district selects a school other
than the one the parents feel is in their child's best interest. In
the event of a dispute, these steps are mandatory.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strats
Supporting Students Experiencing Ho

for Enrolling and
Jessness



Supporting Mental Health and Academic Success

For Parents

* Organize non-threatening events to encourage communication
between parents and the school (for example, potluck meals, ice
cream socials, or health nights where parents can consult with
medical and mental health professionals).

¢ Create an orientation video for parents
service providers, and students. Have a
comfortable place in the school for viewing
the video, and consider providing copies to
local shelters and service providers.

* Create a Parents’ Place in the school: a room with videos, a
telephone, and information on the local community, health care
babysitters, school activit child rearing, and coping strategies
Provide staff to discuss concerns.

(same in homeless situations may have no kr vomectye )

about your local community. Schools may want to make
available maps and printed information about local
services, including public transportation, grocery stores,
pharmacies, clothing stores, discount stores, public
benefits, health care, employment offices, shelters, and
housing agencies

Such efforts to support parents can be the key to children
and parents feeling invested in the school, as a local liaison
in Arizona found: “The mother of one of our Katrina
students does not speak English After having lost
everything to Katrina, this mother was most excited
because we have the availability to offer her free English
classes on the campus of a Kyrene Elementary School,
through our ESOL partnership with Tempe Union High

Ne Schoo! District Adult Education Program!” yy

Strategies for Enrolling and
¢ Homelessness

Supp g Mental Health and Academic Success

|) Can we make exceptions to rules that require students to
° attend our school for a set period of time before they are
eligible for sports or other extra-curricular activities?

Yes. School sports and extra-curricular activities are an extremely
important strategy for helping students feel welcome and invested
in school. They are also normalizing and therapeutic for youth who
have experienced dislocation and trauma, including students
displaced by disasters. Since enrollment is defined as attending
school and participating fully in school activities, students in
homeless situations must have a ss to extracurricular activities.
Athletic ociations must also comply with the McKinni J
Act by exempting homeless students from sports part
that students cannot meet due to their homelessness and mobility,
such as attendance rules.

A local liaison from Texas reported that extracurricular
activities were critical in making new students feel at home

and invested in school: “One father told
me that his son (a senior, age 19) enrolled
in school and absolutely loved it. He said
he attended the Friday night football

GA game and that was something he didn't
even do when he was in New Orleans”

Qs How can classroom teachers help new students feel

° comfortable and involved?

Prepare now...

¢ Keep extra copies of review materials and assignments for
students who arrive without prior notice. Also keep some basic
school supplies on hand in case the student is in need

e Post a class schedule so students will know what is happening
next.

(continued on the next page)

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and

ao Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Supporting Mental Health and Academic Success

(continued from the previous page)
performing a play or watching and discussing a film about
disaster and dislocation, or doing an art project that reflects
important events or cultural icons of the affected area

Organize ongoing support and conversation groups. Separate
groups for new and pre-existing students may be appropriate for
certain purposes, but mixed groups are also essential to promote
shared insights and mutual understanding.

Collaborate with relief agencies, who may have specially trained
staff and resources to support the adjustment of both pre- ing
and displaced students.

Collaborate with community mental health resources and all
departments within the school district that offer mental and/or
emotional support services

Seek information about potential gang conflicts from relief
agencies, school administrators, and law enforcement from the
local and affected communities. Use this information to design
interventions and security measures to prevent potential
violence.

Offer anger-management and conflict-resolution workshops to
school staff and students

Provide adult mentors and a “safe place” on campus for displaced
students. Encourage students to make use of these support
systems in times of stress and crisis.

‘To the extent possible, provide mentors of the same ethnic, faith,
or cultural background as enrolling students. This kind of
cultural sensitivity can help neutralize feelings of insecurity and
hostility and provide a more comfortable “listening presence” for
students.

Provide peer mentors for displaced students, not only to help
orient the new students but also to promote understanding and
friendship between the two groups.

Organize activities that allow both displaced and pre-existing
students to celebrate their home town, home school, and culture,
such as performances of music or dance, sharing of local foods,
celebrations of local festivals, and other cultural events.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

BB

Supporting Mental Health and

Academic Success Checklist

co Have counselors and/or administrators meet with parents
and students when registering. Follow-up with a second
meeting in the weeks following enrollment.

on Give new students a faculty and peer mentor/buddy.

om Make sure new students have a chance to participate in
sports and other extracurricular activities.

a Create a Parents’ Place in the school — a room with videos,
a telephone, and information on the local community,
health care, babysitters, school activities, child rearing,
and coping strategies.

a Establish a “home base” (for example, a rug or a person)
for a child to reconnect with something familiar if she feels
overwhelmed.

o Start and maintain a portfolio of class work for the
students to take when leaving the school.

