MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

A McKinney-Vento Toolbox:

Constructing a Robust and Rigorous 

Homeless Education Program,

In Case of Disaster and Every Day

AUTHORS

Carol Calfee, M.Ed.

Director of Federal Programs and Local Homeless Education Liaison

Santa Rosa District Schools, FL

Patricia Julianelle, J.D.

Program Specialist, NCHE

Pro Bono Counsel, NAEHCY

March 2007
This document was produced under U.S. Department of Education contract ED-04-CO-0056 0001. *

U.S. Department of Education - Hurricane Help for Schools: Providing Assistance for 

Schools Serving Students Displaced by Hurricane Katrina 

http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/index.html

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: http://www.ed.gov/programs/homeless/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 the SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

Phone: 800-308-2145

Website: http://www.serve.org/nche

Visit the NCHE website for information on In Their Own Words: School and Students 

Rising Above. Based on interviews with school staff, relief agency staff, and students, In 

Their Own Words provides a window into the daily challenges and triumphs of schools 

and students affected by Hurricane Katrina and shows the crucial role that schools and 

McKinney-Vento programs play in the healing and recovery of individual families and 

entire communities following disasters.

* The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of 

the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial 

products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.


The Daily Challenges and Triumphs of Students

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Acknowledgements

The tools contained in this document are based on fifteen years of practice in implementing 

the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and come from state departments of education, school districts, State Coordinators for Homeless Education, local homeless education 

liaisons, community agencies, and national nonprofit organizations.

The authors wish to express particular gratitude to the following key contributors:

Tim Stahlke, Senior Program Officer of the Texas Homeless Education Office, for his vital 

contributions to this document from its inception to its final editing.

Dianne Sepielli, Coordinator, Homeless Education Program, Broward County Public Schools 

in Florida, for her ideas, feedback, editing, and energy.

Dr. Patricia Popp, State Coordinator for Virginia, for her sage comments and valuable 

resources.

Christina Endres and Molly Chamberlin, Indiana Department of Education, for their constructive criticism and contributions to the draft report.

Although it is impossible to recognize all the educators and organizations whose ideas, 

strategies, and tools appear within, the authors wish to highlight the following additional 

contributors:

Rich DeHart, Illinois State Coordinator, retired

Melinda Dyer, Washington State Coordinator

Barbara James, Texas State Coordinator

Joanne Miro, Delaware State Coordinator

Connie Thompson, Houston ISD, TX; Homeless Education Liaison

Susan Underwood, former Arkansas State Coordinator

Patsy Williams, Lafayette Parish, LA; Homeless Education Liaison

Sheldon Winnick, Pennsylvania State Coordinator

Arizona Department of Education

Center for Mental Health in Schools of UCLA

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY)

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP)

National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD)

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Project HOPE, Virginia

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Texas Homeless Education Office (THEO)
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Introduction

“If we have it right all the time, then we don’t have to worry about 

being unprepared for specific disaster situations.”

Senior Program Coordinator, Texas Homeless Education Office*

The nation’s public schools played a critical role in the response to the hurricanes of 

2005, and they continue to contribute to the recovery of individual families and entire 

communities. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and the staff charged 

with implementing it form the basis for this contribution.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, acted 

immediately to contact impacted states to see what the U.S. Department of Education 

could do to support the enrollment of displaced students. The Department developed 

a Hurricane Help for Schools website (http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/index.html) 

to provide quick responses to states asking for flexibility in operating school programs, 

as well as guidance and resources for states, districts, and schools, to identify helping 

agencies, organizations, places for donations, and federal aid for displaced and homeless students. One of the first resources the website identified was information on the 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. 

Children and youth who lost their housing due to the hurricanes were eligible for 

McKinney-Vento services. This eligibility permitted their entry into schools and allowed 

schools to become a key to healing and recovery by enrolling displaced children with 

compassion and efficiency, providing parents with information and assistance, and 

supporting the mental, physical, and intellectual well-being of students and families on 

a daily basis.

Students who lose their housing due to other disasters, such as floods, tornadoes, 

fires, and mudslides, are also eligible for McKinney-Vento services. Since such disasters can occur with no warning, school districts must be prepared to respond efficiently 

to large numbers of homeless families and youth. Having a robust and rigorous 

McKinney-Vento program is a key element to a successful disaster response. Responding to a disaster is easier if the school district has in place strong policies and practices 

to enlist community support; to enroll and place students without documents; and to 

support basic needs, mental and physical health, and academic achievement. Rigorous 

McKinney-Vento programs allow school districts to serve all children and youth experiencing homelessness quickly and effectively.

This toolbox is designed to help school districts implement the McKinney-Vento Act 

fully, so they can address the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness 

on a daily basis and in times of disaster.

* Quotes throughout this document are from interviews in school districts highly impacted by the 2005 Gulf Coast 

hurricanes. The interviews are captured in the McKinney-Vento in Action: In Their Own Words. [Julianelle, (2006). McKinneyVento in Action: In Their Own Words-School and Students Rising Above. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.]
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What Is In the Toolbox?

This toolbox is meant to be exactly that: a package containing the basic tools necessary 

to construct a rigorous and robust McKinney-Vento program. It contains tools to assist 

in: (1) developing strong community collaborations, including disaster planning and 

mitigation; (2) implementing the McKinney-Vento Act, including disaster response 

(consisting of identification, immediate enrollment, meeting immediate academic and 

health needs, transportation, nutrition, and data management); and (3) promoting 

mental health and academic success, including disaster recovery.

The intent is not to focus on narrative or anecdotes, but to provide a collection of 

user-friendly tools: sample documents, templates, charts, checklists, etc. The toolbox 

also contains extensive lists of useful web links. Each link is accompanied by a detailed 

description of the information it provides. 

Who Should Use The Toolbox?

The toolbox should be used by school district local homeless education liaisons, 

district and school administrators, district federal program directors, and mental 

health personnel at all levels. It contains useful tools and information for personnel 

who are unfamiliar with the McKinney-Vento Act, as well as for the most experienced 

local liaisons.

The toolbox can also be used as a technical assistance and training tool by State 

Coordinators for Homeless Education; state administrators; state federal program 

directors; and mental health personnel at all levels. Appendix 21 is designed to assist 

State Coordinators in using this toolbox.

How Do We Use It?

It is not necessary or even advisable to read the entire toolbox from beginning to 

end. To help users develop their own course of study, the toolbox begins with a brief 

self-assessment. The substantive contents of the toolbox are modeled on the self-assessment, following the same order and offering hands-on tools to improve the school 

district’s program in each area of the assessment. The self-assessment scores will 

inform users as to where they should begin in the toolbox. For example, areas where 

the assessment reveals a less-developed program are good places to begin work, while 

areas where the user’s program is already functioning well may be lower priorities for 

improvement.
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Since the goal of the exercise is to produce a robust and rigorous McKinney-Vento 

program, it is important for users to administer the self-assessment honestly and 

with a critical eye toward their programs. Each chapter of the toolbox concludes with a 

targeted self-assessment to assist the user in evaluating the district’s implementation 

of the tools and strategies contained in that chapter.

Of course, users interested in particular topics are welcome to go directly to the appropriate chapter, by consulting the table of contents or the topical index in Appendix 1.

What If I Am Facing a Disaster Right Now?

The goal of the toolbox is to encourage school districts to utilize its tools as fully 

as possible prior to a disaster so that districts will be prepared and able to respond 

efficiently and effectively. However, for districts not entirely prepared for a disaster, 

Appendix 20 contains a Quick-Start Disaster Response Tool which provides a basic 

checklist to guide immediate responses. This tool can also help new local homeless 

education liaisons prioritize their efforts and quickly implement the basics of a strong 

McKinney-Vento program.

THE MCKINNEY-VENTO HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT:

• guarantees the rights of children and youth 

 experiencing homelessness to a free and 

 appropriate public education

• requires a local homeless education liaison in 

 every school district ensures:

• immediate enrollment

• access to needed services

• school stability

• support for academic achievement

 For more on the McKinney-Vento Act, visit 

 the NCHE website at

 http://www.serve.org/nche/m-v.php
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School District Name: _____________________________________________________

Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of ate of Review: ______________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the

 but not effective successful needs improvement program

SELF-ASSESSMENT

Does your district have a robust and rigorous 

McKinney-Vento program?

 II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

A. Local liaison understands the rights of homeless children and 

 youth, and district policies are in line with the 

 McKinney-Vento Act to support the full, efficient and effective

 implementation of federal law.

 

 B. Local liaison has a full understanding of the McKinney-Vento 

 Act’s definition of homeless. Expedited identification 

 strategies ensure that children and youth eligible for services 

 are identified.

 C. Immediate enrollment strategies ensure that barriers to 

 enrolling and remaining in school are eliminated. 

 D. Strategies are implemented for placing students in 

 appropriate classes without academic records and for 

 obtaining complete school records.

I. Developing Strong Community Collaborations, Including Disaster Planning 

and Mitigation

A. Public, private, and community agencies are known to each 

 other, communicating and engaged in interdisciplinary 

 disaster planning.

 

 B. Public, private, and community services are coordinated, 

 integrated, and delivered collaboratively.

 TOTAL SCORE FOR SECTION I

 (Community Collaborations) _____/10
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III. Mental Health and Academic Success, Including Disaster Response

A. Strategies are in place to address the short- and long-term 

 mental health and case management needs of students 

 and families.

 

 B. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to deal with 

 staff fatigue.

 C. Strategies are in place to address the short- and long-term 

 academic needs of displaced students, including graduating 

 seniors.

 D. Funding: Needed services are available and accessible to all in

 a variety of settings using a combination of public, private, 

 community, and personal resources. 

 E. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to address 

 long-term recovery issues, including housing needs.

 TOTAL SCORE FOR SECTION II

 (Mental Health and Academic Success)_____/25

 E. Aggressive and timely strategies ensure full, productive 

 participation in educational activities and include tactics to 

 address physical and mental health needs.

 F. Strategies, policies, and procedures address anticipated 

 transportation barriers.

 G. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to expedite 

 placement in school nutrition programs.

 H. Policies and procedures are in place to manage data tracking 

 and reporting of student outcomes effectively.

 I. The district utilizes the media in a positive way. 

 J. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to deal with 

 the coordination of donations.

 TOTAL SCORE FOR SECTION II

 (Implementation of McKinney-Vento)_____/50
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Table of Contents

I. Developing Strong Community Collaborations, 

Including Disaster Planning and Mitigation

A. Public, private, and community agencies are known to each other, 

communicating, and engaged in interdisciplinary disaster planning.

1. Getting started: Identifying key players/stakeholders

2. Getting a seat at the table: Joining community forums and 

 inter-agency taskforces

3. Setting a new table: Convening community forums and 

 inter-agency taskforces

4. Getting prepared: Designing a comprehensive disaster plan

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

B. Public, private, and community services are coordinated, integrated, 

and delivered collaboratively.

1. Sharing information

2. Developing memoranda of understanding

3. Establishing robust communications systems

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, 

Including Disaster Response

A. Local liaison understands the rights of homeless children and youth, 

and district policies are in line with the McKinney-Vento Act, to support 

the full, efficient, and effective implementation of federal law.

1. Developing strong McKinney-Vento policies in school districts

2. Developing additional policies specific to disaster situations

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

B. Local liaison has a full understanding of the McKinney-Vento Act’s 

definition of homeless and expedited identification strategies ensure that 

children and youth eligible for services are identified.

1. Understanding how to apply the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition 

 of homeless 

3

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2. Increasing awareness of homelessness and the McKinney-Vento Act 

 in schools and the broader community

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

C. Immediate enrollment strategies ensure that barriers to enrolling and 

remaining in school are eliminated.

1. Forms for use during the enrollment process

2. Talking to parents and youth: Timing of enrollment and 

 school selection

3. Enrollment checklist

4. Dealing with overcrowding when receiving a large number of 

 displaced students

5. Other enrollment tools

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

D. Strategies are implemented for placing students in appropriate classes 

without academic records and for obtaining complete school records.

1. Tools for obtaining academic records

2. Placing students without records

3. Enrolling students with special needs

4. Strategies to help preserve records in cases of disasters

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

E. Aggressive and timely strategies ensure full, productive participation 

in educational activities including tactics to address physical and 

mental health needs.

1. Obtaining health records and addressing physical health needs

2. Welcoming students and families into the school community and 

 addressing immediate mental health needs

3. Preventing conflicts between new and previously attending students 

 and serving all homeless children and youth

4. Ensuring participation in athletics 

5. Contact list for students who have experienced a traumatic event

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

49

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76

78

F. Strategies, policies, and procedures address anticipated transportation barriers.

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

G. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to expedite 

 placement in school nutrition programs.

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

H. Policies and procedures are in place to manage data tracking and 

reporting of student outcomes.

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

I. The District utilizes the media in a positive way. 

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

J. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to deal with the 

coordination of donations.

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

III. Mental Health and Academic Success, Including 

 Disaster Recovery

A. Strategies are in place to address the short- and long-term mental health 

 and case management needs of students and families.

1. Assessing needs

 2. Planning to meet mental health needs

3. Potential supplemental funding for mental health needs

4. Hands-on resources for mental 

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

B. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to deal with staff fatigue.

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

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C. Strategies are in place to address the short- and long-term academic 

needs of displaced students, including graduating seniors.

1. Collaborating with Title I

2. Ensuring that seniors can graduate

3. Supporting highly mobile students

4. Supporting young children

5. Supporting students with special needs

Targeted Self-assessment: 

Evaluating The District’s Implementation Of The Chapter’s Tools.

D. Funding: Needed services are available and accessible to all in a variety of 

settings—using a combination of public, private, community, and personal resources

1. Grants available from the U.S. Department of Education

2. Grants from other federal sources

3. Funding available from community and private sources

Targeted Self-assessment

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

E. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to address the 

 multiple issues of long-term recovery, including housing needs

1. General resources for families

2. Forming a long-term recovery committee

Targeted Self-assessment

Evaluating the District’s Implementation of the Chapter’s Tools

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Topical Index 124

Appendix 2: Comprehensive Community Stakeholders Chart 128

Appendix 3: Glossary of Key Terms and Acronyms in Disaster Planning, 

 Response, and Recovery 139

Appendix 4: Sample Letter to a Collaborative Taskforce Invitee 149

Appendix 5: Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services under the 

 McKinney-Vento Act 150

Appendix 6: Sample Enrollment Forms 157

Appendix 7: Questions for Discussing Enrollment Timing with Displaced 

 Parents and Youth 164

Appendix 8: School Selection: A Checklist for Decision Making 165

Appendix 9: Enrollment Checklist 166

Appendix 10: Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students Without Records 167

Appendix 11: Records Management Checklist 173

Appendix 12: Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Policies for 

 Homeless Students 174

Appendix 13: Contact List for Students Who Have Experienced a Traumatic Event 176

Appendix 14: Sample Transportation Forms 177

Appendix 15: Sample Free Meal Application Form 179

Appendix 16: Media Relations Tip Sheet 183

Appendix 17: Disaster Assessment and Referral Tool for Children and Adolescents 185

Appendix 18: Disaster Mental Health Plan Checklist 187

Appendix 19: Sample Case Management Form 189

Appendix 20: Quick-Start Disaster Response Tool 191

Appendix 21: State Coordinators’ Companion 193


Community Collaborations

MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

McKinney-Vento Toolbox

The toolbox follows the same order as the self-assessment. The tools focus on 

each point in the self-assessment and are designed to enhance the district’s 

capabilities in that area.

I. Developing Strong Community Collaborations, 

Including Disaster Planning and Mitigation

A. Public, private, and community agencies are known to each

other, communicating, and engaged in interdisciplinary disaster 

planning.

“School districts need to be involved in the community, so there 

are strong connections already in place before a disaster, so the 

community is working together, ready and willing to help. The 

time of a crisis is not a good time to be asking for business cards. 

You need to have those relationships in place.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

School districts cannot meet the needs of families and youth experiencing 

homelessness alone. Homelessness is a community-wide problem, requiring a 

community-wide response that includes measures to address housing, health care, 

and employment, along with school attendance and success. Therefore, effective 

implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act requires a community-based approach to 

homelessness and education. Without the support of local agencies, local homeless 

education liaisons cannot identify and serve all the children and youth experiencing 

homelessness in the district.

Although initiating community collaborations demands an investment of time 

and energy, the returns on that investment can be remarkable. Collaborating with 

community organizations and agencies will make the school district McKinney-Vento 

program stronger and more successful.


Community Collaborations

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	 School Supplies

	 	 	 	 	 	 	 Dental Care

Space For After-school Activities

Funding Translation Of Awareness Materials

Clothing And Shoes Field Trips

	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

Help Finding And Identifying Homeless Children And Youth

	 	 	 Medical Care School Uniforms

Social WorkAnd Counseling Assistance 

Mental Health Care Books

Payment Of School Fees

Employment For Parents

Tutoring And Mentoring

Food

 Transportation For Students And Parents

Eyeglasses

 Housing For Homeless Families And Youth

What can community agencies offer the school 

district’s McKinney-Vento program? 


Community Collaborations

MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Similarly, community disaster planning also requires a collaborative and coordinated 

effort by public, private, and community agencies. Schools must be a part of that effort. 

Schools and relief agencies agree that the biggest barrier to getting displaced students 

into school and keeping them there, is a lack of communication between the agencies 

and the schools. Communicating early and often will help ease everyone’s burden.

Through patience and persistence, local liaisons have established strong relationships 

with disaster relief agencies, thereby securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in 

grants and creating permanent housing programs to serve homeless children and 

families.

This section contains tools to assist in implementing strong, creative collaborations, 

including:

1. Getting started: Identifying key players/stakeholders

2. Getting a seat at the table: Joining community forums and inter-agency taskforces

3. Setting a new table: Convening community forums and inter-agency taskforces

4. Getting prepared: Designing a comprehensive disaster plan

1. Getting Started: Identifying key players/stakeholders

The first step in building strong collaborations is identifying community members that 

can support the McKinney-Vento program’s needs. Every community has agencies, 

organizations, and individuals with a stake in supporting the education of homeless 

children and youth and being prepared for disasters. In fact, every member of the 

community is a stakeholder. Experienced local liaisons emphasize that it is important 

to “think outside the box” when considering potential collaborative partners.

“I was in the Walgreens here in town, getting a prescription for a 

young man I was serving a few days after Katrina hit. The line was 

long, and I started talking with someone from Baton Rouge, we 

talked about our work and what we were doing, and he told me he 

was going to put someone in touch with me to help with my work. 

I had an e-mail waiting for me when I got back to the office, which 

put me in touch with ADRA, [Adventist Development and Relief 

Agency, an NGO relief program from the Czech Republic] and got 

me funding from the Czech Republic. $90,000. I have used that 

donation to place different counseling personnel at different sites.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison
MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Local liaisons who are new to community collaborations may have trouble knowing 

where to start. It may help to assess the program’s needs, determine those that are 

most pressing, and identify community members that may be able to help meet those 

needs. Alternatively, the local liaison may wish to begin with those organizations 

with which he/she feels most comfortable, gradually expanding those collaborative 

relationships to other community members.

The following chart is a first step in starting collaborations. Local liaisons may wish to 

begin with the listed organizations and gradually add more groups and individuals as 

their collaborative relationships grow. For additional groups, consult Appendix 2, which 

contains a chart suggesting a large variety of stakeholders that can be important in 

supporting the McKinney-Vento program and planning for disasters.

Tip: One experienced local liaison advises: “Never let anyone get away without talking 

to them about homeless kids.” Such conversations can lead to important partnerships 

with everyday contacts: doctors, neighbors, coworkers, accountants, fishing buddies, 

Little League coaches, real estate agents, hairdressers, fellow chorus members, mechanics, friends from church, insurance agents, poker buddies, friends from book group, etc.



Community Collaborations


Chart 1: Key Collaborative Partners

MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

CHART 1: Key Collaborative Partners Organization Local Contact Information Contacted? Follow-up CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS American Legion (http://www.legion.org/?content=post_locator) Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Boys Scouts/ Girls Scouts of America Goodwill (http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about) Junior League (http://www.ajli.org) Kiwanis International (http://www.kiwanis.org/clubloc) Knights of Columbus (http://www.kofc.org/un/officers/findcouncil/index.cfm) Lions Club (http://www.lionsclub.org/EN/content/resources_club.shtml) Rotary International (http://www.rotary.org/support/clubs/index.html) Women’s Clubs YMCA/YWCA (http://www.ymca.net or http://www.ywca.org) FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES AND CONGREGATIONS In many communities, these organizations provide the bulk of social services,including shelter, food, mental and physical health support, legal assistance, and other services. HOMELESS COALITIONS To find local or state coalitions: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/resources/state/index.html SHELTERS FOR FAMILIES, YOUTH, AND SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Check the phone book or Internet site of your town for local contact information.

HUD CONTINUUM OF CARE (COC)

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act programs administered by the U.S. Dept. 

 of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) require communities to develop a CoC  system. The CoC is designed to coordinate a community-based process of identifying  and addressing needs. Members include all agencies and organizations providing  services to homeless people in the community. To find local contact information: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/programs/cont/coc/


Chart 1: Key Collaborative Partners

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Organization Local Contact Information Contacted? Follow-up 

SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS 

(Food banks, employment agencies, subsidized day care providers, health and dental 

 clinics, mental health clinics, etc.) Check the phone book or Internet site of your town for local contact information.YOUTH SHELTERS, INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAMS, DROP-IN CENTERS, AND STREET OUTREACH PROGRAMS

To find local groups:

 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/locate.htmAMERICAN RED CROSS

To find your local chapter: http://www.redcross.org

SAFE AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS DISTRICT COUNCIL COMMITTEE

http://www.safeschools.info

 http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/programs.html Contact your school district for local information.VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN DISASTER (VOAD)

(Provides a venue for agencies to coordinate, collaborate, communicate, and 

 cooperate on disaster planning, training and response.) http://www.nvoad.org


Community Collaborations

MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

2. Getting a Seat at the Table: Joining community forums and 

interagency taskforces

Perspectives, a St. Louis Park, MN, non-profit agency, approached the St. Louis 

Park School District and proposed a collaborative effort. The two entities applied 

jointly for a McKinney-Vento subgrant and then invited public, private, non-profit, 

and faith-based social service agencies to partner with them, including those 

involved in health, housing, transportation, community education, the Parks and 

Recreation Department, the Police Department, and the Title I Coordinator. 

Super Target provides financial support and General Mills supplies financial and 

volunteer support.1

Although it can be challenging given the urgency of individual student needs, local 

homeless education liaisons must prioritize networking. Experienced local liaisons 

agree that involvement in strong collaborations is the only way for them to accomplish 

their statutory tasks and fully support children and families in homeless situations. 

Strong collaborations are also the key to gaining access to the people and activities 

surrounding local and state disaster planning, response, and recovery. The community 

agencies and task forces that manage disaster planning may not think to invite the 

local homeless education liaison. Yet, as states and school districts affected by hurricanes have learned, McKinney-Vento representatives must participate in this process 

if it is to be efficient and effective.

Establishing any relationship, be it personal or professional, is a process. After introducing themselves, the parties get to know each other, assess their mutual interests 

and compatibility, and decide if a relationship is desirable. If so, they must negotiate 

how that relationship will develop and function and then work to keep it healthy and 

productive over time. Community collaborations develop along these same lines.

1 Moore, J. (2005). Collaborations of schools and social service agencies. Retrieved August 9, 2006, from the National Center for Homeless Education website: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/collab_school_social.doc


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Step 1: IntroductIONS

• Once stakeholders are identified and prioritized, make initial contact by phone or e-mail.

• If there is already a personal connection within the organization, begin by contacting 

that individual. If that person cannot help with the collaboration, he or she can at 

least direct you to the right staff member.

• If there is no personal connection, start by calling the central office.

• Don’t be discouraged if initial contacts don’t bear fruit. It may take a few calls or 

e-mails to find the right collaborative partner — the specific staff member who can 

most relate to the McKinney-Vento program, has the most time to meet, has the 

most interest in building partnerships, and/or has the authority to collaborate.

Tip: Be gutsy enough to just walk in and take a seat in pertinent groups, even if one 

is not offered. This may be an unfamiliar arena, but the school district has an essential 

contribution to make, and the local liaison has knowledge and experience to offer that 

other groups do not.

• Be prepared to explain the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless and the role 

of the local liaison, briefly and simply.

• Be prepared to explain the McKinney-Vento program, briefly and simply. Be able to 

report on the numbers of children and youth served by your program, the services 

provided, and how the program’s work has translated into higher academic achievement, physical and mental health, family stability, funding for the school district, and 

other indicators of success. A simple PowerPoint presentation of five to ten slides 

with this information is an important networking tool.

• Join a local homeless coalition. Contact information is available at 

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/resources/state/index.html

• Pursue relationships with community decision-makers such as the mayor’s office, 

city council, county supervisors, school board, PTA, religious leaders and interfaith 

organizations, civic organizations, etc. Their positions can provide access to disaster 

planning teams and processes and translate into broad-based support.

Good Example: Virginia’s PTA passed a resolution supporting the McKinney-Vento 

Act, which may be helpful in advocacy with other state and local PTAs: http://www.

wm.edu/hope/vaptaresolution.pdf

• Become involved with the local Continuum of Care (CoC). The CoC can be a critical 

source of funding and services for McKinney-Vento programs, as well as an entrée 

into disaster planning and response taskforces.


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* The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers an 

interactive web map with contact information for all the CoCs in the country. 

 http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/programs/cont/coc/

* Find out when local CoC network meetings are held and attend them. These 

meetings are usually held monthly or every other month. Participate in the CoC 

and other provider networks year-round and not just at funding time. Regular 

presence at these meetings will help the McKinney-Vento program gain credibility 

within the provider community and make an impact on the resources available for 

children, youth, and families.

* Over time, increase the level of involvement as organizations learn more about 

the important contributions of your McKinney-Vento program.

Step 2: Getting to know each other

• Build a strong McKinney-Vento program that will be respected by community decision-makers and collaborative partners.

• Be prepared to explain the basics of the McKinney-Vento Act and implementation 

strategies.

Tip: A basic PowerPoint presentation on the McKinney-Vento Act may prove helpful. 

For sample presentations, visit the NCHE website at: 

http://www.serve.org/nche/training.php. An online audio tutorial can be accessed at: 

http://www.serve.org/nche/training.php#breeze

• Be creative and consistent with early contacts. For example: invite potential collaborators to visit your program; offer a school bus tour of shelters and motels; offer to 

visit collaborators’ programs; show off artwork or other projects of the children who 

participate in the program; provide simple refreshments at early meetings.
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Share your passion and energy with collaborative partners!

• Get to know collaborative partners. Visit their websites prior to meetings. At meetings, ask questions about their services, successes, and needs.

• Get to know the emergency response infrastructure in your community.

* Read the local emergency response and recovery plans (available from the city or 

county emergency response agency, police department, fire department, and/or 

mayor’s office).

* Visit FEMA’s website (http://www.fema.gov/), the local Red Cross office (www.

redcross.org/where/where.html), and the local VOAD (Voluntary Organizations 

Active in Disaster, http://www.nvoad.org/).

* Locate the local emergency operations or emergency response center (by searching on the web or in the phone book or checking with local government). Visit the 

center.

* Appendix 3 contains a glossary of key terms and acronyms in disaster planning 

and response.

• Find out if other school district staff members are involved in emergency or disaster-related committees or task forces in the community. The superintendent, safety 

department, or other personnel may already be involved, and the local liaison can 

collaborate with those staff members.

Step 3: Assessing mutual interests and compatibility

• Analyze what partners can offer the school district and students in light of the specific 

unmet needs of children, youth, and families.

• Think strategically about how the McKinney-Vento program fits into the overall school 

district and broader community.

* What specific expertise, information, and resources can the McKinney-Vento program offer?

* How can the program’s data collection activities translate into additional funding 

for the school district and/or community?

* How do the McKinney-Vento program’s needs and goals complement the needs 

and goals of potential partners?

* How do the academic, mental and physical health, and other support services the 

program provides help support academic achievement, prevent violent confrontations, and prevent youth and family homelessness?
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* How can the program support the community’s disaster planning, response, 

and recovery efforts?

• Be prepared to explain clearly and objectively how the McKinney-Vento program can 

enhance the work of collaborative partners.

• Communicate openly and honestly about needs and ideas for mutually beneficial 

collaborations.

Step 4: Deciding if a relationship is desirable

• When reaching out to other departments and agencies, it is important to consider 

the level of relationship that may be needed to realize goals. Consider working on 

lower-level relationships to assess the collaborations and to build trust before attempting more complex collaborations.

• Given the time demands on local liaisons, community collaborations must be prioritized based on needs. If it is not possible to pursue a particular relationship at the 

moment, leave the collaborators with a positive impression of your program and the 

door open for future collaboration.

High

Collaboration

Coalition

Coordination

Cooperation

Networking

Low High

Level of

Shared 

Responsibility

Linkages for 

Shared 

Resources

BUILDING UP TO COLLABORATION
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Step 5: Negotiating how the relationship will work and 

keeping it healthy and productive over time

• Maintain open and honest communication with all partners.

• Set a pattern of frequent and clear communication with collaborative partners.

Tip: Consider informal lunches, tours of members’ programs, or outdoor meetings in 

nice weather to complement more formal meetings and/or conference calls.

• Together with collaborative partners, conduct a community needs assessment and 

identify common priorities based on needs. It is important to start from a common 

understanding of needs, goals, and priorities.

• Base relationships on these common needs, goals, and priorities. Having goals that 

will benefit all parties in the long run is a key to successful, lasting collaborations.

• Take the time to write a mission statement and goals for the collaboration. These 

should be clear, concise, and with objective and specific expectations. A written 

action plan with clear objectives will help the group stay focused, productive, and 

aware of its successes.

Tip: Concentrating on the core vision instead of structures or processes helps maintain focus on what partners intend to accomplish instead of getting sidetracked by 

how to do it. This invites creative thinking and problem solving. It also helps the collaborative withstand changes in membership, organizational structure, etc.

• Work toward meeting initial, short-term goals so participants can see fairly immediate results of their collaborative efforts.

• Include a status report on the action plan in each meeting.

• Update and adjust the action plan and goals based on group evaluation and input as 

needs and priorities change.

• Have all partners evaluate their resources to determine efficient ways to share and 

leverage resources.

• Discuss the privacy laws and concerns that affect partner agencies, and develop procedures to share information, such as parent release forms.

• Don’t be afraid. Encourage passionate leaders, creativity, and appropriate risk-taking.

• Work to maintain trust and respect within the group.

• Be patient. Gaining access and building productive collaborations can take time. It 
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may take years to gain meaningful access to disaster planning, response, and recovery committees. But every relationship built, every program success, and every joint 

initiative developed is another key step in the process.

Good Example: A simple conversation between the Broward County (FL) local 

homeless education liaison and the director of the local children’s museum spawned 

ArtREACH (Reconnecting and Educating Homeless Adolescents through Creativity and 

Hope). A collaboration among the museum, the school board of Broward County, and 

the Salvation Army, ArtREACH is a daily after-school program that provides homework 

assistance, an arts-based curriculum, and recreation. The program also offers weekly 

counseling. Once a month the students visit the museum itself for more hands-on arts 

activities. ArtREACH has received a great deal of attention – even being featured in a 

Time Magazine article, which spawned generous local matching support.

For an in-depth guide to building successful collaborations, download NCHE’s publication, Collaborations Between Schools and Social Service Agencies at 

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/collab_school_social.pdf

Additional Resources:

A Place at the Table: Homeless Veterans and Local Homeless Assistance Planning Networks. 

US HUD, February 2002. Detailed guide to the Continuum of Care process with an emphasis on strategies for getting a seat at the table and becoming meaningfully involved 

in local homeless assistance planning.

http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/about/hudvet/pdf/vetscocfinal.pdf

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools and School as a Safety Net. NCHE, March 2006. 

These two handbooks are designed to assist schools in collaborating with disaster 

relief agencies.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/dis_hb/relief_agencies.pdf

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/dis_hb/school_safety_net.pdf

Communicating About Collaborative Relationships. Iowa Association of School Boards. 

Tip sheet to help school board members and other educators build and maintain successful collaborative relationships in the community.

http://www.ia-sb.org/communityrelations/collaborativerelationships.asp

Building Meaningful Partnerships. Iowa Association of School Boards. Brief to help 

schools begin to build partnerships with the business community.

http://www.ia-sb.org/communityrelations/partnerships.asp
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Homeless Education Awareness Folder. NCHE. Sturdy, laminated folder that can be 

customized to inform potential partners about the issues central to the education of 

children and youth experiencing homelessness. To order:

http://www.serve.org/nche/online_order.php#hard_copy

Collaboration Action Plan (Appendix FJ of Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit. 

NCHE. A chart to aid districts and states in designing, prioritizing, and building collaborative relationships.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_f.pdf

Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit. NCHE. Chapter 5 of the toolkit offers strategies for beginning and nurturing productive collaborations. 

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/chapters.pdf
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3. Setting a New Table: Convening community forums and 

interagency taskforces

As Glendale, CA, Local Homeless Education Liaison Carol Reynolds began 

implementing the McKinney-Vento Act, she realized she needed a greater 

understanding of how other agencies operated and what issues they had with the 

school district. As a result, the school district hosted a meeting of local homeless 

service agencies and the Children and Homeless Collaborative was born. The 

collaborative includes Project ACHIEVE, the Glendale YMCA and YWCA, the 

Salvation Army, the City of Glendale, the Glendale Police Department, the 

Glendale Council PTA and individual PTA units, and departments within the 

school district that support homeless students.1

In many communities, local homeless coalitions, disaster planning committees, and 

interagency taskforces are already in place and functioning well. The local homeless 

education liaison’s mission is to work with these pre-existing groups to engage in 

cooperative disaster planning and to maximize services for youth and families in 

homeless situations. To the greatest extent possible, local liaisons should work with 

pre-existing groups before attempting to establish a new forum. 

If an interdisciplinary disaster committee or homelessness taskforce does not exist in 

the local community, or if consistent efforts to join them have not been successful, the 

school district may want to convene its own taskforce. Local liaisons may also want 

to convene other collaborative taskforces or committees to confront issues of family 

homelessness, young children, unaccompanied youth, school mobility, domestic 

violence, and/or other topics.

1

 Moore, J. (2005). Collaborations of schools and social service agencies. Retrieved August 21, 2006, from the 

National Center for Homeless Education website: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads?collab_school_

social.doc
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Tip: Convening a taskforce may seem overwhelming, particularly in the context of 

other local liaison responsibilities. It requires an investment of time and effort. However, although the local liaison may not feel that convening an interagency taskforce 

is a natural role, in practice schools often serve as the most logical and appropriate 

center for community-based collaborations. “Many communities are now focusing on 

schools as the basis for collaborations simply because that is where the children are.” 2

Local liaisons should not attempt to convene interdisciplinary groups alone. They may 

lack the visibility or clout to bring the necessary stakeholders to the table, and they 

may be able to maximize their impact by having more powerful allies take the helm. 

Superintendents, established community agencies, or local government officials may 

lend weight to the effort and pull in additional allies, such as the press and business.

Convening a taskforce requires identifying the stakeholders and employing best practices for meaningful collaborative relationships. The strategies and resources outlined 

in Sections I.A.1 and I.A.2 above can assist in those tasks. Additionally, convening a 

taskforce will require the basic steps of inviting people to participate and conducting 

meetings.

 

2

 Moore, p.6.
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Tips for a Taskforce Invitation

An invitation to participate in a collaborative taskforce should:

• Be addressed to a specific individual, rather than the organization

• Come from two or three organizations or individuals with the ability and authority to 

convene groups from different sectors

• Be signed or somehow endorsed by a community leader

• Recognize the contributions, experience, and knowledge of invitees

• Describe the basics of the McKinney-Vento program, highlighting services that may 

be unknown to the broader community that most closely align with the goals of 

invitees (for example, mental health services, physical health services, support for 

parents and young children, resources for unaccompanied youth, etc.)

• Emphasize that the children and families who participate in the McKinney-Vento 

program could receive added benefits if the program worked more collaboratively

• Convey the hope that through collaborations, community partners could leverage 

their resources and meet common goals

• Convey an openness to a group process of assessing needs, organizing priorities, and 

establishing goals

• Invite participants to an initial, introductory meeting at a convenient and comfortable 

location and at a convenient time

• Consider rotating future meeting sites among participants’ programs, so agencies 

can get to know each others’ programs; if possible, offer refreshments

• Express goodwill, humility, awareness, experience, and openness

A sample invitation letter is available in Appendix 4.
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A sample agenda for an initial meeting should be clear and positive and should not be 

too ambitious.

agenda Items for an initial collaborative taskforce meeting

1. Warm welcome and optimistic vision of the tangible benefits of collaboration

2. Introductions: Opportunity for participants to introduce themselves and the programs they represent and to express their initial hopes and goals, both personal 

and organizational, for participation.

3. Goal setting: Participants should agree on one attainable, short-term goal for their 

collaboration, such as participating together in a pre-scheduled community event, 

conducting a needs assessment, considering a group response to a pending public 

policy issue, developing a protocol or standard consent form for sharing information, etc. This goal may be generated by the discussion in #2.

4. Next steps: Set the date, time, and location for the next meeting or delegate that 

responsibility to a participant.

A recorder should take good notes and circulate them promptly to all participants.

Subsequent meetings should work toward reaching the initial, short-term goal so that 

participants can see immediate results from their collaborative efforts. The group 

should work together to conduct a needs assessment and establish further goals and 

priorities based upon those needs. Eventually, goals should be incorporated into a 

written action plan with measurable objectives. Each meeting should include a status 

report on the action plan. The action plan may warrant subcommittees or targeted 

taskforces. A written plan with clear objectives will help the group stay focused, productive, and aware of its successes.
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MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

EFFECTIVE

NETWORK

WAY OF WORK 

PROCESS

EVALUATE/

PLAN GATHER DATA/

INVENTORY/MAP

IDENTIFY KEY

PLAYERS

DETERMINE

THE VISION

IDENTIFY/

PRIORITIZE

ISSUES

PROBLEM SOLVE/

DEVELOP PLAN

(What, Who, When)

IMPLEMENT

STRATEGIES

The following graphic illustrates the circular nature of the functioning of effective taskforces. The process involves continually revisiting the action plan as the group implements activities, collects data, and discusses progress.1

1 Florida Department of Education. (n.d) Way of work manual: Shared service network. (p. I-II). Retrieved 

August 3, 2006 from http://ssn.usf.edu/documents/wayworkmanual/waywork.pdf
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When convening a taskforce specifically related to disaster planning, consider the 

following additional suggestions from the Pennsylvania Center for Safe Schools and 

Communities:

Form an interagency advisory group that meets on a regular basis. This group 

should include all government agencies in your municipality and county that 

serve students and their families (i.e., Children and Youth Services; Community 

Mental Health/Mental Retardation/ Drug and Alcohol Treatment programs; 

law enforcement, fire, and emergency agencies; juvenile justice and probation 

offices; the local and/or county Health Department,. etc.) as well as community 

leaders and businesses (e.g., NAACP, religious leaders, the mayor, the telephone 

company, etc.). These local partners are essential for the success of your crisis 

prevention and response efforts. 

The interagency council should review policies and procedures at least annually. 

Check the link between policies and procedures. Are they current? Are they complete? Have they worked? Do procedures match the policies? Do they follow the 

most recent legal mandates?

Don’t be alarmed if your policies and procedures fall short! Few districts have 

had the opportunity to prepare for all potential events. Here are some ideas for 

deciding what are the most likely crisis situations in your district:

• Review last year’s data.

• Ask outside agencies for their assessment of priorities.

• Consider your ‘public(s).’ What is important to them? For example, the local 

merchants may be upset about truant students loitering in town, while parents 

of young children may be concerned about the threat of kidnapping or a bus 

accident. Parents of teens may be anxious to prevent alcohol and other drug 

use. The juvenile court staff may want to address serious habitual offenders who 

transfer into your district. 3

3 Kerr, M. M. (1997, September). Developing good crisis plans. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Center for 

 Safe Schools and Communities.
MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION 21

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4. Getting Prepared: Designing a comprehensive disaster plan

“Our school district sits on this panel, and when there is an 

emergency that impacts our school district as well as the 

community, then we have district employees who report to 

the emergency operations center, and they’re part of this 

group that is in on the decision making.”

School District Administrator

Every school district should have a district crisis plan that contains each phase, and 

individual schools should have corresponding plans. Once the school district has 

gained a place on disaster planning committees or has independently convened such a 

committee, the task of planning for disaster begins. The U.S. Department of Education 

has developed a four-phase approach to disaster planning for schools, which includes 

mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. Each of the phases below were taken 

from the Department’s brochure.4

4 U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Practical information on crisis planning: A guide for schools and communities. 

Retrieved August 3, 2006, from http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/crisisplanning.pdf

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

A continuous process in which all phases of 

the plan are being reviewed and revised.