© Take action on the school and classroom level to address
turf and adjustment issues of both displaced and pre-
existing students.

Helpful Contacts

National Center for Homeless Education

free HelpLine; 800-308-2145
www.serve.org/nche

‘This checklist. was taken from the publication entitled From the School Office

National Center for to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and Supporting Students
Honeless Education Experiencing Homelessness, available at www.serve.org/nehe /products,php



Who is homeles:

The following definition of “homeless” is given in the McKinney-
Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Title X, Part C of the No Child Left
Behind Act—Sec 725):

The term “homele: ildren and youth”

A, means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence...; and

B. includes

i. children and youths 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 camping
grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; are
living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned
in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;

ti. 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...

i. 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 who qualify as homeless for the purposes
of this subtitle because the children are living i:
circum

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

Basic Requirements Under McKinney-Vento

lo Why is immediate enrollment
° jmportant?

Keeping children and youth in homeless situations connected to
school provides them with a source of stability and normaley in
otherwise chaotic and frightening circumstances. School stability
supports academic achievement and mental and emotional security

lo What are the basic requirements for immediate enrollment
© under McKinney-Vento?

The McKinney-Vento Act requires schools to enroll
students experiencing homelessness immediately,
even if the student is unable to provide
documentation normally required for enrollment
This documentation may include academic,
immunization, medical, and other records, or proof.
of residency, age, or guardianship. Districts also
may not delay a student's enrollment due to lack of
school uniform or school supplies and must supply students with
these items if the student is unable to do so. The school must make
the best immediate academic placement possible based on the
information available while waiting for school records, special
education documents, medical records, or other needed information.
Local liaisons must assist unaccompanied youth with the enrollment
proce:

The McKinney-Vento Act defines enrollment to mean permitting
students to attend classes and participate fully in school activities
This includes all school services and activities such as school meals,
special education, academic support, extracurricular 2
others.

Although the Act does not define immediate, the standard dictionary
definition is “without delay.” Therefore, the student must begin
attending classes and participating fully in school activities without
delay. Generally, that would mean the same or the following day.
However, in cases of major disasters where large numbers of
students are displaced and in crisis, enrollment in a few days may
be considered to be “without delay,” depending on the specific
circumstances.

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



able of Contents

Introduction

Who is Homeless?

Basic Requirements Under McKinney-Vento
Strategies From the School Office to the Classroom

Enrollment Basics

Immunizations
Unaccompanied Youth
Displaced Students
Keeping Data

Enrollment Basics Checklist

Academic Placement and Support

Appropriate Placement Without Records
Unaccompanied Youth

Students with Special Needs

Academic Placement and Support Check!
Supporting Mental Health and Academic Success

School and School District Strategies

Classroom Strategies

Coping with Transitions

Displaced Students

Supporting Mental Health and Academic
Success Checklist

NCHE Product Highlights

Resources from the National Center for Homeless
Education

National Partners in Homel

Introduction

This handbook shares some of the successful strategies used in
school districts to enroll students in homeless situations and to
welcome them into the school community. It is designed to support
local homeless education liaisons* (hereafter called “local liaisons’),
enrollment staff, and school district administrators in providing
services to students made homeless by a variety of situations,
including disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes,
fires, floods, and terrorist attacks.

Children and youth who lose their homes in such disasters do not
also have to lose their connection to school; they are covered by the
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and have the same rights
as other students in homeless situations.

The children and youth displaced by the devastating hurricanes of
2005 highlighted the needs and challenges of all children and youth
who experience homelessness. Through the homeless education
program, schools were equipped with their own first responders, the
local liaisons that the McKinney-Vento Act requires of every school
district. Local liaisons had systems in place to enroll displaced.
students immediately. They were prepared to support parents in
their struggles to find shelter, employment, and medical and mental
health care.

However, the depth and breadth of the tragedies presented
enrollment challenges on an unprecedented scale. Local liaisons
overcame these challenges with pract strategies designed to
streamline paperwork and place students immediately in the most
appropriate placements possible. These strategies minimized
disruption for the individual student as well as for the faculty and
other students in the school.