Mitigation

Pre

p

a

redness

opseR

n es

Re

c

overy

5
MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION 22

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Crisis Management

Mitigation and Prevention

The goal of mitigation is to decrease the need for response as opposed to simply 

increasing response capability.

• Connect with community emergency responders to identify local hazards. 

• Review the last safety audit to examine school buildings and grounds.

• Determine who is responsible for overseeing violence prevention strategies in your school.

• Encourage staff to provide input and feedback during the crisis planning process.

• Review incident data.

• Determine major problems in your school with regard to student crime and violence.

• Assess how the school addresses these problems. 

• Conduct an assessment to determine how these problems—as well as others—may 

impact your vulnerability to certain crises.

PREPAREDNESS

Good planning will facilitate a rapid, coordinated, effective response when a crisis occurs.

• Determine what crisis plans exist in the district, school, and community.

• Identify all stakeholders involved in crisis planning. 

• Develop procedures for communicating with staff, students, families, and the media.

• Establish procedures to account for students during a crisis. 

• Gather information about the school facility, such as maps and the location of utility shutoffs.

• Identify the necessary equipment that needs to be assembled to assist staff in a crisis.
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Response

A crisis is the time to follow the crisis plan and make use of your preparations.

• Determine if a crisis is occurring.

• Identify the type of crisis that is occurring and determine the appropriate response.

• Activate the incident management system. 

• Ascertain whether an evacuation, reverse evacuation, lockdown, or shelter-in-place needs

to be implemented.

• Maintain communication among all relevant staff at officially designated locations.

• Establish what information needs to be communicated to staff, students, families, and 

the community.

• Monitor how emergency first aid is being administered to the injured.

• Decide if more equipment and supplies are needed. 

Recovery

During recovery, return to learning and restore the infrastructure as quickly as possible.

• Strive to return to learning as quickly as possible.

• Restore the physical plant, as well as the school community.

• Monitor how staff are assessing students for the emotional impact of the crisis.

• Identify what follow up interventions are available to students, staff, and first responders.

• Conduct debriefings with staff and first responders.

• Assess curricular activities that address the crisis.

• Allocate appropriate time for recovery.

• Plan how anniversaries of events will be commemorated.

• Capture ‘lessons learned’ and incorporate them into revisions and trainings.

To assist schools in implementing all four phases of disaster planning, the U.S. 

Department of Education has developed an extensive website dedicated to emergency 

planning. The site is http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html.

Among other resources, it includes the Practical Information on Crisis Planning brochure 

at http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/crisisplanning.html and Practical Information 

on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities at 

http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf
MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION 24

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The following additional tools will help school districts implement mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery strategies. First, there are two tools to complement the 

U.S. Department of Education’s vision and help ensure that the school district’s crisis 

plan contains all the necessary elements. Second, there are links to several sample 

emergency response plans. Finally, there is a list of reprintable tools, templates, and 

checklists to guide and facilitate the planning process. 

Necessary Elements of a Good Crisis Plan

“If it happens tomorrow, will we do a better job than we did last 

time? We need to have a plan in place! An evacuation plan, a 

response plan, and a recovery plan. And it needs to be a city plan, 

in conjunction with the school districts.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

The following information summarized from the Pennsylvania Center for Safe Schools 

and Communities provides critical elements for a good crisis plan:

*Prevention guidelines tell us how to prevent a problem. For example, crisis 

plans are only one part of a comprehensive school safety promotion plan (which 

should also include students’ interpersonal skills development, staff training, school 

safety policies and procedures, etc.). Identifying school visitors when they first enter a 

building is another example of routine crisis prevention.

*Early Intervention guidelines should tell people how to know if a problem is about 

to happen and what to do about it. For example, in the event of a telephoned bomb threat, 

does the school secretary know to record specific information about the threat and identifying information about the caller? Do students know what to do if there is a fire alarm?

What’s In A Good Crisis Plan? 

A comprehensive crisis plan includes six elements:

* PREVENTION GUIDELINES

* EARLY INTERVENTION GUIDELINES

* CRISIS INTERVENTION GUIDELINES (what to do if prevention fails)

* POSTVENTION OR ONGOING MANAGEMENT

* DEBRIEFING AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

* IMPROVINGTHE PLANS
MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION 25

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*Crisis Intervention guidelines tell us how to get help, specific steps to take and 

those to avoid.

*Postvention guidelines tell us how to support staff, students, and families in the 

hours, days, and weeks following a tragedy.

*Debriefing and Evaluation procedures remind us to examine the crisis and 

the crisis responses. All responders should meet to review the team’s response and 

their personal reactions. This provides an opportunity for “Critical Incident Stress 

Debriefing,” or CISD. CISD has proven helpful in reducing long-term maladaptive 

reactions to high stress events.

*Improving the Plan refers to the process whereby we take a look at how we 

responded and make plans to improve our efforts. This ensures that we learn from our 

experiences, mistakes, and successes.5

See also: Emergency Plan Checklist, from the Arizona Department of Education’s 

Safety Planner, Appendix D. A checklist to ensure that the school district’s emergency 

plan contains all necessary elements. Pages D-3 – D-7. 

http://www.ade.az.gov/schooleffectiveness/health/schoolsafety/safetyplans/jobaids.pdf

Sample Emergency Plans

Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Easton, PA, Crisis Plan.

http://www.ciu20.org/departments/auxiliaryservices/resources/cm_chap6.pdf

Escambia County School District 2005-2006 Hurricane Plan

http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/eert/Comprehensive%20HURRICANE%20PLAN%202005-2006.pdf

Nettleton Public Schools, Nettleton, AR, Crisis Plan.

http://nettleton.crsc.k12.ar.us/crisis.htm

Oregon School Boards Association Sample Policy.

http://www.osba.org/hotopics/crismgmt/policies.htm

Pennsylvania Department of Education Sample School Emergency Operations Plan. 

http://www.pdenewsroom.state.pa.us/newsroom/lib/newsroom/SampleSchoolPlan-BasicPlan211.pdf

Virginia Department of Education Sample Policy

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/model.html

Links to emergency plans and planning toolkits from across the country.

http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/statelocal_emergency.cfm 

5 Kerr, M. M. (1997, September). Developing good crisis plans. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Center for Safe Schools 

 and Communities.
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Additional Resources

The Escambia Educational Recovery Team, a non-profit extension of the School District 

of Escambia County Florida, is dedicated to the preservation and recovery of educational processes disrupted by disasters. Their website contains a great deal of information 

to assist school districts in disaster planning, response, and recovery.

http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/eert/

The National Organization for Victim Assistance offers a 40-hour Basic Crisis Response 

Team Training Institute. http://www.trynova.org/crt/

Scott Poland, Nationally Association of School Psychologists, Chair, National Emergency 

Assistance Team. School Crisis Planning: Questions Answered. Checklists and basic information for school-level crisis planning. http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/neat_planning.html

Rebecca Fleischauer, Crisis Communication Guide & Toolkit. Chapter 4: Hands-On Assistance — Tools for Educators. National Education Association (January 2000). 

http://www.nea.org/crisis/images/crisisguide-b4.pdf

Sample forms for Disaster Planning, from the Arizona Department of Education.

http://www.ade.az.gov/schooleffectiveness/health//schoolsafety/safetyplans/response.asp (Under 

“Guidelines, Checklists, and Sample Forms” near the bottom of the page)

Crisis Management Workbook from the Office of Security and Risk Management Services 

of Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. A toolkit for crisis management and crisis readiness. http://www.fcps.edu/fts/safety-security/planning/cmw.pdf

Risk Index Worksheet from the Arizona Department of Education’s Safety Planner. A tool 

to categorize the risk priority of various types of disaster, to guide planning activities 

and priorities.

http://www.ade.az.gov/schooleffectiveness/health/schoolsafety/safetyplans/RiskIndexWorksheet.pdf

Incident Response Job Descriptions from the Arizona Department of Education. Detailed 

charts for essential roles and jobs in disaster response, their responsibilities, and tools 

for organization, at page C-6.

http://www.ade.az.gov/schooleffectiveness/health/schoolsafety/safetyplans/job.pdf

Organization and Responsibilities checklist from the Pennsylvania Department of Education Sample School Emergency Operations Plan. A list of school district personnel and 

their roles during a crisis.

http://www.pdenewsroom.state.pa.us/newsroom/lib/newsroom/SampleSchoolPlan-Checklists1.pdf

Emergency “Go Kits” from the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. Helpful hints for 

creating emergency supply kits for administrators and classroom teachers.

http://www.ercm.org/views/documents/HH_GoKits.pdf 
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

 No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the

 but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 30-40 Points This is a strength of the program.

20-29 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<20 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the district’s implementation 

of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most important 

indicators of success in developing strong community collaborations through interagency

communication and interdisciplinary disaster planning.

 I. Developing Strong Community Collaborations, Including Disaster Planning 

 and Mitigation.

 Key stakeholders in the community are identified.

 Local liaison is involved in active collaborations with key stakeholders.

 The school district participates regularly in interagency councils/

 coalitions that provide a wide variety of services for children, youth,

 and families such as housing and health care.

 The school district participates regularly in boards or with organizations 

 related to family services and disaster relief (e.g., United Way, American 

 Red Cross, Salvation Army, VOAD, faith-based organizations, housing

 organizations, etc.).

 Collaborations yield tangible results for homeless children, youth, 

 and families.

 Local liaison understands how the local disaster response infrastructure 

 works and has relationships with key players in that infrastructure.

 The school district and local liaisons are actively involved in disaster 

 planning task forces and committees.

 The school district has a comprehensive, interdisciplinary disaster plan 

 that is coordinated with community disaster response agencies and local 

 government.

 TOTAL 

Self Assessment I. A

A. Public, private, and community agencies are known to each other, communicating, and 

engaging in interdisciplinary disaster planning.
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B. Public, private, and community services are coordinated, 

integrated, and delivered collaboratively.

Families and youth in homeless situations, and particularly those displaced by 

disasters, are forced to navigate many systems and agencies to find housing, food, 

clothing, employment, health care, and other services. Collaborations that coordinate 

and integrate service delivery can streamline the process and help families and youth 

receive the support and services they need. Agencies can work together to meet logistical challenges, provide comprehensive services, and ease the practical burdens on 

families and youth.

“There is a Children’s Service Center diagonally across the street from 

Red Cross. It is designed to be only an administrative facility, but they 

were wonderful to give up both personnel and facilities to allow their 

offices to be converted into essentially a childcare area, while their 

family members were in line or receiving case management services 

and financial assistance.”

Relief Agency Staff Member

“We gave them resources in the community that could help them as 

well as helping parents. If they needed jobs we’d direct them to places 

for employment opportunities as well.”

School Counselor

“We also had several lawyers volunteer to conduct classes for the 

parents on the paperwork involved with hurricanes, insurance, 

FEMA, services and benefits, etc. That was really a good thing to do, 

because lowering the stress level for the parents lowered the stress 

level for the kids.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

Such collaborations will be assisted greatly if service providers share information, 

develop memoranda of understanding, and establish reliable and flexible communications systems. 
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1. Sharing Information 

Service providers cannot integrate service delivery if they do not share information.

 “Children could benefit from data-sharing agreements among 

organizations.”1 

Different providers will be bound by different privacy laws and regulations, such as the 

Privacy Act, the Health Information Privacy and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Family 

Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Each of these laws and regulations requires 

different procedures and forms for releasing information. FEMA, school districts, and mental health providers are subject to some of the most rigorous privacy protections.

Communication is the key to sharing information among different service providers.

• First, different agencies must be convinced that sharing information is beneficial to 

them and their clients and that information will be used appropriately.

• Then, providers must talk to each other about the privacy regulations that apply to 

them and develop systems to protect confidential information while sharing the 

information that is necessary to streamline service delivery.

• One strategy is to develop joint release-of-information forms by combining the 

required elements of the different agencies. Using these forms upon intake should 

help clients receive all available and needed services as quickly as possible.

1

 U.S. Government Accounting Office. (2006, May). Lessons learned for protecting and educating children after 

the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Retrieved August 21, 2006, from http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06680r.pdf
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2. Developing Memoranda of Understanding

Memoranda of understanding are important tools for streamlining the provision of 

services. A signed memorandum of understanding among public and/or private service providers can make it possible for them to share information and provide holistic 

services in an accessible and efficient manner. For example, many school districts have 

memoranda of understanding with child welfare providers, which define the cooperation and cost-sharing guidelines among schools, child welfare agencies, family courts, 

and foster parents.

A memorandum among participants in a disaster planning taskforce is important to 

help ensure that response plans are followed during an actual crisis. This memorandum should spell out who does what during a crisis and describe expectations for each 

agency. It should clearly identify all critical roles and assign specific people to each task. 

This document should be updated and reviewed every year.

Good Examples: Sample Memorandum of Understanding from the North Carolina 

Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Center for the Prevention 

of School Violence.

http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/Acrobatfiles/cirk_mou.pdf

Sample Memorandum of Understanding from the Kentucky Center for School Safety. 

http://www.kysafeschools.org/pdfs&docs/clearpdf/issuesbriefs/moa.pdf
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3. Establishing Robust Communication Systems

“I would have a source of communication, at least walkie-talkies or some type of 

communicator device, that I could communicate with my team of administrators.”

School District Administrator

Interruptions in communication systems during a disaster can make effective response 

within an agency extremely challenging. Coordination and collaboration among agencies 

may be nearly impossible unless robust, flexible communication strategies are developed 

prior to a disaster. 

It may be helpful to envision methods of communication in terms of layers, based on the 

infrastructure needed for the method to function. The top layer, which represents the most 

technologically-sophisticated methods of communication, is generally the first to collapse in 

a disaster. Loss of electricity and damage of phone lines and cell phone towers are common 

occurrences in disasters. In fact, it is important to plan for the probability that in a disaster, 

almost every form of communication normally used by the school district and the community 

may be nonfunctional. Therefore, school districts must develop flexible, creative strategies for 

communication during and after disasters.

Satellite cell phones may be the most flexible and reliable form of communication in a 

disaster. To the extent possible, school districts may wish to purchase or find a donor to 

provide satellite cell phones for key personnel.

The following tips from the U.S. Department of Education can help school districts plan for 

good communication during emergencies. 

layer

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

E-mail, websites

Cell phones

landlines

public announcement systems on TV or radio

local public announcement systems within a school or town center

walkie-talkies

physically going to a site to speak with someone

air horns and whistles
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Planning for communication during a crisis

Clear lines of communication are crucial to a successful response to a crisis. During the 

planning process, it will be important to establish effective lines of communication among 

and within the state, district, school, and community groups. When creating a crisis plan, 

there are several communication needs that should be addressed.

COMMUNICATION IS ESSENTIAL BEFORE CRISES OCCUR:

• Use common terminology across a district.

• Identify several modes of communication for both internal and external 

communication. Keep in mind that in times of crisis, computers, intercoms, 

telephones, and even cell phones may not work or may be dangerous to use. Plan for 

several methods of communication in a crisis.

• Make sure that schools have adequate supplies of communication gear and that the 

appropriate individuals have access to it. 

• Verify that school communication devices are compatible with emergency responder 

devices. A cell phone or two-way radio is of no use if it cannot be used with the 

emergency responder’s phone or radio. Also, check to see that the school’s 

communication devices do not interfere with the emergency responder’s equipment. 

• Create communication plans to notify families that a crisis has occurred at their child’s 

school. These pathways should include several modes of communication, including 

notices sent home and phone trees, so the pathways can be tailored to fit the needs of 

a particular crisis. 

• Establish communication pathways with the community. This may be in the form of a 

phone or e-mail tree, a community liaison, or media briefings. It is crucial to keep the 

community informed before, during, and after a crisis.

• Designate a Public Information Officer to deal with families, the community and 

the media. The designation of one individual will help all parties stay informed with 

identical information.

GOOD COMMUNICATION DURING A CRISIS IS ALSO CRUCIAL. BELOW ARE SOME 

KEY POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND:

• Inform staff who are managing the students. Regardless of the amount of training 

staff members have received, there is going to be chaos and fear. Communication 

mitigates those reactions and helps regain a sense of calm and control.

• Notify families of action being taken. Understand that parents are going to want 

immediate access to their children. Safely begin reunification procedures as soon 

as possible. Keep families informed as much as possible, especially in the case of 

delayed reunification.

Communication often stops after a crisis subsides. However, during the recovery phase, 

keeping staff and community informed remains critical. 2

2 U.S. Department of Education. (2003, May). Practical information on crisis planning: A guide for schools and communities. 

(Pgs 47-49). Retrieved August 21, 2006, from: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

 No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the

 but not effective successful needs improvement program

The following targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the district’s implementation 

of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most important 

indicators of success in developing strong community collaborations through coordinating 

and integrating service delivery.

 I. Developing Strong Community Collaborations, Including Disaster Planning 

 and Mitigation.

B. Public, private, and community services are coordinated, integrated, and delivered

 collaboratively.

 Program eligibility and/or case management forms include parent 

 signatures indicating permission to share information with 

 other programs.

 The school district has current memoranda of understanding with 

 relevant community agencies, including social services, child welfare, 

 youth-serving agencies, and disaster response agencies.

 The school district has flexible, reliable systems for communication

 within the district in time of crisis.

 The school district has flexible, reliable systems for communication with 

 communitiy agencies, including disaster relief agencies, in time of crisis.

 The school district regularly disseminates information about school-

 based programs and resources to community-based organizations 

 and parents. 

 The school district has facility-use policies in place that encourage

 delivery of services to children, youth, and families in the area of the 

 community where they live.

 There is a single point of intake (either at a school or community-based

 locations) where families receive information, complete paperwork, and

 participate in family-focused plans for the delivery of services.

 TOTAL 

How did you score? 30-40 Points This is a strength of the program.

20-29 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<20 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

Self Assessment I. B
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II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, 

Including Disaster Response

“We wanted to serve them, but we get hung up on the paperwork 

requirements. The [McKinney-Vento] law allowed the district to 

move very expediently. It gave us the flexibility to serve the human 

being, and not worry about the documentation.”

School District Administrator and Former Principal

“We just used our regular McKinney-Vento policies that we already 

had. If the McKinney-Vento Act was not in existence, a lot of our 

children would’ve fallen through the cracks, because of policy. So it 

really helped out—enrollment without a parent, immunizations, 

that they must have transportation. Otherwise, kids would’ve been 

turned away for no records, even though we knew their records 

were under water.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

School districts that have been impacted heavily by disasters agree that the McKinneyVento Act was the cornerstone of their response. In fact, the procedures and systems 

that districts use to serve children and youth experiencing homelessness form the 

basis for responding to any disaster. From identifying families and youth in homeless 

situations, to ensuring immediate enrollment and appropriate placement, to providing 

critical supportive services such as physical and mental health care, transportation, 

and meals, McKinney-Vento programs are school districts’ “First Responders” in 

disaster situations.

Recognizing the importance of a robust McKinney-Vento program in disaster response, 

most of the tools in Section II are generally applicable to implement the basic 

requirements of the McKinney-Vento Act. Section II concludes with tools for managing 

data, the media, and donations.
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A. Local liaison understands the rights of homeless children 

and youth, and district policies are in line with the McKinneyVento Act, to support the full, efficient, and effective 

implementation of federal law.

“We already had our program, and we were already working with 

homeless families, so it was easier to respond to the hurricanes.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

The McKinney-Vento Act confers various rights on children and youth experiencing 

homelessness, to ensure that they can enroll in and attend school. Those rights allow 

homeless children and youth to:

• Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there. Students 

must be given access to the same public education, including preschool education, 

provided to other children. 

• Continue in their school of origin - the school they attended before they became 

homeless or the school in which last enrolled if that is their choice and is “feasible.”

• Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, upon request. 

• Attend school and participate in school programs with those who are not homeless. 

Children and youth cannot be separated from the regular school program because 

they are homeless. 

• Enroll in school without giving a permanent address. Schools cannot require proof of 

residency that might prevent or delay school enrollment. 

• Enroll in school and attend classes while the school arranges for the transfer of 

school and immunization records or any other documents required for enrollment.

• Enroll and attend classes in the school of their choice (school of residence or school 

of origin) even while they and the school seek to resolve a dispute over enrollment. 

• Receive the same special programs and services, if needed, as provided to all other 

children served in these programs. 

• Receive transportation to and from school, comparable to that of other children in 

the school district.

It is imperative that local homeless education liaisons understand these rights. More 

information on the McKinney-Vento Act is available from NCHE at http://www.serve.

org/nche, as well as in the resources listed in Section II.B.2 below.