*Different school districts use different titles for their Local Homeless Education
Liaisons. They may also be called the McKinney-Vento Project Coordinator or the
McKinney-Vento Liaison

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Academic Placement and Support

(continued from the previous page) a
For students who are changing districts and have not been
evaluated but whose academic level, behavior, or parents

indicate that special education services may be needed. the

While waiting for official records, talk informally with
prior teachers, school counselors, and others for assistance
with placement decisions. Students must be enrolled and
enrolling school should work with the parent to begin the evaluation attending during this time.

process immediately.

a Use short, easily-administered educational assessments to

/(necessin Special Education for Unaccompanied Youth \ place students immediately while awaiting complete
academic records.

IDEA requires that an appropriate adult sign for special

education evaluations and services for a student under 18 a Interview parents and students with simple, descriptive
years old. This adult may be a parent, foster parent, questions to learn about the student's prior academic
guardian, or other person legally responsible for the child, program.
or person with whom the student is living and who is
acting in the place of a parent Check with your specie o Support youth through collaborations with other agencies

education team to see if this person must be related to the
student. Since many unaccompanied youth do not have
such an adult in their lives, new IDEA now requires school
districts to assign surrogate parents for unaccompanied
youth, The surrogate parent must be in place within 30
days of determining the need

and creative programs to award credits, such as partial or
pro-rated credit systems, supplemental assignments,
independent study, and credit recovery.

2 Coordinate closely with parents, previous schools, and
community medical and mental health providers to
expedite special education evaluations.

Helpful Contacts

Surrogate parents must be trained in special education

procedures and cannot be school! district employees or
anyone who might have a conflict of interest. However,
for unaccompanied youth, appropriate staff of emergency
shelters, transitional shelters, independent living programs,

and street outreach programs can be temporary

surrogates while someone who meets the legal criteria is
found. These temporary surrogates should be appointed National Center for Homele:

Education

immediately so that the evaluation process can begin » Toll-free HelpLine; 800-308-2145
wi e.org/nche

‘This checklist. was taken from the publication entitled From the School Office

From the School Office to the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and , NotionatGenterfer ‘(2 the Classroom: Strategies for Enrolling and Supporting Students
Honeless Education Experiencing Homelessness, available at www.serve.org/nehe /products,php

Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness



Supporting Mental Health and Academic Success

(continued from the previous page)
Prepare a short, simple, written list of classroom rules and
procedures.

Keep small “welcome gifts” on hand (for example, school supplies
or school clothes).

Establish a “home base” (for example, a rug or a person) for a
child to reconnect with something familiar if she feels
overwhelmed.

And when the student arrives...

Take time to talk to and welcome students individually. Play
welcome games or similar inclusion activities, and get to know
new students with a “get-to-know-you” questionnaire or journal
assignment. When students feel they belong, they feel some
ownership in their new room.

Introduce new students to the class and team them with a buddy.

¢ Make sure the students have a chance to have
a class job/role

¢ Use a Polaroid or digital camera to take an
individual picture on the child's first day and a
picture of the child with the class.

e Start and maintain a portfolio of class work for
the students to take when leaving the school.

Send notes home highlighting students’ good behavior and work,
as well as sharing concerns.

Consider having periodic welcome parties and goodbye parties to
help ease the transition for new students as well as those who
have been in the school for some time.

o to the Classroon

Strategies for Enrolling and
¢ Homelessness

tudents Experi al

Supp g Mental Health and Academic Success

lo How can we ease the transition for those left behind when
° students leave our school?

Prepare a “Goodbye Book.” Students may be given time to
autograph the book and brainstorm with the departing student
about special memories.

e Have classmates write letters to their departing peer.

¢ Maintain a relationship when the students leave by providing
stamped, self-addressed envelopes and stationery.

) What are some specific considerations and strategies when
0 enrolling large numbers of displaced students?

The arrival of a large number of new students can be threatening to
ing students in the district. Local liaisons, district

strators, principals, school counselors, and teachers must be
aware of these “turf” issues and seek to pre-empt them and prevent
serious conflicts. Classroom and school-wide activities are essential,
both immediately and in the longterm, to help pre-existing students
feel secure about their place in their school and to sensitize them to
the issues facing new students

School districts that have confronted this challenge recommend
some of the following approaches:

« Have honest and open conversations with the student body before
the new students arrive, explaining the changes and challenges
students can expect, suggesting coping strategies, and reinforcing
their role as hosts and peers. These conversations should be
facilitated by mental health staff and could take the form of
school-wide assemblies, classroom-based discussions, and/or
small group meetings with a school counselor.

* Continue with open conversations at the school and classroom
level after the new students arrive.

* Use the arts to help students understand the trauma their new
peers have experienced. Some suggested examples include

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From the School Office to the Classroom: Strats
Supporting Students Experiencing Ho

for Enrolling and
Jessness