To ensure that the rights of children and youth are implemented fully in states and 

school districts, the McKinney-Vento Act requires all state and local educational agencies to develop, review, and revise their policies to remove barriers to the enrollment 

and retention in school of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Of course, 

this includes children and youth experiencing homelessness due to natural or other 
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disasters. Such policies are critical for the full, efficient, and effective implementation 

of the Act, resulting in the enrollment and attendance of homeless students in school.

During disasters, strong district policies are even more important. They provide 

schools with something tangible to uphold during the confusion of initial disaster response. If school and district personnel are familiar with McKinney-Vento policies and 

practices, the immediate school district response to a disaster will be more deliberate 

and appropriate. This section provides tools to assist in:

1. Developing strong McKinney-Vento policies in school districts

2. Developing additional policies specific to disaster situations

1. Developing strong McKinney-Vento policies in school districts

The following tips taken from a “Sample Local Educational Agency (LEA) Policy to Implement the McKinney-Vento Act” may help school districts develop flexible, appropriate policies to implement the McKinney-Vento Act and respond effectively to disasters. 
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In addition to the strategic allies listed above, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) can also support 

local liaisons’ efforts in working with school boards. NSBA has featured the McKinney-Vento Act in its national 

publications and at its annual conference. For example, see Q&A at http://www.nsba.org/site/doc_cosa.asp?Trac

kID=&SID=1&DID=33536&CID=164&VID=50 and Helping Homeless Students: Complying with the McKinney-Vento 

Act, an April 22, 2004 audio conference, available to order at http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/31500/31483.pdf

Tips for developing a local policy for Homeless Education

The entire LEA community can be involved in developing a new policy. Often, one 

person taking the lead is enough to get a new policy enacted. Strategic allies in 

getting LEA policies revised may include:

• Superintendent and assistant superintendents 

• School board members 

• Title I and other federal programs directors 

• School staff, including school counselors, social workers and teachers 

• The mayor 

• City council members 

• County government officials 

• Other city and county agencies, such as departments of housing, social 

 services, child and families, transitional assistance, welfare and/or Medicaid 

• Parents and students 

• Homeless coalitions 

• Domestic violence coalitions and agencies 

• Legal aid attorneys 

• Community advocates 

• HUD Continuum of Care programs

• Family and youth shelter and service providers 

• The faith-based community 

• Higher education, including schools of education, law, public policy, social

 work, nursing, sociology and psychology 

• State legislators 

• The state educational agency 

• The state board of education

Ways to involve these allies in the process initially may include:

• Using the requirements and rationale of the McKinney-Vento Act as 

 support for needing new policies

• Sharing positive results from districts that have already revised their policies

• Taking them on tours of shelters and/or schools, as appropriate

• Making direct personal contact and explaining how the policies affect real 

 children, schools, and the LEA as a whole 1

1 Julianelle, P. (2003). Sample Local Educational Agency policy to implement the McKinney-Vento Act. Retrieved 

August 6, 2006, from the National Center for Homeless Education website: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_g.pdf
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Sample LEA Policy

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty drafted a sample LEA policy. The 

policy was adapted from the existing policies of LEAs around the country, the requirements of the reauthorized McKinney-Vento Act and No Child Left Behind Act, and U.S. 

Department of Education regulations and guidance. It is broad and specific and can be 

abbreviated or otherwise adapted to accommodate the needs of any LEA. It is located 

in Appendix E of the NCHE Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_f.pdf

2. Developing additional policies specific to disaster situations

While McKinney-Vento policies form the backbone of a school district’s disaster response, crisis situations also require additional policies beyond those mandated by 

the McKinney-Vento Act. For example, school districts should be prepared for disasters 

with policies that address the following challenges:

• Hiring temporary employees, including teachers, counselors, secretaries, bus 

drivers, and others

• Obtaining emergency certification and clearance for out-of-state or new staff, 

including teachers, bus drivers, and counselors

• Evaluating the structural safety of buildings to determine if students can return 

safely to damaged school sites

• Accepting monetary donations and donations of goods and services (See Section 

II. J for strategies and tools)

• Gathering and managing information needed for potential reimbursements 

from the state, FEMA, the U.S. Department of Education, or other sources (See 

Section II. H for data management strategies and tools)

• Requesting short-term, emergency waivers of class size limits

• Purchasing, renting, and/or installing necessary infrastructure, including portable 

classrooms, air conditioners, heating units, desks, books, buses, sanitary facilities, 

and others

“If we had to purchase something, if we had to purchase an 

air-conditioning unit, we utilized the emergency purchasing 

procedures that the law allows us to do in the case of emergency.”

School District Administrator

The following tips from the Pennsylvania Center for Safe Schools and Communities 

may assist school districts in developing good policies for responding to the unique 

challenges posed by disasters. 
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Tips for developing policies for disaster responSe

Where to begin. . . A good crisis plan takes its lead from clear and supportive 

district policies. These policies, in turn, must mesh with local and state laws, ordinances, and procedures. For example, you would not want your district’s policy 

on weapons to contradict the procedures of your local law enforcement agencies. Where to begin? Check federal, state, and local mandates (laws, standards, 

codes, regulations). Because the regulations are binding on a school district, it’s a 

good idea to start with them. Here are some steps to follow:

First, examine federal, state, and local policies and procedures. You may find 

these in:

• agency directives and memoranda

• bulletins from central office

• community agencies’ files (police, protective services, emergency management 

 agency, courts, mental health agencies, hospitals and health care agencies).

• individual school building guidebooks

Second, be sure you have a policy and procedures for each of these 

potential crisis situations

• facilities problems (electrical outage, heating, plumbing)

• unrest, protests, strikes

• natural disasters or events (weather)

• transportation delays, problems, and accidents

• individual child accidents (indoors and outside)

• medical problems affecting many (head lice, meningitis)

• individual medical crises (including alcohol and other drugs)

• individual mental health crises (depression, suicidality, trauma)

• intentional acts against persons (abuse; assault; rape; assaults with chemical, 

 syringe, mace; bomb threats; sexual harassment; bullying)

• hostage situations

• kidnapping or missing person

• intentional acts against property (theft, vandalism, graffiti)

• events outside school that affect the school community (students/staff 

 witnessing a crime or accident, airline crash)

Third, collaborate on policies. “Swap” policies and procedures with other youthserving agencies in your community. Request policies from comparable institutions. 

If you do not have a solid relationship with the other schools, law enforcement, and 

youth-serving agencies in your community, this policy-and-procedure discussion may 

be a good place to begin an ongoing dialogue. 2

2 Note. From “Developing good crisis plans” by M. M. Kerr, 1997. Copyright 1997 by Center for Safe Schools 

and Communities. Adapted with permission. Retrieved September 25, 2006 from http://www.safeschools.

info/developcrisis.php
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The school district has reviewed and revised all its policies to ensure 

 they are in compliance with the McKinney-Vento Act.

 The school district has reviewed and revised all its policies to ensure 

 they provide for smooth implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act 

 The school district has reviewed and revised all its policies to ensure 

 they support the enrollment, attendance, and success of homeless 

 children and youth in school.

 The school district conducts ongoing reviews of all its policies in light 

 of the needs and legal rights of students experiencing homelessness.

 School district policies contemplate and support positive, 

 interdisciplinary disaster response and recovery.

 School district policies contemplate and support effective, 

 interdisciplinary disaster response and recovery. 

 TOTAL 

Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

 No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the

 but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 30-40 Points This is a strength of the program.

20-29 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<20 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s 

implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the

most important indicators of success in applying the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of 

homeless and implementing identification strategies.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

A. Local liaison understands the rights of homeless children and youth, and district 

 policies are in line with the McKinney-Vento Act, to support full, efficient, and 

 effective implementation of federal law.

Self Assessment II. A
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B. Local liaison has a full understanding of the McKinneyVento Act’s definition of homeless, and expedited identification 

strategies ensure that children and youth eligible for services 

are identified.

While not all students displaced by disasters are eligible for McKinney-Vento services, 

most are. Students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence are 

considered homeless under the law and are eligible for services. Therefore, in most 

cases, children and youth made homeless by disasters should receive McKinney-Vento 

services.

Schools must know who and where students experiencing homelessness are in order 

to serve them. This requires both: (1) understanding how to apply the McKinney-Vento 

Act’s definition of homeless; and (2) increasing awareness of homelessness and the 

McKinney-Vento Act in schools and the broader community, including disaster relief 

agencies. This section offers tools to assist school districts in both of these tasks.

It is important to note that displaced children and youth may be harder to locate and 

draw into school than other homeless students. The practical burdens and overall 

trauma experienced by families and youth affected by disasters may tend to keep them 

away from school. Families may also believe they will return home shortly, and therefore be hesitant to enroll their children in a new school. Others may be traveling to 

their former home regularly to make repairs or look for work, causing their children to 

miss school. 

“Also for many people, school just wasn’t a priority. They’d had the opportunity at 

the Reliant Center, but didn’t enroll there, and then they went to hotels. They were 

working on clothes, food, and housing, and not enrolling their kids. So we went out 

to hotels and enrolled there. HEB is a grocery store, and they donated $100 gift 

cards, so we gave out a gift card when they enrolled, and then a second gift card 

when they got on the bus.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

“A lot of them are going back to [their former homes] every other week,and the kids

are missing school.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

“We are also dealing with truancy issues in the trailer parks. We are working with 

truancy officers.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison
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Strategies to find displaced students and encourage them to enroll in and 

attend school

q Use TV, radio, and school billboards to send a message to parents and youth that the 

school welcomes them. (See Section II.I for strategies and tools for media outreach).

q To the extent possible, register students where they are located rather than requiring 

them to come to a school or registration center, as lack of transportation or childcare may be a barrier. (See Section I.C.1.)

“My responsibility was to get teams out everywhere to register children—shelters, 

hotels, homes, etc. They were registered with a paper registration form.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

q Talk with parents and students about any reservations they may have about enrolling in school, including mental health concerns (See Section II.D.2.)

q Inform parents and students of all the services and supports school can offer them, including free meals, clothing, school supplies, and physical and mental health support.

q Provide snacks, a comfortable place to sit, and mental health support in registration 

centers to help families and youth feel comfortable.

“The fact that area restaurants donated lunch and we provided breakfast so there 

was always something to eat or drink at registration, was really important. People 

just went on and on about how nice we were to them. If they wanted to sit there 

all day, we let them. That worked really well.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

q Talk to parents about their housing options and intentions.

q Inform parents and students of their right to remain in the school of origin, to the 

extent this is feasible, even if they move.

q Inform parents and students of their transportation options.

q Take advantage of community relations and collaborations to locate students (see 

Sections I.A and I.B, pages for collaboration strategies and tools). 

“Our outreach efforts that we had with our community worked really well. 

Churches and shelters all knew I was the homeless liaison, so they contacted me to 

tell me when they were bringing people from the Astrodome.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

q Take advantage of community relations and collaborations to provide services for 

parents on school grounds, such as pro bono legal assistance (see Sections I.A and 

I.B. for estrategies and tools.)

q Put appropriate mental health supports in place in the schools (see Sections II.E.2 

 and III.A.)

q Provide welcoming activities for parents and students (See Section II.E.2.)
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1. Understanding how to apply the McKinney-Vento 

Act’s definition of homeless

Understanding the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless is a critical first step 

to identifying and serving children and youth experiencing homelessness. Appendix 5 

contains a brief entitled Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services Under the McKinney-Vento Act, which is a detailed tool to help school districts determine if particular 

students are eligible for McKinney-Vento services. The tool supports local liaisons in 

making case-by-case eligibility determinations by providing a flowchart, definitions of 

key terms, questions to solicit information from families and youth, and additional 

strategies. 

Eligibility determinations should follow this general outline:

Step 1: Get the facts. What is the family’s or youth’s situation?

Strategies and questions designed to help determine the extent to which the children 

and their families or the youth are living in a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime 

residence.

Step 2: Analyze the facts. Is the student eligible for McKinney-Vento services?

A. Does the child or youth’s living situation fit into one of the specific examples of 

homeless listed in the law? These examples include:

• Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or 

 a similar reason 

• Living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping ground due to the lack of alternative

 adequate accommodations 

• Living in an emergency or transitional shelter 

• Abandoned in a hospital 

• Awaiting foster care placement 

• Living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular

 sleeping accommodation for human beings 

• Living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or

 train station, or similar setting 

B. If the child’s, family’s, or youth’s situation does not fit any of the examples provided in the definition, consider the following: Is the child or youth living in another 

situation that is not fixed, regular, and adequate?

Consult Appendix 5 for the detailed definitions and eligibility tool or visit the NCHE 

website at http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/det_elig.pdf
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Additional Resources:

Determining Homelessness by the Definition. National Law Center on Homelessness & 

Poverty (2003). A flowchart to help guide schools in determining if a child or youth is 

eligible for protections and services under the McKinney-Vento Act. 

http://www.nlchp.org/fa_education/flowchart.pdf

Who Is Homeless? (McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice Issue Brief Series). NCHE 

(2002). A brief explaining the definition of homeless.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/who_is_homeless.pdf

Identifying Students in Homeless Situations. (McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice Issue 

Brief Series). NCHE (2002). A brief providing strategies to identify students experiencing homelessness.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/identification.pdf

Who are Homeless Children and Youth? flyer from the Local Homeless Education Liaison 

Toolkit. NCHE. A two-page summary and explanation of who is considered homeless 

under the MV Act.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_b.pdf
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2. Increasing awareness of homelessness and the McKinney-Vento Act in 

schools and the broader community

Local liaisons use varied strategies to increase awareness of homelessness and the 

McKinney-Vento Act in their communities including:

A particularly effective strategy for increasing awareness among school staff is to identify a homeless education contact in each school building. With support from the local 

liaison, this contact can increase awareness in the school and the local community. 

Appendix F in NCHE’s Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit contains a School-Level 

Point of Contacts form for naming school-level contacts and an information sheet explaining the role and importance of school-level contacts.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_f.pdf 

Additional Resources

The following additional resources can support awareness efforts:

Educational rights posters for parents and youth, in Spanish and English. NCHE. 

Posters for raising awareness throughout the community, including schools, shelters, 

motels, food pantries, social services offices, health clinics, laundromats, and other 

locations. Order online at http://www.serve.org/nche/online_order.php#hard_copy or 

call 1-800-308-2145

Parent brochure, in English and Spanish. NCHE. A brochure to explain the educational 

rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness and inform parents about ways 

in which they can support their children’s education during times of mobility.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/parentbrochure_eng.pdf

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/parentbrochure_sp.pdf

Homeless Education: An Introduction to the Issues. NCHE. A brief to introduce community and school district members to homelessness and the McKinney-Vento Act.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/introduction.pdf

	 Posters 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 Brochures 	 	 	 	 	 Workshops 	 	 Multi-Media Presentations

	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 Program Wallet Tours Cards School-Level Homeless Contacts 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 Stickers 	 	 	 	 	 Issue Briefs 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 Web Pages Local TV

	 Radio Stations Booklets
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McKinney-Vento online training presentations. NCHE. These presentations, complete 

with audio and video, give brief introductions to key issues covered in the McKinneyVento Homeless Assistance Act.

http://www.serve.org/nche/training.php#breeze

Enrollment Ready Reference for Schools. NCHE. A fold-out card for enrollment personnel that explains the basics of the McKinney-Vento Act and suggests enrollment strategies. Order online at http://www.serve.org/nche/online_order.php#hard_copy or call 

1-800-308-2145

Educating Homeless Children and Youth: The 2005 Guide to Their Rights. National Law 

Center on Homelessness & Poverty (2005). A Q&A booklet that provides an overview 

to the McKinney-Vento Act.

http://www.nlchp.org/FA%5FEducation/Basic%20McKinney%20Booklet%20(2005).

pdf

Family Brochure. Project HOPE, Virginia (2005). Brochures for families in English and 

Spanish.

http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/Engbrochure.pdf

http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/BrochureSpan.pdf

Questions and Answers on Homeless Education. Project HOPE, Virginia (2005). A Q&A 

brief with basic information about the McKinney-Vento Act. http://www.wm.edu/hope/

infobrief/QA.pdf

Homeless Education Awareness Folder. NCHE. A sturdy, laminated folder that can be 

customized with local information to inform colleagues and potential donors about 

the issues central to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. 

Order online at http://www.serve.org/nche/online_order.php#hard_copy or call 1-800-

308-2145

Student Residency Questionnaire. Texas Homeless Education Office. In English and 

Spanish. http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/pdffiles/RP11_StuResidencyQues_

RevFeb04.pdf

Introduction to Homelessness and Introduction to the McKinney-Vento Law. Texas 

Homeless Education Office. PowerPoint presentations. http://www.utdanacenter.org/

theo/toolkits.html#powerpoints

Poverty USA Tour. U.S. Conference of Bishops (2004). A multi-media, web-based presentation to increase awareness of poverty in the U.S. and explain why families in poverty confront homelessness.

http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour2.htm
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Common Signs of Homelessness. NCHE. Flyer from the Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_c.pdf

Tip Sheets. NCHE. Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit. For school administrators, 

school nurses, guidance counselors, teachers, school secretaries, and parents.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_i.pdf

Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit. NCHE. Chapter 6 offers strategies for increasing awareness in the school and community. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/chapters.pdf

Webpage Development Form. NCHE. Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit. A sample form for developing an LEA or SEA homeless education website.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_h.pdf

Kids Without Homes Toolkit: Awareness and Compliance Manual. Region 12 Education 

Service Center in collaboration with Region 10 Education Service Center and the Texas 

Homeless Education Office. A toolkit with awareness materials for a wide variety of 

school and district personnel.

http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/KidsWithoutHomes.html

Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth Review of Literature (1995-2005). NCHE (2005). 

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/uy_lit_review.pdf

Domestic Violence, Homelessness, and Children’s Education. (McKinney-Vento Law Into 

Practice Issue Brief Series). NCHE. A brief describing the connection between domestic violence and homelessness, with strategies for service providers and schools.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/domestic.pdf

Migrant Children and Youths Experiencing Homelessness: Rights and Services Through 

the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. (McKinney-Vento Law Into 

Practice Issue Brief Series). NCHE. A brief describing the connection between migrant 

workers and homelessness, with strategies for collaborations and schools.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/migrant.pdf
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The local liaison and others understand how to apply the 

 McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless.

 Awareness activities are sufficient to ensure that most educational

 personnel can identify children and youth who may be eligible for services.

 The district utilizes a uniform method for identifying children and youth 

 who may be eligible for services (e.g., residency information form, 

 disaster response survey, etc.) 

 Awareness materials are available in bulk, present at every school, and

 can be disseminated to community agencies (e.g., program brochures,

 posters, pocket folders, etc.)

 Disaster relief agencies in the community are aware of the

 McKinney-Vento Act and the extent to which the definition of homeless

 covers children and youth displaced by disasters.

 The local liaison and others are trained in identification procedures to

 provide technical assistance.

 A data management system is in place for tracking and reporting

 students identified for services.

 Strategies are in place for identification and outreach to families coping

 with the trauma and practical burdens of displacement by a disaster.

 TOTAL 

Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

 No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the

 but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 30-40 Points This is a strength of the program.

20-29 Points The program is moderately successful in this area.

<20 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s 

implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the

most important indicators of success in applying the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of 

homeless and implementing identification strategies.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

B. Local liaison has a full understanding of the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of

homeless, and expedited identification strategies ensure that most children and

youth are eligible for services and identified.

Self Assessment II. B
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C. Immediate enrollment strategies ensure that barriers to 

enrolling and remaining in school are eliminated.

Children and youth experiencing homelessness, including those displaced by disasters, 

often lack documents typically required for school enrollment. Upon fleeing a disaster, 

it is unlikely that families would have gathered immunization records, birth certificates, 

or school records. They are unlikely to be able to produce proof of residency in their 

temporary locations. Some youth may have been separated from their parents and are 

staying with friends or relatives or on their own, without any formal guardianship arrangement.

The McKinney-Vento Act requires that states and school districts eliminate barriers to 

immediate school enrollment for students experiencing homelessness. Local homeless 

education liaisons overcome the challenges associated with immediate enrollment by 

using practical strategies such as streamlining paperwork and using alternate forms to 

substitute for documents that are normally required. 

Tip: When enrolling displaced students, school districts should consider trying to 

match students with the schools where they will feel most comfortable. Sensitive enrollments can help prevent mental health and academic problems later on.

“It was important to do due diligence in relocating students in 

school sites that closely matched where they came from, pairing 

them with students, pairing them with faculty members, and 

trying to lessen the emotional burden. We also had some folks that 

actually had relatives in the area, and we would try and locate 

them at schools where their relatives lived.”

School Administrator

This section contains tools and strategies to assist school districts with the immediate 

enrollment of all homeless students, including specific strategies related to displaced 

students:

1. Forms for use during the enrollment process

2. Talking to parents and youth: Timing of enrollment and school selection

3. Enrollment checklist

4. Dealing with overcrowding when receiving a large number of displaced students

5. Other enrollment tools
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1. Forms for use during the enrollment process

Many school districts use simple forms to assist in identifying, enrolling, and serving 

students experiencing homelessness. These forms are key strategies to help gather 

information immediately upon enrollment and to start appropriate services immediately. The following five forms are attached in Appendix 6 and available at the websites 

indicated.

Sample Student Residency Questionnaire. From Education For Homeless Children And 

Youth Program Non-Regulatory Guidance. U.S. Department of Education (Updated July 

2004). A one-page sample student residency questionnaire to help identify students in 

homeless situations.(p.37)

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/guidance_jul2004.pdf 

Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Common Form. Illinois State Board 

of Education. A two-page enrollment form in Spanish and English to help identify students in homeless situations and assess their needs. 

http://homelessed.net/schools/default.htm (under “Common Form”)

Educational Services For Homeless/Transitional Students Confidential Referral Form. Louisiana Department of Education (2003). This one-page form should be filled out upon 

enrollment to assess the basic services a student experiencing homelessness needs, including transportation, clothing, tutoring, school records, school supplies, mental health 

support, and medical attention.

 http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/2529.pdf

Caregiver’s Authorization Form. NCHE. Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit, Appendix D. A reproducible form to allow caregivers to enroll unaccompanied youth in 

school.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_d.pdf

Dispute Resolution Process School Sample Form. From Education For Homeless Children 

And Youth Program Non-Regulatory Guidance. U.S. Department of Education (Updated 

July 2004). Sample forms for informing parents of an enrollment decision contrary to 

their wishes and beginning the dispute resolution process.(p.38)

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/guidance_jul2004.pdf

An additional resource for enrollment personnel is the Enrollment Ready Reference for 

Schools from NCHE. This fold-out card explains the basics of the McKinney-Vento Act 

and suggests enrollment strategies. Order online at:

http://www.serve.org/nche/online_order.php#hard_copy or call 1-800-308-2145
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2. Talking to parents and youth: Timing of enrollment and school selection

The following strategies can help guide local homeless education liaisons and school enrollment personnel in discussing enrollment options with displaced parents and youth.

A. Timing Of Enrollment

After experiencing violence or a serious loss as a result of a major disaster or other event, 

children and youth may be traumatized. Local liaisons have reported that some students 

are so traumatized following a major disaster that they may need a few days with their 

parents to begin to feel safe again, prior to enrolling in school. In addition, following 

large-scale evacuations such as those caused by Hurricane Katrina, families and youth 

may be placed in large, congregate shelters for a few days pending a more stable placement. In instances of immediately pending moves, it may be in the students’ best interests to delay enrollment for a few days so as to coordinate school enrollment with housing placements.

As a general practice, it is important for children and youth experiencing homelessness to be enrolled in school immediately. Immediate enrollment in school can provide 

students with safety, a routine, meals, clothing, academics, mental health services, and 

friendship. Immediate enrollment is also a legal right of homeless students under the 

McKinney-Vento Act. In certain individual cases, however, parents or unaccompanied 

youth may choose to delay school enrollment for a very brief period of time to give students a chance to regain their emotional footing and find a more stable housing situation. This delay must be the voluntary choice of the parent or youth; any school denying 

immediate enrollment to a student experiencing homelessness would be violating the 

McKinney-Vento Act.

Appendix 7 contains a checklist of suggested questions that local liaisons and enrollment 

personnel can ask to guide this discussion with parents and unaccompanied youth.

b. School Selection

“[T]o the extent feasible, a district must educate a homeless child or 

youth in his or her school of origin, unless doing so is contrary to the 

wishes of the parent or guardian. The placement determination should 

be a student-centered, individualized determination. Factors that an 

LEA may consider include the age of the child or youth; the distance 

of a commute and the impact it may have on the student’s education; 

personal safety issues; a student’s need for special instruction (e.g., 

special education and related services); the length of anticipated stay in 

a temporary shelter or other temporary location; and time remaining in 

the school year.”3

3

 U.S. Department of Education. (2004, July). Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program NonRegulatory Guidance.[Sec 722(g)(3)]
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Parents and youth experiencing homelessness may need assistance in choosing between the school of origin and the local school. This may be particularly true for those 

displaced by disasters, since they may be completely unfamiliar with the local schools 

and community. To assist parents and youth with school selection, the local liaison 

and/or school enrollment personnel can:

• Reinforce the importance of school stability and educational continuity for students. 

• Provide input on the academic, social, and emotional impact that transferring to a 

new school may have. 

• Help the parents and youth find out which programs at the two schools are comparable and appropriate for the child and make arrangements for the parents and youth 

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. 

The checklist in Appendix 8 may help local liaisons guide a discussion on school selection. It is also available for download at: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/

sch_sel_checklist.pdf. If a school district has large numbers of homeless and mobile 

students, it may be beneficial to train several staff members to assist parents in this 

decision-making process.

Additional Resources:

“Determining Feasibility of School Placement.” NCHE. Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit, Appendix D. Instructions and questionnaire for determining the feasibility 

of students remaining in their schools of origin.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_d.pdf
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3. Enrollment checklist

Appendix 9 contains a checklist to help local homeless education liaisons and enrollment personnel ensure that students are enrolled in school immediately, placed in appropriate classes, welcomed warmly into the school community, and able to participate 

fully in school activities.

4. Dealing with overcrowding when receiving a large number of displaced 

students

Overcrowding can be an issue in school districts that receive large numbers of displaced students. Several strategies can help districts address this issue, including:

• Consider capacity issues when determining school placements for students from 

 large, congregate shelters.

• Work with disaster relief agencies and housing agencies to locate housing near 

 schools with greater capacity.

• Request temporary waivers of class-size laws.

• Install portable classrooms on school grounds.

• Hire retired and displaced teachers.

• Re-open closed schools.

• Re-open schools that were closed temporarily for repairs.
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5. Other enrollment tools

• “Potential Enrollment Barriers and Possible Solutions.” NCHE. Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit. (Chapter 3 Table 2.). A chart that notes enrollment barriers and 

strategies to remove them. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/chapters.

pdf

• Enrollment. (McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice Issue Brief Series) NCHE (2002). A 

brief explaining the McKinney-Vento Act requirements for immediate enrollment 

with strategies for implementation. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/

enrollment.pdf

• School Selection. (McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice Issue Brief Series) NCHE 

(2002). A brief explaining the McKinney-Vento Act requirements for school of 

origin with strategies for implementation. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/

briefs/school_selection.pdf

• From the School Office to the Classroom. NCHE (March 2006). A handbook with 

basic information and strategies for confronting various enrollment barriers, including issues related to guardianship, immunizations, academic records, special 

education, mental health needs, academic placement and support, and enrolling 

large numbers of displaced students. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/dis_

hb/enrollment.pdf

• Resolution of Disputes. (McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice Issue Brief Series). 

NCHE (2002). A brief explaining the McKinney-Vento Act requirements for dispute 

resolution with strategies for implementation. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/resolution.pdf

• “Ensuring Enrollment for Unaccompanied Youth.” NCHE. Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit. NCHE. Brief on suggested methods to ensure immediate 

enrollment for unaccompanied youth, including state laws, school board policies, 

and caregiver forms. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_d.pdf

• Unaccompanied Youth. (McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice Issue Brief Series). 

NCHE. A brief explaining the McKinney-Vento Act’s requirements for unaccompanied youth with extensive strategies for implementation. http://www.serve.org/

nche/downloads/briefs/youth.pdf
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

 No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the

 but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 50-60 Points This is a strength of the program.

40-49 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<40 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s 

implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the

most important indicators of success in eliminating barriers to immediate enrollment.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

C. Immediate enrollment strategies ensure that barriers to enrolling and remaining in 

school are eliminated.

All enrollment personnel are aware of the McKinney-Vento Act’s requirements

 for immediate enrollment and trained in enrollment procedures.

 District personnel understand that the “immediate enrollment” rights of 

 homeless children and youth temporarily exempts them from the requirement

 of providing academic, health, and discipline records in order to enroll in school. 

 Parents are active participants in the enrollment process – including making 

 decisions about school location, timing, and the selection of programs. 

 District and school personnel have policies and procedures in place to collect

 information and guide a quick analysis of information based on available 

 resources about the student being enrolled.

 During times of disaster, enrollment procedures are coordinated with housing

 providers and shelters. 

 Parents, school administrators, and staff understand “school of origin” services,

 frequent mobility, and feasibility issues used to determine school placement

 with parent involvement. 

 Parents, school administrators, and staff understand the definition of 

 “unaccompanied youth” and the procedures for establishing temporary 

 guardianship or “in loco parentis” rights. 

 There is a system in place for the purchase and provision of school uniforms.

 There is a system in place to accommodate sibling enrollments. 

 There is a system in place to address over-crowding and safety concerns.

 All schools have access to school supplies that may be required for participation

 and can be given to students in need. 

 The district has developed and adopted a federally-required dispute resolution

 procedure related to school of origin services. 

 TOTAL 

Self Assessment II.C
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D. Strategies are implemented for placing students in 

appropriate classes without academic records and for 

obtaining complete school records.

Due to their mobility, students in homeless situations often arrive to enroll in school 

without academic records. Students fleeing disasters and violence are even less likely 

to have records. Under the McKinney-Vento Act, receiving schools must contact previous schools immediately to obtain academic records. Schools must also maintain the 

records of homeless students such that they are available to be transferred to subsequent schools in a timely fashion. Despite these legal requirements, academic records 

may not always be available quickly. This is particularly true for displaced students 

whose home schools may have been destroyed or severely damaged in the disaster.

While waiting for records to arrive, schools must enroll students experiencing homelessness and place them in the most appropriate academic environment possible. 

Implementing creative strategies to make the best possible immediate placement is 

imperative for several reasons. First, as homeless students already suffer the effects of 

school mobility, it is important that their first classroom placement be appropriate to 

avoid further disruption of academic progress. The individual student’s academic progress will be impacted negatively by inappropriate placement and subsequent changes, 

as will the well-being of classmates who are subjected to the student’s entry and 

removal. Students with special needs are at an even higher risk of emotional, mental, 

and academic disruption caused by a change in placement.

When students are mobile between states, these risks are even more acute due to differences in academic standards. For example, 80 percent of students who were displaced to Texas by Hurricane Katrina did not pass Texas tests to proceed to the subsequent grade. Texas schools provided intensive summer school for those students but 

still faced large-scale retentions. Immediate, appropriate academic placements may 

help avoid some of these consequences. Intensive academic and mental health support is also critical (see Sections III.A and III.C for strategies and tools).

This section offers the following tools to assist in appropriate academic placements for 

students without records:

1. Tools for obtaining academic records

2. Placing students without records

3. Enrolling students with special needs

4. Strategies to help preserve records in cases of disasters
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1. Tools for Obtaining Academic Records

A note on the privacy of academic records: FERPA, the Family Education Rights 

and Privacy Act, DOES allow transferring records between schools without 

parental consent when a child is changing schools.

 Electronic Databases

“The State Department of Education was able to give us 

information on the majority of the children, through a statewide 

database that the school counselors could access. That database 

even had special education information. They were able to be 

placed and served right away, thanks to the state database.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

More and more states and school districts are putting academic records into electronic 

databases. The hurricanes of 2005 underscored the usefulness of such databases in 

transmitting academic records quickly, particularly when previous records had been 

destroyed. School counselors were provided access to databases directly or through CDs. 

Databases can include a wide array of academic information, including age, grade level, 

classes, grades, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and special needs, while still 

containing adequate safeguards to preserve student privacy. School districts and states 

should consider establishing such databases and including the most extensive academic 

information possible, particularly relating to special needs students. 

 Ordering Birth Certificates

Most states have online forms to order copies of birth certificates. A simple web search 

using your state’s name and the term “birth certificate” should yield the information. 

For example:

• Alabama: http://ph.state.al.us/Chs/VitalRecords/Birth/BIRTH.HTML

• California: http://www.dhs.ca.gov/chs/ovr/BirthOrderCert.htm

• Florida: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_eval/vital_statistics/birth_death.htm

• Louisiana: http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/page.asp?id=252&detail=6489

• Mississippi: http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/phs/forms/form522i.htm

• New York: http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/VitalRecords/birth.htm

• Pennsylvania: http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/CWP/view.

asp?A=168&QUESTION_ID=202219

• Texas: http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/pdffiles/RP15_BVS_birthcertApp_English.

pdf (English) and http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/pdffiles/RP16_BVS_birthcertApp_Spanish.pdf (Spanish).

• Wisconsin: http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/VitalRecords/birth.htm
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Additional Resources:

From the School Office to the Classroom. NCHE (March 2006). A handbook with basic 

information and strategies for confronting various enrollment barriers, including issues related to academic records, placement, and support. http://www.serve.org/nche/

downloads/dis_hb/enrollment.pdf

Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students Without Records. In Appendix 10 and 

available at: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/assessment.pdf

2. Placing students without records

“Once they were registered at school, the school did the schedules 

for those children. Every school had an enrollment team with 

every needed personnel on it—preK, special ed. preK, special ed., 

regular ed., etc. They started with the basic schedule, and made 

adjustments based on the information the family could provide.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

As demonstrated by schools across the country, it is very possible to place students 

without academic records in appropriate classes immediately. To do so requires implementing strategies for gathering information, conducting rapid assessments, and making good placement decisions. The NCHE brief, Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling 

Students Without Records, attached in Appendix 10, contains such strategies. The brief 

is also available at http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/assessment.pdf.

3. Enrolling students with special needs

SEAS (Special Education Automation System), a private, web-based data

management system used in many school districts, allows immediate transfer of special education information between schools. SEAS was a vital tool following the hurricanes of 2005. A majority of the school districts affected by Hurricane Katrina used 

SEAS. Computer Automation, the maker of SEAS, was able to transfer IEP information 

directly to receiving school districts in cases in which the prior school district was 

not operational. Computer Automation worked with the Departments of Education in 

Louisiana and Mississippi to allow this information to be available upon request by the 

receiving district. For more information about this database, visit: 

http://www.computerautomation.com/

The following information based on From the School Office to the Classroom, summarizes the legal requirements and some basic strategies for enrolling and serving 

students with special needs experiencing homelessness:
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Enrolling and serving students with special needs experiencing homelesSness

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

appropriate services possible immediately. For students who are not changing school districts, 

their current 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 a current IEP.

For students entering a new district with current IEPs, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the enrolling school to provide appropriate services, comparable to 

those described in the IEP, immediately. The new district then must hold a meeting with the 

parents to adopt the previous IEP or create a new one.

To streamline special education services for displaced students at the Astrodome, 

Houston Independent School District conducted IEP meetings on-site as special 

needs students were enrolled. Students arrived at school the first day with a current 

Houston IEP, and services were put in place immediately.

If the previous school district was in the process of doing evaluations or developing an IEP but 

hadn’t finished the process, the new district must continue with the process immediately. IDEA 

now says 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.

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 any academic progress. 

To avoid this situation, schools must coordinate evaluations with prior schools and 

implement creative strategies to expedite evaluations and services. For example:

• Get from the previous school(s) all the evaluations, questionnaires, and other paperwork completed on the student.

• Talk to the school counselor, teachers, and evaluation team from the previous 

school(s) about the student’s needs.

• Implement appropriate supportive services immediately. Services such as academic 

support, behavior management interventions, priority seating, mentors, and others 

can be extremely helpful and don’t need to be labeled as special education.

• Collaborate with community medical and mental health providers, Medicaid service 

providers, social workers, and others to pursue necessary evaluations.

• Consult with your special education team to see if interim IEPs or other interim 

services can be provided.
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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 enrolling 

school should work with the parent to begin the evaluation process immediately.

Accessing Special Education for Unaccompanied Youth

IDEA requires that an appropriate adult sign for special education evaluations and services for 

a student under 18 years old: a parent, foster parent, guardian, person legally responsible for 

the child, or person with whom the student is living and who is acting in the place of a parent 

(check with your special 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, IDEA now requires 

school districts to assign surrogate parents for unaccompanied youth within 30 days.

Surrogate parents must be trained in special education procedures and cannot be school 

district employees or anyone who might have a conflict of interest. For unaccompanied youth, 

however, 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 immediately so the 

evaluation process can begin.4

Additional Resources:

Hurricane Katrina and Relocated Students With Special Needs: Recommendations for 

Receiving Schools. National Association of School Psychologists (2005). Comprehensive 

brief with practical strategies for providing services to students with special needs in 

the absence of an IEP. http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/katrina_specneeds.html

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004: Provisions for 

Children and Youth with Disabilities Who Experience Homelessness. NCHE. A brief outlining the most relevant changes to IDEA in 2004 for enrolling and serving children experiencing homelessness. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/idea.pdf

Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students Without Records. NCHE (2006). http://

www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/assessment.pdf Reprinted in Appendix 10.

Unlocking Potential! Project HOPE Virginia. Briefs with basic information on the rights 

of homeless children with special needs and strategies to provide them services.

For families and shelters: http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/family-complete.pdf

For special education staff: http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/personnel-complete.pdf 

4. Strategies to Help Preserve Records in Cases of Disasters

Appendix 11 contains a checklist to help evacuating schools preserve health and academic records in cases of evacuations and disasters, thus ensuring a smoother transition into 

new schools for evacuating students.

4

 NCHE (2006). From the school office to the classroom, Retrieved August 11, 2006 from: http://www.serve.

org/nche/downloads/dis_hb/enrollment.pdf
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 27-35 Points This is a strength of the program.

18-26 Points The program is moderately successful in this area.

<18 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation

of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most important 

indicators of success in placing students without records and obtaining school records.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

D. Strategies are implemented for placing students in appropriate classes without 

academic records and for obtaining complete school records.

There is a system in place for aggressive pursuit of any or all records, including academic records, that may be available for homeless children and youth.

There is a system in place to collect information quickly about the students’

needs for immediate supplemental services, including mental health and 

academic support.

District and school personnel have access to a variety of quick assessment 

strategies and tools in multiple languages that can be utilized to guide critical

academic placements in areas such as reading,language, and math.

Strategies, policies, and procedures effectively address immediate enrollment 

and placement for special needs populations (i.e., teen parents, special 

education students, students with 504 and health plans,

pre-kindergarten, ESOL, etc.).

There is a system in place to execute expedited or transitional Individualized 

Education Programs (IEPs) for special education students. 

The district has established a pool of surrogate parents for special education 

students and unaccompanied youth. 

Strategies and procedures are in place to preserve records in cases of

disasters.

 TOTAL 

Self Assessment II. D
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E. Aggressive and timely strategies ensure full, productive 

participation in educational activities, including tactics to 

address physical and mental health needs.

“It’s one thing to accommodate students into your schools that are 

displaced, but it’s another thing to get them in school and actively 

engaged in learning again.”

School District Administrator 

Beyond just getting children registered and placed in school, school districts must 

enact strategies to engage them actively in learning. Such strategies must address 

the immediate physical and mental health needs of students in homeless situations, 

including those displaced by disasters. Schools must also work to involve students 

in extracurricular activities and the social life of the school. These interventions help 

incorporate students and families into the school community and are essential for 

the well-being of the students and the schools. The McKinney-Vento Act requires that 

homeless students be enrolled immediately with the definition of enrollment including 

attending classes and participating fully in school activities. 

“We’re educators, and we wanted to get them in school. But I 

think that we need to remove barriers to learning and teaching, 

and those emotional and physical and trauma issues are barriers.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

This section contains tools to assist schools in addressing immediate physical and 

emotional barriers to learning, including:

1. Obtaining health records and addressing physical health needs

2. Welcoming students and families into the school community and addressing

 immediate mental health needs

3. Preventing conflicts between new and pre-existing students and serving all

 homeless children and youth

4. Ensuring access to participation in school athletics and extracurricular activities

5. Contact list for students who have experienced a traumatic event
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1. Obtaining Health Records and Addressing 

Physical Health Needs

“And we had nurses who did triage on-site. We interviewed parents 

right there to ask about any health problems or issues, so if someone 

had asthma or needed a prescription, we got it taken care of.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

The McKinney-Vento Act requires that schools enroll homeless students immediately, 

even if they cannot produce documents that are typically required for enrollment. 

As such, schools must enroll immediately any homeless students who do not have 

immunization records or other medical records. Schools, in conjunction with the 

local liaison and the family, should then work to obtain those documents and/or 

necessary health services. Collaborating with the local health department can be a key 

to obtaining both records and services. The health department may be able to retrieve 

health records more quickly and easily than the schools. For example, after Hurricane 

Katrina, health departments in states that received displaced students worked with 

health departments in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to obtain health records 

and transmit them to receiving schools.

Immunization Information Systems (IIS) can also be critical aids in obtaining 

immunization records. IIS’s are confidential computerized information systems that 

attempt to collect vaccination data about all children within a geographic area. One of 

the national health objectives for 2010 is to increase to 95% the proportion of children 

under age six who participate in IIS.

Currently, IISs are being developed or are operational in all fifty states and the 

District of Columbia. States such as California and New York have a network of 

regional immunization registries. As of 2004, the following jurisdictions had an IIS 

with information on over three-quarters of children under age six: Alabama, Arizona, 

Arkansas, DC, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New 

Mexico, New York City, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, 

San Antonio, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.5

To find the website for your state’s immunization program, see

http://www.immregistries.org/profiles/state_proj.phtml

To find contact information for the manager of your state’s IIS, visit:

http://www.immregistries.org/public.php/ImmRegs/regMain.php

5 Department of Human Health and Service, Centers on Disease Control (2004). Immunization registries 

annual report participation rates. Retrieved August 11, 2006, from: http://www.cdc.gov/NIP/registry/irarparticip-rates/2004rp_child_ particip_map_508.htm
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Strategies and Considerations for OBtaining Health Documents

• Call, fax, and/or e-mail previous schools, doctors, and health clinics to get immunization records.

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

• 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.

• If necessary, try contacting the State Coordinator for Homeless Education to help 

expedite the process.

• Since every state has mandatory immunizations for school enrollment, it is extremely 

likely that students who have been enrolled in school previously have received all 

necessary immunizations. The vast majority of homeless students have been enrolled in 

school before and have had 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 United States (More information is available from the 

World Health Organization and UNICEF: http://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. (Scientists call this concept ‘herd immunity.’) 

Should an outbreak of illness occur, the same procedures used to protect unimmunized 

children can be used to protect students whose immunization records have not yet been 

obtained.

• Establish a school-based immunization clinic and/or collaborate with schools or health 

clinics that offer immunizations to streamline the process for those students who do 

need immunizations.”

• Local liaisons should collaborate with the school district health advisory committee to 

learn, network, and educate others. 6

6 NCHE. (2006). From the school office to the classroom. Retrieved August 11, 2006, from: http://www.serve.

org/nche/downloads/dis_hb/enrollment.pdf
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In September 2005, the Centers for Disease Control issued a memo recognizing that 

students previously enrolled in school most likely have received all needed immunizations. The memo states: ‘States affected by Hurricane Katrina had immunization requirements for school and daycare, and it is likely that children enrolled prior to the disaster 

would be vaccinated appropriately. It is not necessary to repeat vaccinations for children 

displaced by the disaster, unless the provider has reason to believe the child was not in 

compliance with appropriate state requirements.’ 7

FERPA, HIPAA, and the privacy of immunization records

FERPA, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, allows 

transferring 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 allows 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 provide you with consent 

forms for parents to sign upon enrolling in school, if such forms 

will facilitate the process. 8

Addressing Physical Health Needs

School nurses are an important resource for children and youth experiencing homelessness. For services that a school nurse cannot provide, local liaisons need to collaborate with community resources, such as: health clinics; dental clinics; local medical, 

dental, and nursing schools; private providers willing to volunteer time; optometrists 

and ophthalmologists willing to volunteer time and/or donate eyeglasses; civic groups 

able to donate medical supplies; and shelters and other homeless service providers. 

For collaboration tools and strategies, see Sections I.A and I.B.

For additional information about the role of school nurses, see: School nurses: It’s not 

just bandages any more! Project HOPE Virginia (2004). Information brief for school 

nurses. http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/School_Nurses.pdf

7 Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control. (2005). Interim immunization 

recommendations for evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. Retrieved August 11, 2006, from: http://www.bt.cdc.

gov/disasters/hurricanes/katrina/pdf/vaccrecdisplaced.pdf

8 NCHE. (2006). From the school office to the classroom (p.11). Retrieved August 11, 2006, from: http://www.

serve.org/nche/downloads/dis_hb/enrollment.pdf
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2. Welcoming Students and Families into the School 

Community and Addressing Immediate Mental Health Needs

Welcoming children, youth, and families to school with warmth and enthusiasm is a 

critical first step in addressing immediate mental health needs. The following strategies can help schools start off on the right foot with new students and families. 

“A memo went out from our superintendent telling schools to 

assign buddies to the new children, to give them an orientation 

to the building, to welcome our parents, to be kind and 

compassionate. And in the homeroom period, they were supposed 

to have meetings with the children to tell them new students were 

coming and that we needed to welcome them. Many principals 

met the school bus every morning at the Astrodome, to welcome 

and meet the kids. They were walking around saying, ‘Good 

morning, I’m the principal, we’re so glad to have you here.’”

Local Homeless Education Liaison
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Strategies to welcome students and parents to school

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

• Start a ‘New Students’ club. 

• Replicate beginning of the year rituals, procedures and events when new students 

enter, so they receive the same orientation to the culture of school as other students. 

For example, have counselors and/or administrators meet with parents and 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 School 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. Peer mentors or buddies not 

only help new students feel more comfortable in their new school, but also give preexisting 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.

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

• If the 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.

• Invite the students to share a story, food, or activity from their background or their 

home town; use this as a teachable moment for the current students. 

After receiving a large number of students from New Orleans in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, a school district 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.
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And for Parents...

• Organize non-threatening events to encourage communication between parents and 

the school (for example, potluck meals, ice cream socials, 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 activities, child rearing, 

and coping strategies. Provide staff to discuss concerns.

Families in homeless situations may have no knowledge 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....

‘We also had several lawyers volunteer to conduct classes for the 

parents on the paperwork involved with hurricanes, insurance, FEMA, 

services and benefits, etc. That was really a good thing to do, because 

lowering the stress level for the parents lowered the stress level for the 

kids.”

Homeless Education Liaison

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.

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

• 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.
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Additional Resources:

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools (OSDFS) is 

organizing emergency teams of physicians and medical personnel to provide immediate mental health services to local communities. The OSDFS has established a tollfree hotline for people in crisis. By calling 1-800-273-TALK, callers will be connected to 

trained professionals from a network of local counseling centers that are prepared to 

help those suffering from emotional trauma, such as anger, grief, hopelessness, shock,

And when the student arrives...

• Take time to talk to and welcome students individually. Take the time to play welcome 

games or similar inclusion activities, and get to know new students with a get-to-knowyou 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.

• 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.

• Periodic welcome parties and goodbye parties can help ease the transition for new 

students and those who have been in the school for some time.

‘And a school in one of the northeastern states adopted our school 

and sent cameras and memory books for every one of our Katrina 

students. We knew that we wouldn’t keep them permanently, so we 

wanted to give them something to help focus more on what they 

gained than on what they’d lost. So we went out and took pictures 

and created books for them.’

School counselor

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. 

• Have classmates write letters to their departing peer.

• Maintain a relationship when the students leave by providing stamped, self-addressed envelopes and stationery.9

9 NCHE. (2006). p.27-31.
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and sleeplessness, as a result of the disaster. The hotline is operational 24 hours a day, 

every day.

What Schools Can Do to Welcome and Meet the Needs of All Students and Families. Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA (2006). Guidebook with sample materials for 

incorporating new students and families into the school community.

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/WELMEET/welmeetcomplete.pdf

Responding to Hurricane Katrina: Helping Students Relocate and Supporting Their Mental 

Health Needs. National Association of School Psychologists. Brief for schools on positively integrating displaced students into a new school.

http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/Katrina_relocate.pdf 

Tips for Supporting Mobile Students. Project HOPE Virginia. A brief with strategies for 

welcoming new students into the school and dealing with school mobility.

http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/mobility.pdf

From the School Office to the Classroom. NCHE (March 2006). A handbook with basic 

information and strategies for confronting various enrollment barriers, including issues 

related to guardianship, immunizations, academic records, special education, mental 

health needs, academic placement and support, and enrolling large numbers of displaced students.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/dis_hb/enrollment.pdf

Enrollment. (McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice Issue Brief Series). NCHE (2002). A 

brief explaining the McKinney-Vento Act requirements for immediate enrollment, including tips for welcoming new students into the school.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/enrollment.pdf
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3. Preventing conflicts between new and previously attending students and 

serving all homeless children and youth

“We really forgot about our own homeless children. We were 

focusing so much on enrolling the (displaced) children that nobody 

in the district was identifying homeless children who normally live 

(here). And I think the children felt that. They felt that people 

were donating for (displaced) kids, but not for them. There were 

people who felt that these children and their families were getting 

more attention than they ever got in this school district. So I sent 

out a memo to all the schools reminding them to check addresses 

and identify all homeless children in the school.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

“And there has been a rift between the locals and the (displaced) 

people, because priority has been given to (displaced) people, even 

over people who have been on waiting lists here, some for four to 

five years.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

A sudden influx of new students displaced by a disaster can demand a disproportionate amount of a school district’s staff time and financial resources. Local liaisons who 

have received large numbers of displaced students have noted a tension between 

serving new students and serving those who had lived in the district for some time. 

Local liaisons have also noted resentment among homeless families and students who 

were living in the district prior to the arrival of those displaced by the storms. Unfortunately, some community members draw distinctions between children and youth 

who are homeless due to disasters and those who lost their housing for other reasons. 

Displaced students may seem to receive more services, more donations, and more 

attention than other students experiencing homelessness. These distinctions increase 

tensions and create difficult situations for schools.

Therefore, it is important that school districts provide equal service to ALL children 

and youth experiencing homelessness, regardless of the reason for the loss of housing. 

Following major disasters, it may help to send a memo to schools reminding them of 

this responsibility. Local liaisons should also encourage their community partners and 

donors to ensure equal treatment, interest, and effort in their services.

Some communities that received large numbers of displaced students after the hurricanes of 2005 also reported conflicts between new and local students. These “turf” issues sometimes resulted in physical confrontations. However, many school districts were 

able to prevent conflict by sensitizing their students with deliberate, planned activities.
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“Our schools had dinners, picnics, welcoming backpacks (with help 

from community agencies) full of school supplies and extra books. 

The younger kids were especially supportive. We had almost no 

problems with turf issues.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

Strategies to prevent conflicts between 

new and previously attending students. 

The arrival of a large number of new students can be threatening to previously enrolled 

students in the district. Liaisons, district administrators, principals, school counselors, 

and teachers must be aware of these ‘turf’ issues and seek to preempt them and prevent serious conflicts. Classroom and school-wide activities are essential, both immediately and in the long-term, to help local 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 

activities:

• 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 schoolwide 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; for example, through performing a play about a natural disaster, watching 

and discussing a film about disaster and dislocation, or doing art projects that reflect 

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-existing and displaced students.

• Collaborate with community mental health resources and all departments within the 

school district that offer mental and/or emotional support services.
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4. Ensuring Participation in Athletics

School athletic associations generally have residency and attendance standards that 

regulate participation in school sports. Students experiencing homelessness, including 

those displaced by disasters, often do not meet those standards due to their mobility. 

It is important that school districts make exceptions to athletic policies to eliminate 

barriers to the participation of students experiencing homelessness.

“And we had the athletic department there at the Astrodome to 

hook them up with the coaches. So they might say, ‘you’re tall, 

you look like maybe you play basketball,’ or ‘you look strong, did 

you play football?’ And we had a lot of kids who started right 

away. They waived a lot of the eligibility requirements.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

• 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. 10

10 NCHE (2006). p.32.
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Good Example: In Illinois, the State Coordinator for Homeless Education collaborated with various staff within the state education agency and the Illinois High School 

Association (IHSA) to develop a procedure for the participation of students experiencing 

homelessness. A school need only send the IHSA a participation request and the standard state enrollment form (see Section II.C.1) that documents the student’s status as 

homeless, and the IHSA approves participation. The State Coordinator reports that the 

procedure has worked very well, and the support of the director of the IHSA has been a 

tremendous asset.

Good Example: The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association has gone as far 

as to enact a formal policy on the participation of homeless students. The policy is attached in Appendix 12.

5. Contact list for students who have experienced a traumatic event

Appendix 13 contains a blank contact list for students who have experienced disasters 

or other traumatic events. Local homeless education liaisons or school counselors can 

help students fill out the contact list with important phone numbers. The local liaison 

or counselor may want to help the student choose a safe place to keep the list and keep 

a copy in case the student misplaces it.
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 27-35 Points This is a strength of the program.

18-26 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<18 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation

of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most important 

indicators of success in ensuring full participation in all educational activities.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

E. Aggresive and timely strategies ensure full, productive participation in educational 

activities and include tactics to address physical and mental health needs.

There is a system in place to aggressively pursue any and all records, including health records, that may be available for homeless children and youth.

There is a system in place for paying any fees associated with school 

enrollment (lab, parking, sports fees, etc.)

There are both school-wide and classroom-based systems and procedures in 

place to welcome new students to the school.

Immediate mental health services are available and accessible.

The school district serves all children and youth experiencing homelessness,

regardless of the reason, with equal respect, treatment, and services.

The school district uses its collaborative relationships to encourage other 

service providers to serve all children and youth experiencing homelessness 

equally.

There are both school-wide and classroom-based systems and procedures in

place to minimize tension and conflict between new and local students.

Plans are in place to minimize student exposure to media coverage of the 

incident/disaster (especially for younger students). Media coverage may 

actually re-traumatize individuals by creating the perception that grief is 

ever-present.

There is a system in place to accommodate student participation in sports 

and extracurricular activities at alternate times during the school year. 

Records requirements do not prevent homeless children and youth from 

participating in educational, extracurricular, or sports activities. 

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment II. E
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F. Strategies, policies, and procedures address anticipated 

transportation barriers.

“Transportation worked well—I use a certification form that I fax 

to transportation to reroute, and set up transportation. We can get 

school of origin transportation in place very, very quickly.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

Although providing transportation for students in homeless situations is critical to 

their academic success and to increased school stability for the entire district, it can 

be challenging. That challenge is intensified when school districts are confronted with 

large numbers of students displaced by disasters. In such cases, sudden shortages of 

buses, fuel, and bus drivers complicate the logistical challenges of coordinating transportation. School districts must prepare ahead of time to deal with such shortages.

“We are working towards resolving the issue of gasoline, so we’ll 

have a relationship with local vendors that we can get gasoline 

when we need it to run our buses, to move people around.”

School District Administrator

Local liaisons agree that the most important strategy to streamline transportation 

services is to establish a strong relationship with the school district transportation 

department, including involving transportation staff immediately in the enrollment and 

transportation of displaced students, implementing a reliable and flexible communication system, and nurturing a mutual understanding of each other’s systems and requirements. School districts also must have plans in place to deal with transportation 

challenges in times of disaster.

Appendix 14 contains two forms currently used in school districts. The first is completed 

upon enrollment at school sites and faxed immediately to the pupil transportation 
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department. The second explains to parents their responsibilities and the kinds of 

transportation offered for their children. 

Additional forms and documents and many practical strategies for implementing 

transportation are available in the publication Increasing School Stability for Students Experiencing Homelessness: Overcoming Challenges to Providing Transportation to the School 

of Origin, available at http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/nche_transp_full.pdf. A 

brief outlining the legal requirements for transportation and some basic strategies is 

available at http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/transportation.pdf.

The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services passed a resolution in 2000 supporting the safe and efficient school transportation of homeless children 

and youth. Read the resolution at http://www.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_transport.php
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 20-25 Points This is a strength of the program.

15-19 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<15 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in meeting transportation needs.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

F. Strategies, policies, and procedures accommodate anticipated transportation barriers.

The district has developed alternative methods of transporting students

to and from school.

The district has developed systems and procedures to put transportation

services in place quickly.

The district has established memoranda of understanding with nearby 

districts to address the need to transport students across district lines

to their schools of origin.

The district has a consistent feasibility procedure in place that is used in

all school placement decisions. 

Transportation barriers are considered when deciding where to enroll

large number of students. 

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment II.F
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G. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to 

expedite placement in school nutrition programs.

“The other thing that we did was set up an automatic certification 

system for free lunch, with no paperwork. We can get the meals by 

the same day, or at the latest by the next day.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

According to federal law, children and youth experiencing homelessness, including 

those displaced by disasters, are automatically eligible for free school meals. Upon 

identification as homeless by a local liaison or shelter director, the student is eligible; 

he or she does not need to provide income information or even complete an application. Once determined eligible, the student remains so for the rest of the school year. 

This streamlined procedure allows children and youth experiencing homelessness to 

receive free meals immediately.

In conjunction with their school district nutrition offices, local liaisons use various 

methods to provide free meals to students experiencing homelessness, including:

• Asking the data processing department to do a data match of the homeless and free 

meal fields of the district database to ensure that all students identified as homeless 

are receiving free meals

• Asking the data processing department to assist in developing a protocol for transmitting information on homelessness to the school nutrition office on a daily basis so free 

meals can be put in place automatically

• E-mailing the homeless student database to the school nutrition office

• E-mailing or faxing lists of homeless students to the school nutrition office

• Faxing individual applications for free meals, completed by parents, youth, or the local 

liaison, to the school nutrition office

• Incorporating a simple check box for “McKinney-Vento eligible” or “homeless” on the 

district’s standard free meal form

• Writing “McKinney-Vento eligible” or “homeless” on the district’s standard free meal 

form

Appendix 15 contains a sample of the type of form that can be used to streamline the 

process. Once the student’s homeless status is indicated on the form, no further documentation is needed and free meals start immediately.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued several memos to assist schools in providing immediate meals for homeless students. Those memos are available as follows:

Emergency Feeding of School Children in Areas Devastated by Hurricane Katrina, dated August 31, 2005. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/Policy-Memos/2005-08-31.pdf 

Important Clarification of August 31, 2005 memo in communication dated September 

6, 2005. http://www.serve.org/nche/katrina/usda_clarify.php

Guidance on Determining Categorical Eligibility for Free Lunches and Breakfasts for Youth 

Served under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, dated September 17, 2004. 

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_b.pdf

Categorical Eligibility for Free Lunches and Breakfasts for Migrant Children, dated August 

16, 2004. http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_b.pdf

Categorical Eligibility for Free Lunches and Breakfasts of Runaway, Homeless, and Migrant 

Youth: Reauthorization 2004 Implementation Memo SP 4, dated July 19, 2004. 

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_b.pdf
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 27-35 Points This is a strength of the program.

18-26 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<18 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in expediting placement in school nutrition programs.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

G. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to expedite placement in school

nutrition programs.

The district has developed an expedited alternative method for certifying

large numbers of students for free meal services.

The district is aware of any state and/or federal procedures that may be 

utilized to certify all students as eligible for lunch services during the 

time of a community disaster.

The district has a system in place to re-determine free lunch eligibility at the 

beginning of the next school year for those students still eligible for services. 

Free and reduced lunch rates at schools are monitored for implications of 

eligibility for other programs (Title I, after-school programs, etc.) and 

planning is adjusted to accommodate those needs. 

The district is aware of any state and/or federal procedures that may be 

utilized to extend free lunch services to family members and host families.

The district has a system in place to ensure that every student identified 

as eligible for McKinney-Vento services is also eligible for free meals – and 

the system can accommodate a large influx of students. 

The district has a plan in place to extend free meal services to after-school 

and summer program participants. 

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment II.G
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H. Policies and procedures are in place to manage data

tracking and reporting of student outcomes effectively.

Effective data management is essential in homeless education programs. It can help 

with program improvement and evaluation and is necessary to meet state and federal 

reporting requirements. Good data can also translate into funding, through both formula and competitive grants and in cases of emergency, when state or federal governments may provide supplemental funds.

Effective data tracking and reporting requires organized systems to be in place prior to 

an emergency. School districts may track homeless students through separate databases, entries in the regular district database, or through color-coded paper files.

Data management also can be aided by data-sharing among agencies. Collaborating 

with disaster relief agencies, social services, youth-serving agencies, and others to 

share information can aid schools in their data management activities. For example, 

some school districts collaborate with their local Continuum of Care’s Homeless 

Management Information System (HMIS) to share information. (See Section II.A.2 for 

more information on Continuum of Care programs.) Schools can view the services 

that other agencies are providing to see what unmet needs remain and input the services they provide into the HMIS system. Families receive more holistic services and 

are spared the need to recount the same information to several agencies. Joint release 

of information consent forms are required to share such information. See Section II.B 

for information-sharing strategies.

Key data elements based on past reporting requirements 

and best practices

• age, grade level, and enrollment date

• homeless status

• specific residential situation, including hotel, shelter, doubled-up, unsheltered 

 (car, camping, bus station, etc.)

• whether the student is an unaccompanied youth

• whether the student was displaced by a disaster, including the specific storm or 

 event in which the student lost housing

• program improvement data, such as any barriers that impeded the student’s im

 mediate enrollment and academic success

• services provided

• whether the student took statewide assessments and his/her performance level 
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Local liaisons should work with enrollment staff to ensure that this information is 

obtained upon enrollment, perhaps through using an enrollment form such as the 

Student Residency Questionnaire from the Texas Homeless Education Office, available at 

http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/pdffiles/RP11_StuResidencyQues_RevFeb04.pdf

NCHE’s McKinney-Vento Data Standards and Indicators Guidebook also provides tools 

to assist McKinney-Vento programs with the collection and reporting of outcome data. 

The Guidebook and 2006 Revisions can be downloaded at http://www.serve.org/nche/

products.php

To receive supplemental funding after disasters, school districts may be called upon 

to prove that displaced students were, in fact, displaced by the disaster. Of course, 

students must be enrolled immediately without documentation. However, after enrollment, the local homeless education liaison may wish to coordinate with disaster relief 

agencies, school counselors, and registrars to collect and compile such proof. Such 

proof might include:

• Identification showing an address from an affected community

• A lease, mortgage bill, utility bill, insurance statement, or other official document 

 showing an address from an affected community

• A piece of official mail from an affected community

• Proof of receiving benefits or other documents from relief agencies;

• School records from an affected area

• A letter or certificate of attendance from the previous school in an affected area.

Additional Resources:

Guide for Federally Required State Data Collection. NCHE (2005). Guide to reporting the 

data required by the U.S. Department of Education.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/data_coll_full.pdf

Sample tracking form to assist school districts in tracking and reporting the number of displaced students enrolled in the district. From the Missouri Department of Education.

http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/discretionarygrants/homeless/hurricanekatrinanumbers.pdf

Memo to assist school districts in entering information about and tracking students affected 

by Hurricane Katrina in the state database. From the Alabama Department of Education.

http://www.serve.org/nche/katrina/al_tracking.doc
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 30-40 Points This is a strength of the program.

20-29 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<20 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in managing data.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

H. Policies and procedures are in place to manage data tracking and reporting of student 

outcomes effectively.

The district has adequate policies and procedures to identify large groups 

of homeless children and youth and track them by individual identifiers in 

student information systems. 

Data management systems have generator back-up systems in place.

Data management systems have robust reporting capabilities that are 

available to multiple persons. 

Data management systems include a wide variety of indicators, including, 

but not limited to, the ability to track individual students by all of the 

required state and federal data reporting elements. 

The data management system has the ability to track individual barriers to 

enrollment, eligibility, program placement, and continued participation. 

The data management system has the ability to track indicators that can be 

used in program evaluation and improvement.

The district has developed a system to record the required indicators for 

documenting loss during disasters for FEMA and other potential federal 

and state funding sources.

The local liaison and financial staff have a mechanism in place for 

documenting all expenses incurred as a result of increased enrollment of 

homeless children and youth. 

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment II.H
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I. The District utilizes the media in a positive way.

“The local radio stations ran an Undie Monday, with bins in front 

of the WalMart and other stores. We got thousands of pairs of 

underwear from that.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

“Our local cable company has done PSAs [public service announcements] for me and done fundraisers to set up a summer camp.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

The media can be an invaluable tool for McKinney-Vento programs before, during, and 

after a disaster. They can be utilized to request donations, seek community support, 

and convey important information to parents. As usual, it is important to establish 

positive relationships with the media prior to a disaster.

Tips to help school districts establish 

effective media plans and procedures

How can we manage the media?

• Establish positive relationships with local media.

• Select and train a media spokesperson for each building or district.

• Write a media policy that clarifies what the media will and will not be allowed to do; 

 the policy should be a cooperative one that sets limits such as no roaming halls or filming 

grieving students.

• Avoid refusing to cooperate with the media, but be prepared to use your authority to ban 

them from campus if it becomes necessary. The excessive numbers of media personnel sent 

to Jonesboro, Arkansas, for instance, necessitated banning the media from school grounds.

• Recognize that you can utilize the media to dispense important information 

regarding community assistance.
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11 Note From “School Crisis Planning: Questions Answered”. By S. Poland, 1999, Spring, Communique. 

Copyright 1999 by National Association of School Psychologist. Reprinted with permission. Retrieved 

August 14, 2006, from: http://www.teachersfirst.com/crisis/commun.htm

• Emphasize preparatory actions taken by your district and the support being provided to staff 

and students.

• Grant reasonable interview requests.

• Clarify media procedures to all school staff.

• Designate a certain room to receive media representatives. The central office may be the 

best location. 

• If necessary, have central office personnel manage media requests so that the building 

principal can attend to other duties.

• Provide a written statement supporting and clarifying verbal statements.

• Obtain parent permission prior to releasing any student photographs.

• Prior to releasing student’s name to media, notify his/her family. 11

Before sharing information with the media, schools should make sure they are aware 

of their legal limitations regarding privacy and confidentiality. They should also be 

mindful of the dignity and mental health of students and families.

Appendix 16 contains a list of tips and strategies to help prepare school staff who are 

charged to speak with the press.

Additional Resources:

Public Information Release form. Page E-13 of Sample Forms for Disaster Planning. 

Arizona Department of Education, available at http://www.ade.az.gov/schooleffectiveness/health//schoolsafety/safetyplans/response.asp (Under “Guidelines, Checklists, 

and Sample Forms” near the bottom of the page)

Revisiting Your PR Policy. Iowa Association of School Boards. Tip sheet to assist schools 

in developing and revising an effective public relations policy.

http://www.ia-sb.org/communityrelations/prpolicy.asp

Talking About Disasters: Guide for Standard Messages. American Red Cross (2004). 

A handbook to assist those who provide disaster safety information to the general public. http://www.redcross.org/disaster/disasterguide/

Suggestions For Dealing With The Media. Bullet points for establishing a media procedure and dealing with the media during an emergency. http://www.nasponline.org/

NEAT/neat_media.html
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A Media Training Guide for Affordable Housing Advocates. Campaign for Affordable 

Housing. General principles and tools that can also support schools’ media outreach.

http://www.cacities.org/resource_files/24396.Media_Training_Guide.pdf

Homeless Education Awareness Folder. NCHE. Sturdy, laminated folder that can be customized with local information to inform the media about issues central to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Order online at: http://www.

serve.org/nche/online_order.php#hard_copy or call 800-308-2145.
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 20-25 Points This is a strength of the program.

15-19 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<15 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in using media.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

I. The district utilizes the media in a positive way. 

The district has a standard media plan and one for use during emergencies.

The local liaison utilizes all media resources to improve awareness about 

program eligibility and the rights of homeless children and youth. 

The local liaison/school district has a system in place to update the local 

media continually on the impact of events on homeless children and youth 

and their families. 

The local liaison utilizes the media as a communication tool to deliver 

information to homeless children and youth and their families.

The local liaison utilizes the media to help raise funds and request and 

direct donations.

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment II.I
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J. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to deal with

the coordination of donations.

“We also asked our United Way to coordinate cash donations, 

because we didn’t want to take in cash. They were just amazing.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

“We have a Partnership Department in the district who handled 

our donations.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

Donations of funds and goods are critical tools for homeless education programs, 

particularly in times of disasters. However, managing donations can be a challenge. 

To coordinate and manage donations, school districts may consider the following 

strategies:

• Use the media. Local radio and television stations can help mobilize the public and 

can convey messages about the specific items needed and the best ways to help. 

See Section II.I for strategies and tools.

• Ask for gift cards. Gift cards to local clothing and school supply stores in small 

denominations can streamline the donation process. They can be given directly to 

parents to purchase items for their children, or McKinney-Vento program staff can 

use them to purchase the specific items needed. They eliminate the need to store 

items, and they can be a good purchase if the program finds that it needs to spend 

a sum of money quickly at the end of the fiscal year.

“School districts are not used to coordinating donations. They are a 

blessing and a curse, because sorting and distributing can be nothing less 

than a nightmare, and we just don’t have space to store them.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

• Partner with a local nonprofit organization who can receive, organize, store, and 

disburse donations for you.

• Make agreements with other groups that have the capacity to accept donations. If 

the school district is offered donations that it can’t use, refer people there.

• Partner with a local nonprofit organization to help manage financial donations. 

McKinney-Vento programs have created such partnerships with homeless 

coalitions, the United Way, and other nonprofit organizations. The local liaison 

refers cash donations to the nonprofit organization, which then uses the donations 

to purchase clothes, coats, backpacks, school supplies, and other needed items 

and delivers them to the school as needed. In this way, the school district gets the 
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materials it needs without having to manage the funds, do the shopping, store the 

materials, or coordinate delivery.

• Set up a nonprofit extension of the McKinney-Vento program or a local fund 

account to receive and process cash donations. If the school district has a separate 

education foundation, use that organization to receive cash donations.

• Set up a system to track the source and estimated value of donations, and send 

thank you notes with tax receipts (donations to public schools are generally taxdeductible). If the school district is not willing or able to provide receipts, partner 

with a nonprofit organization who can.

• Ask for what the children and families most need, and don’t be afraid to turn away 

donated goods. Receiving large quantities of goods that are unusable or unneeded 

only complicates the school district’s efforts.

Good Example: Following Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Department of Education set 

up a website where schools could submit requests of specific supplies and materials 

needed, and schools able to contribute could match their donations to those needs. 

See http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/index.html.

• Invite donors to volunteer; this can help build and maintain their commitment to 

the schools and increase hands-on assistance.

• Establish a disaster volunteer program. Recruit and train community members 

in advance to assist in times of disaster. Have them register, provide them with 

necessary IDs, and inform them of any necessary background checks to be 

conducted.

Good Example: A Sample Disaster Volunteer Program Notice is available from the 

Arizona Department of Education, at page E-21 of “Sample Forms for Disaster Planning.”

http://www.ade.az.gov/schooleffectiveness/health//schoolsafety/safetyplans/response.asp

(Under “Guidelines, Checklists, and Sample Forms” near the bottom of the page)

• Prepare a brief volunteer handbook and orientation to the McKinney-Vento 

program and the school district.

Good Example: A volunteer training manual is available from the Region 13 Education Service Center.http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/pdffiles/VolunteerManual.pdf

• Prioritize the most important and appropriate tasks for volunteers. With 

appropriate training and considerations of confidentiality, volunteers can help 

in many ways, including: providing academic support and tutoring; serving as 

mentors; doing data entry or filing; referring families to appropriate community 

services; and providing direct services in their areas of expertise (lawyers, dentists, 

teachers, doctors, social workers, counselors, nurses, psychologists, etc.).
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• Make sure the program has the resources to train and supervise volunteers 

appropriately.

Managing Donations 

from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

The following additional ideas also may help in managing donations:

Preparing to Solicit Donated Materials, Funds and Personnel.

The most effective guidelines for soliciting donations are:

• Identify immediate needs and project future needs so solicitations will enable materials to arrive when they are best used. 

• Determine exactly what is needed and the circumstances under which donations 

will be received; communicate this information clearly and concisely to the public.

• Educate the media, churches and civic groups as to the exact nature of materials, 

funds or skills needed.

• If necessary or helpful, identify an organization to manage receipt, warehousing, 

and distribution of material or professional service donations.

Contributions of Cash – Often The Best Donation

Feel confident in requesting monetary contributions if that is an identified need.

• Allows the LTR (Long Term Recovery) Group to purchase exactly what is most 

urgently needed 

• Allows the supplies to be purchased in locations near the disaster site for timely 

 delivery

• May stimulate the local economy with local purchases.12

12 National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (2004). Long-Term Recovery Manual (Appendix 

II Solicitation and Utilization of Donations for Long-Term Recovery). Retrieved August 14, 2006, from: 

http://www.nvoad.org/articles/LTRManualFinalApr232004a.pdf
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 45-55 Points This is a strength of the program.

35-44 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<35 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in coordinating donations.

II. Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, Including Disaster Response

J.Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to deal with the coordination of donations.

The district appoints one or more person(s) specifically to deal with donations. 

The district has a financial mechanism in place to accept and account for cash donations. 

The program coordinates with other community-based organizations to connect 

individual students and families with resources in the community. 

The district has guidelines for fund-raising events at schools.

The district has guidelines for donation events at schools (collecting clothing, food, 

toilet articles, etc.).

The local liaison has a way of gathering and communicating the needs of homeless 

children and youth. 

The district has guidelines for cash donations received at school board meetings from p

private individuals, companies, or corporations. 

When appropriate, the local liaison has guidelines for disseminating assistance to 

individual families (purchase cards, gasoline cards, rental assistance checks, payments 

for medical bills, etc.). If the district decides not to disseminate funding, there is a contractual relationship with a community-based organization (i.e. United Way, American 

Red Cross, Salvation Army, faith-based organization, etc.) to assess family needs and 

disseminate funding. 

The district has guidelines for accounting and tracking donations, sending thank 

you notes, and providing tax receipts. 

Organizations involved with donations have confidentiality and tracking mechanisms 

in place to assure that a) intended beneficiaries of donations of funds or goods 

actually receive the donations, and b) there is no duplication of services.

The local liaison understands the role of community involvement and partnerships in 

generating additional resources (i.e., training, special events, support groups, academic program supplies, access to legal resources, insurance information, etc.).

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment II. J
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III. Mental Health and Academic Success, 

Including Disaster Recovery

A. Strategies are in place to address the short- and 

long-term mental health and case management needs 

of students and families.

“I don’t think any of us realized at the time the amount of counseling 

and support that would have been needed by these people.”

School District Administrator

School staff at all levels agree that meeting mental health care and case management 

needs of both students and families is a significant and ongoing challenge following a 

major disaster. It is very difficult for students to learn and progress academically if their 

mental health needs, and those of their families, are not adequately addressed.

“Whereas we were really concerned with academic type things, 

those children were more concerned with the emotional type 

issues. They were really not able to focus on academics. They were 

focusing more on life issues-- how are my family members doing 

that are back in that area, what happened to certain people. and 

my home, my dogs.”

School District Administrator

School districts should develop comprehensive plans to meet mental health needs in 

disasters, including needs assessment, supplemental funding and resources, and curriculum for students of different ages, needs, and cultural backgrounds. They should 

collaborate with community mental health providers and faith-based groups for assistance in meeting these needs. It is imperative to develop robust collaborative relationships and plans prior to disasters.

This section includes several tools and resources to assist school districts in meeting 

mental health needs in the following areas:

1. Assessing Needs

2. Planning to meet mental health needs

3. Potential supplemental funding for mental health needs

4. Hands-on resources for mental health counselors to assist in their work with displaced 

 children, youth, and families. Teachers, counselors, local liaisons, administrators, and all 

 personnel working with displaced children may benefit from the resources.
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1. ASSESSING NEEDS

In order to offer appropriate mental health support, providers must assess the needs 

of students and families. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed 

a two-page Hurricane Assessment and Referral Tool for Children and Adolescents to assist 

providers in determining a student’s risk categories and mental health needs and to 

make appropriate mental health referrals. The tool can be adapted easily for use in a 

variety of disaster situations, including earthquakes, fires, and tornadoes, as well as in 

assessing the needs of children and youth who have experienced domestic violence, 

abuse, or other trauma. It is reprinted in Appendix 17 and available at http://www.

nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/intervention_manuals/referraltool.pdf

2. Planning to meet mental health needs

School districts need to plan to meet mental health needs, particularly in the wake of a 

disaster. The district may need additional staff, counselors trained to work with students of different cultures and language backgrounds, additional transportation services, counselors experienced in crisis response, and other resources that may not be 

readily available. Crisis plans should anticipate these needs and allow school districts 

to respond quickly and professionally. Strong collaborations with mental health providers in the community are an important part of disaster planning and response. These 

collaborations must be in place prior to a disaster; to find local providers, visit http://

www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/databases/.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed a checklist for school 

personnel to evaluate and implement the mental health component of the school crisis 

and emergency plan. The checklist is reprinted in Appendix 18 and is available for 

download at:

http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/edu_materials/Challenger%20Newsletter%

20Checklist-final-sw_rvsd.pdf

Additional Resources:

Planning for the Psychological Aftermath Of School Tragedy. Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools (Appendix F). Arizona Department of Education. 

Guide for planning to meet mental health needs after a disaster.

http://www.ade.az.gov/schooleffectiveness/health/schoolsafety/safetyplans/planning.pdf

Mental Health Crisis Response Plans for Schools. Pennsylvania Department of Education 

(2004). A checklist of recommendations for mental health crisis response planning.

http://www.pde.state.pa.us/svcs_students/cwp/view.asp?Q=89512
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Fundamentals of Disaster Planning and Response, a Web-based, interactive video presentation from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, including 

modules on disaster mental health.

http://www.shs.net/samhsadr/contents.htm

About Planning and Action for the Mental Health Needs of Students and School Staff in the 

Aftermath of a Natural Disaster. Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA. A brief 

suggesting key issues to consider in planning for post-disaster mental health needs. 

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/planningneeds.pdf

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed a sample letter to assist 

schools in developing partnerships with mental health providers. The letter is available 

at http://www.nctsnet.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=ctr_aud_schl_3rs_readiness&Type=3rs&n

avPid=ctr_aud_schl_3rs_desc

See also Sections I.A and I.B of this toolbox for strategies and tools for creating collaborations with community organizations, including mental health providers.

3. Potential Supplemental Funding Resources

Existing financial resources may be insufficient to meet the increased demand following a major disaster. The following supplemental resources may be available to support 

school districts.

The Crisis Counseling Training and Assistance Program (CCP). CCP is a supplemental assistance program of FEMA, which funds mental health assistance and training activities 

in presidentially-declared disaster areas. Only a state or federally-recognized Indian 

tribe may apply for a crisis counseling grant.

Program overview: http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/EmergencyServices/

ccp_pg01.asp

More information about the program: 

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/EmergencyServices/progguide.asp

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools offers Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Discretionary Grants for establishing or 

expanding school counseling programs in elementary or secondary schools. For more 

information: http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.html

See also Section III.D for more resources and tools for funding.
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4. Hands-on resources for mental health providers

SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (SAMHSA DTAC). DTAC is an interactive, on-call resource for mental health providers during the critical period when mobilization for response and recovery begins.

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/dtac/default.asp

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools (OSDFS) is 

organizing emergency teams of physicians and medical personnel to provide immediate mental health services to local communities. The OSDFS has established a toll-free 

hotline for people in crisis. By calling 1-800-273-TALK, callers will be connected to trained 

professionals from a network of local counseling centers that are prepared to help those 

suffering from emotional trauma, such as anger, grief, hopelessness, shock, and sleeplessness, as a result of the disaster. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, every day.

The Three R’s to Dealing with Trauma in Schools: Readiness, Response, and Recovery. 

Broadcast of the U.S. Department of Education Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, 

April 23, 2002. Viewable online at http://www.walcoff.com/prevention/

Helping Children Cope with Crisis: A workbook for African American families. Provides useful tips and activities for helping children cope with disasters.

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/hccc/helping_children.htm

When the Hurricane Blew. A book written by Florida fourth-graders about their experiences with hurricanes. The book contains a story, tips for kids on preparing for and 

coping with a hurricane, and games. Available for purchase at http://www.hurricanekidsnetwork.org/peek.asp

Resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):

The Role of Culture in Helping Children Recover from a Disaster.

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/EmergencyServices/culture.asp

Fundamentals of Disaster Planning and Response.

http://www.shs.net/samhsadr/contents.htm

When Talking Doesn’t Help: Other Ways to Help Children Express Their Feelings Following a 

Disaster. http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/EmergencyServices/otherways.asp

Disaster Counseling. 

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/KEN-01-0096/default.asp 

Hurricane and Other Disaster Relief Information.

 http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/katrina/

Anniversary Reactions to a Traumatic Event: The Recovery Process Continues.

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/NMH02-0140/default.asp
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Resources from the Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA:

Crisis Assistance and Prevention: Reducing Barriers to Learning.

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/crisis_tt/crisisindex.htm

Psychological First Aid: Responding to a Student in Crisis.

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/crisis_qt/crisis_psych_first_aid.pdf

Schools Helping Students Deal with Loss.

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/loss(hurricane).pdf

Trauma resources and links: 

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/hurricane.htm

Resources from the National Association of School Psychologists:

Crisis resources. http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/crisismain.html

Trauma resources and links. http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/911memorial.html

Culturally Competent Crisis Response: Information for School Psychologists and Crisis 

Teams. http://www.nasponline.org/culturalcompetence/cc_crisis.pdf

Natural Disasters. http://www.nasponline.org/crisisresources/22-Lazarus.pdf

Responding to Natural Disasters: Helping Children and Families. Information for School 

Crisis Teams. http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/naturaldisaster_teams_ho.pdf

Responding to Hurricane Katrina: Helping Children Cope.

http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/katrina_cope.pdf

Responding to Hurricane Katrina: Helping Students Relocate and Supporting Their Mental Health Needs. http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/Katrina_relocate.pdf

Additional resources:

Coping and Recovery After Katrina and Rita; Cultural Perspectives on Healing After a 

Disaster; and Hurricane Katrina Resource Guide. National Alliance on Mental Illness. 

Available by searching www.nami.org (requires free registration).

Emotional and Spiritual Care, An Introduction on Basic Concepts. National Voluntary 

Organizations Active in Disaster (2004). http://www.nvoad.org/articles/ESCCchapterB.pdf

Caring for Kids After Trauma and Death: A Guide for Parents and Professionals. Institute 

for Trauma and Stress at The NYU Child Study Center.

http://www.aboutourkids.org/aboutour/articles/crisis_guide02.pdf

Resources to Help Cope with Natural and Other Disasters. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/new/disasterresources.htm
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Resources from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, including a Psychological 

First Aid Package and extensive tip sheets and briefs in English and Spanish, for teachers, caregivers, relief workers, and mental health care providers.

http://www.nctsnet.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=typ_nd

Understanding the Impact of Katrina on Children and Adolescents. The ChildTrauma 

Academy. A brief outlining common effects of trauma on children and strategies to 

support children.

http://www.childtrauma.org/CTAMATERIALS/Educators_Handout_Katrina_05.pdf

Helping Children Cope: A Guide To Helping Children Cope with the Stress of the Oklahoma City Explosion. American Psychological Association. A brief to help parents recognize the warning signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and help their children cope 

with disasters. http://www.apa.org/practice/kids.html

Terrorist Attacks and Children. National Center for PTSD. A fact sheet describing common reactions and tips for helping children in various age groups from birth through 

age 18 cope with traumatic events. 

http://www.ncptsd.org/facts/disasters/fs_children_disaster.html

Survivors of Natural Disasters and Mass Violence. National Center for PTSD. A fact sheet 

describing psychological problems related to natural disasters and strategies to address them. http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/disasters/fs_survivors_disaster.html

Student Support Service Resources for School Districts Recovering from the 2005 Hurricanes.

Office of Safe and Healthy Schools, Florida Department of Education and the Student 

Support Services Project, University of South Florida (2005). A list of and links to 

organizations that provide hands-on resources for mental health support.

http://www.firn.edu/doe/hurricane/pdf/student-support-resources.pdf

An assortment of articles related to crisis intervention, post traumatic stress, and 

critical incident stress management, from the International Critical Incident Stress 

Foundation. http://www.icisf.org/articles/

Long-Term Recovery Manual. National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (2004). 

Appendix IV, “Casework Management in Long-Term Recovery” contains guidelines, 

detailed suggested approaches, tips, and sample forms for long-term case management 

for individuals.http://www.nvoad.org/articles/LTRManualFinalApr232004a.pdf

Resources for preschoolers:

Helping Children Rebound: Strategies for Preschool Teachers After the 2005 Hurricanes. 

Teaching Strategies (2005).

http://www.teachingstrategies.com/content/pageDocs/Katrina_1005_final_web.pdf

Helping Young Children After a Disaster. National Association for the Education of 

Young Children. http://www.naeyc.org/families/disaster.asp

Coping and Trauma Strategies. Zero to Three. A list of resources and links to help 

providers work with infants and toddlers who have experienced disasters and other 
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 40-50 Points This is a strength of the program.

30-39 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<30 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in meeting short and long-term mental health and case 

management needs.

III. Mental Health and Academic Success, Including Disaster Recovery

A. Strategies are in place to address the short- and long-term mental health and case 

management needs of students and families. 

The school district has a rigorous mental health crisis response plan in 

place.

Teachers have access to developmentally and culturally appropriate 

classroom activities to address the immediate concerns of a large 

number of homeless children and youth.

School counselors have access to developmentally and culturally 

appropriate crisis counseling tools.

School district personnel and parents have access to immediate 

information on mental health needs and resources both within the 

school and the community. 

The school district has a system in place for utilizing additional 

professional resources for dealing with mental health issues – local, 

state, and national level resources.

Anniversaries of significant events are planned and celebrated in a 

positive way.

Students play a significant role in community service activities as part 

of the healing process. 

The school district is able to access supplemental funding and resources 

for mental health support and case management following disasters.

Training in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), stress 

management, and reactions to trauma is part of the ongoing district 

training plan for all adults. 

Schools are familiar with how to provide extended support services for 

families under stress.

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment III. A
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B. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place 

to deal with staff fatigue.

“I think next time I’d take better care of myself, get more rest 

myself.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

All staff working with children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness are at 

risk of fatigue and burnout. This risk is particularly acute in disaster situations. The 

initial impacts of a disaster can be emotionally overwhelming; the ongoing stress of the 

long-term response can be emotionally exhausting. Local liaisons and other caregivers 

should make time and space to care for themselves and seek support from supervisors 

and peers in their school district, local liaisons in other school districts, their state coordinator, and friends and family. If necessary or helpful, they should make time and space 

to speak with a counselor. The school district should support these self-care efforts. 

The following information from the National Association of School Psychologists will 

help school district support staff be aware of fatigue and mental health issues.

Care For Caregivers in Crisis responSe

The Challenge of Caregiving 

It almost goes without saying that parents, teachers, and other caregivers play a critical 

role in helping children cope with crises. The natural instinct is to put one’s own needs 

aside and tend to children first. It is extremely important, however, for caregivers to 

monitor their own reactions and take care of their own needs. Failure to do so can result 

in burnout, which interferes with one’s ability to provide crisis intervention assistance. 

This can be true in the aftermath of immediate crisis like a natural disaster or terrorist 

attack as well as during extended periods of stress and anxiety like the war in Iraq. Following are some suggestions that help caregivers maintain their own well-being even as 

they support the needs of children in their care. 

Role of the Caregiver 

Traditional crisis caregivers include emergency response professionals, mental health 

providers, medical professionals, victim assistance counselors, and faith leaders. They are 

trained to handle exposure to images of destruction and loss and to assist victims response 

and intervention. Educators who lack the requisite skills need to be careful not to go beyond 

their training because they run the risk of making a very difficult situation worse.
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The Potential for Burnout 

At the early stages of crisis response, caregivers may have abounding energy and motivation. Their cognitive functioning, training, and resilience make them important assets to 

the children under their care. However, as a crisis intervention continues, caregivers may 

find themselves experiencing physical or psychological “burnout.” Images of violence, 

despair and hardship and/or continuous concern over possible danger can contribute to 

feeling professionally isolated and depressed, particularly if caregivers do not have the opportunity to process their reactions. Successes may be ambiguous or few and far between, 

and, in some cases lack of sleep and limited opportunities for healthy nourishment breakdown the capacity to cope effectively. Caregivers can begin to feel more like a victim than 

a helper. Additionally, caregivers who have their own history of prior psychological trauma, 

mental illness (including substance abuse), or who lack social and family resources will be 

more vulnerable to burnout.

Signs of the Burnout

Burnout develops gradually, but its warning signs are recognizable beforehand. These include: 

Cognitive

• An inability to stop thinking about the crisis, crisis victims, and/or the crisis intervention. 

• Loss of objectivity. 

• An inability to make decisions, and/or express oneself either verbally or in writing. 

• Personal identification with crisis victims and their families. 

Physical 

• Overwhelming/chronic fatigue and/or sleep disturbances. 

• Gastrointestinal problems, headaches, and other aches and pains. 

• Eating problems including eating too much or loss of one’s appetite. 

Affective 

• Suicidal thoughts and/or severe depression. 

• Irritability leading to anger or rage. 

• Intense cynicism and/or pessimism. 

• Excessive worry about crisis victims and their families. 

• Being upset or jealous when others are doing crisis interventions. 

• A compulsion to be involved in every crisis intervention. 

• Significant agitation and restlessness after conducting a crisis intervention. 

 Behavioral • Alcohol and substance abuse. 

• Withdrawal from contact with co-workers, friends, and/or family. 

• Impulsive behaviors. 

• Maintaining an unnecessary degree of contact/follow-up with crisis victims and their families. 

• An inability to complete/return to normal job responsibilities. 

• Attempts to work independently of the crisis intervention team. 
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Preventing Burnout 

Whether it is in the aftermath of a serious crisis or during an extended period of high 

stress, unrelenting demand for support may result in burnout for even the most seasoned crisis caregivers, particularly if they themselves are feeling vulnerable due to the 

circumstances. The risk may be even higher for teachers and other caregivers who are 

not trained crisis responders. Consequently all caregivers need to consider the following personal and professional suggestions to prevent burnout: 

• Know your limitations and with what you feel reasonably comfortable or uncomfortable handling. 

• Recognize that your reactions are normal and occur frequently among many welltrained crisis professionals. 

• To the extent possible, maintain normal daily routines (especially physical exercise 

activities, meal-time, and bed-time routines). Connect with trusted friends or family 

who can help take the edge off of the moment. 

• Give yourself permission to do things that you find pleasurable (e.g., going shopping or out to dinner with friends). 

• Avoid using alcohol and drugs to cope with the effects of being a caregiver during 

times of crisis. 

• Ask for support from family and friends in terms of reducing pressures or demands 

during the crisis response. 

• Be sure to maintain healthy eating habits and drink plenty of water. 

• Take periodic rest breaks at least every couple of hours. 

• As much as possible, try to get some restful sleep, preferably without the use of 

sleep aids or alcohol. 

• Take time at the end of each day to process or debrief the events of the day with 

other caregivers or colleagues. 

• Be kind and gentle on yourself and others, as you have all shared exposure to a 

life-changing event. Everyone needs time to process the impact of these events into 

their lives.1

1 Note. From “Helping children cope with crisis: Care for caregivers,” by National Association of School 

Psychologists, Copyright, 2003 by Author. Reprinted with permission. Retrieved August 15, 2006, from: 

http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/CaregiverTips.pdf
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Additional resources:

Understanding Caregiver Vulnerability. Long-Term Recovery Manual. National Voluntary 

Organizations Active in Disaster: Long-Term Recovery Manual (2004). A one-page brief 

on burnout. (p.57).

http://www.nvoad.org/articles/LTRManualFinalApr232004a.pdf 

Stress Prevention and Management Approaches for Rescue Workers in the Aftermath of Terrorist Acts. National Mental Health Information Center.

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/EmergencyServices/stress.asp

Tips for Managing and Preventing Stress: A Guide for Emergency and Disaster Response 

Workers. National Mental Health Information Center.

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/KEN-01-0098/

A Guide to Managing Stress in Crisis Response Professions. Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration. A pocket guide on stress management with strategies 

that can be incorporated into the daily routine of managers and workers.

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/SMA-4113/default.asp

Fundamentals of Disaster Planning and Response. Web-based, interactive video presentation from SAMHSA, including a module on Managing Your Stress in Crisis Response 

Work.

http://www.shs.net/samhsadr/contents.htm
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 23-30 Points This is a strength of the program.

15-22 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<15 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in addressing staff fatigue.

III. Mental Health and Academic Success, Including Disaster Recovery

B. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to deal with staff fatigue. 

Multiple staff members are trained to address the needs of an increased

number of children and youth.

Local liaison has the support of the highest level of leadership. 

The human resources department has plans in place to deal with adults

who have undergone significant periods of stress or traumatic events. 

The district has a system in place for accommodating staff with mental

health needs (e.g., modified work schedules, family medical leave

policies, support groups, etc.)

Local liaison, school counselors, and school administrators are aware of

the symptoms of burnout and prepared to support colleagues suffering

from burnout.

The school district has a self-care system in place for the local liaison,

school counselors, teachers, enrollment personnel, and others coming

into continuous, direct contact with displaced children and families.

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment III. B
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C. Strategies are in place to address the short- and 

long-term academic needs of displaced students, 

including graduating seniors.

“We just finished our state testing. And there was just a report in 

the newspaper, that the percentage of [displaced] kids who passed 

our tests is very, very low. So we’re having summer school, and 

they can go to summer school and take the test again. But I think 

we may find, it’s a possibility, that many of our children might be 

retained.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

Students experiencing homelessness, including those displaced by disasters, often 

need academic support to help counteract the negative effects of mobility and trauma. 

Some of those needs can be addressed by tutoring programs and other supplemental 

services provided through McKinney-Vento programs. However, local liaisons should 

also make sure that homeless students are able to access the academic support services offered to other students in the district, including services through Title I, 21st 

Century Learning Centers, and other federal, state, and district programs.

When students are mobile between states, their academic needs may be even more 

urgent due to differing state curricula and standards. School districts should be prepared with flexible plans to address such mobility, academic challenges, and potential 

retentions.

This section contains tools and strategies to assist school districts in the following efforts: 

1. Collaborating with Title I

2. Ensuring that seniors can graduate

3. Supporting highly mobile students

4. Supporting young children

5. Supporting students with special needs
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1. Collaborating withTitle I

“We are using several different funding sources to provide extra 

tutors to come in during the day, in addition to after school 

tutoring services for students who are struggling. Those programs 

are open for any students, including displaced students. We use 

some Title I money, a Title VI grant, a Reading First grant, and 

a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant for the afterschool component. We work really hard at making the funding 

work so we can provide the services the students need.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

Students experiencing homelessness are automatically eligible for Title I, Part A services, including services through the mandatory reservation of Title I funds for homeless 

students. Collaborations with this program are essential for supporting the academic 

success of children experiencing homelessness, including those displaced by disasters.

ADDITIONAL Resources:

Title I and Homelessness. NCHE (2006). A brief identifying the key provisions of the 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act dealing with serving homeless children and 

youth under Title I, Part A, and offering strategies for implementation.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/titlei.pdf

Collaboration Between Title I and Homeless Education Programs. NCHE. Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit, Chapter 5, (Table 7).

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/chapters.pdf

U.S. Department of Education. (July, 2004). Education for Homeless children and 

Youth Program Non-Regulatory Guidance. Section M. http://www.serve.org/nche/

downloads/guidance_jul2004.pdf
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2. Ensuring that seniors can graduate

Schools should make special efforts to ensure that high school seniors who are forced 

to move to another state due to a disaster or homelessness can graduate on schedule. 

For example, to ensure that seniors displaced by the hurricanes of 2005 could graduate, schools adopted procedures similar to the following:

• Counselors immediately placed seniors in the most appropriate classes, based on 

information provided by the student and parents.

• After receiving school records, counselors reviewed students’ credits and academic 

standing.

• Counselors made extra efforts to ensure that seniors were placed in appropriate 

classes to allow them to earn the credits needed to graduate on time.

• Seniors who had missed school due to the evacuation were awarded partial credits 

and/or given the opportunity to make up work.

• States with large numbers of evacuees worked with states that received students to 

provide information about graduation criteria.

• Counselors determined if students met the graduation criteria in their home state 

and their new state.

• Students were given the choice to graduate from their home state or their new state, 

assuming they met graduation requirements.

• States with large numbers of evacuees, such as Louisiana and Mississippi, offered 

high school exit examinations in an online format. Receiving schools supervised 

students in taking these tests online.

• Students who wished to graduate from their new school were given the opportunity 

to earn any needed credits and take the high school exit exam.

“Some of the kids who are graduating are wearing a gown the color of their old 

school, because they requested that, and the schools are letting them do that.”

Local Homeless Education Liaison
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3. Supporting Highly Mobile Students

The following resources can help schools provide appropriate supplemental instruction 

for highly mobile students:

Reading on the Go! Volume 1: Students Who Are Highly Mobile and Reading Instruction. NCHE. (2002). A publication on what works in reading instruction for students 

who are highly mobile.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/reading_on_the_go.pdf

Reading on the Go! Volume 2: A Handbook of Resources. NCHE. (2006). A publication that provides strategies in reading instruction for students who are highly mobile, 

based on actual programs in practice.

http://www.serve.org/nche/products.php

Links to Literacy: A Handbook for Short-Term Literacy Intervention. AmeriCorps for Community Engagement and Education Project and the Texas Homeless Education office 

(2004). This training manual assists schools and shelters in providing literacy intervention through the use of trained tutors based on research-based strategies and methods. 

http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/toolkits.html#linksliteracy

Students on the Move: Reaching and Teaching Highly Mobile Children and Youth.

NCHE. This handbook synthesizes research on the education of various subpopulations of students who tend to be highly mobile and explores common characteristics 

and significant differences. Subpopulations explored include migratory children and 

youth, children and youth experiencing homelessness, children of military families, and 

students experiencing mobility on a global scale.

http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/highly_mobile.pdf
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4. Supporting Young Children

The following resources can help schools provide appropriate supplemental instruction 

to young children:

Helping Young Children Grow & Learn: A Guide for Families & Shelter Providers. Project HOPE Virginia. A brief with strategies and ideas for supporting the development of 

young children experiencing homelessness.

http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/ECSE-family.pdf

Using the Best That We Know: Supporting Young Children Experiencing Homelessness. Project HOPE Virginia. A brief with strategies and ideas for supporting the development of young children experiencing homelessness.

http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/ECSE-educ.pdf

5. Supporting Students With Special Needs

The following resources can help schools provide appropriate supplemental instruction 

to students with special needs:

Hurricane Katrina and Relocated Students With Special Needs: Recommendations for 

Receiving Schools. National Association of School Psychologists (2005). A comprehensive brief with practical strategies for providing services to students with special needs 

in the absence of an IEP.

http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/katrina_specneeds.html

New Schools for Students with Disabilities: Tips for Families Who Have Been Relocated. National Association of School Psychologists (2005). A comprehensive brief to 

assist parents in enrolling, advocating for, and supporting their children with special 

needs in a new school.

http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/katrina_relocate_families.pdf

The Council for Exceptional Children offers many publications, briefs, and strategies 

for supporting children with special needs. http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.

cfm?Section=Publications1

Unlocking Potential! Project HOPE Virginia. Briefs with basic information on the rights of 

children with special needs experiencing homelessness and strategies to provide services. 

For families and service providers: 

http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/family-complete.pdf

For special education personnel:

 http://www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/personnel-complete.pdf
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 35-45 Points This is a strength of the program.

25-34 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<25 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in meeting short- and long-term academic needs.

III. Mental Health and Academic Success, Including Disaster Recovery

C. Strategies are in place to address the short and long-term academic needs of 

displaced students, including graduating seniors.

The school district Title I program sets aside the required reservation of 

Title I, Part A funds for homeless students and uses those funds in 

conjunction with the McKinney-Vento program to support the academic 

achievement of homeless students.

Displaced students are able to access regular academic support services

and programs available in the district immediately.

Additional academic supports are available to help children and youth in 

homeless situations meet achievement standards.

The school district has a flexible plan to address mobility, academic 

challenges, and potential retentions resulting from disasters.

There is a system in place for awarding academic credit for graduating 

seniors who do not have records.

There is a system in place to ensure that displaced seniors can graduate 

on time.

Teachers have access to instructional resources for highly mobile 

students.

Teachers have access to instructional resources for highly mobile 

students with special needs.

Preschool teachers have access to instructional resources for highly 

mobile young children.

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment III. C
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D. Funding: Needed services are available and accessible to 

all in avariety of settings – using a combination of public, 

private, community, and personal resources. 

Providing appropriate services to children, youth, and families in homeless situations, 

including those displaced by disasters, requires funding. One important way to access 

services and funding is by building collaborative relationships. See Sections I.A and 

I.B for strategies for building and maintaining successful collaborations with service 

providers, businesses, community foundations, civic groups, and other community 

groups. A key collaborative partner in providing academic support and funding for 

other supplemental services is the Title I program, particularly Title I, Part A. See Section III.C.1 for resources related to collaborating with Title I.

Following major disasters, supplemental funding may be available from the federal 

government. It is important that McKinney-Vento programs and school districts maintain appropriate data to be able to claim this funding. See Section II.H for strategies 

and tips on data management.

The school district itself can also pursue additional resources from government and 

private sources. The following federal grants and resources may be available. 
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1. Grants Available from the U.S. Department of Education 

• Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program. The U.S. Department of 

Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools offers Elementary and Secondary 

School Counseling Program grants for establishing or expanding school counseling 

programs in Elementary or Secondary schools. For more information: 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.html

• Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence). This program offers shortterm and long-term assistance to local education agencies to recover from a violent 

or traumatic event in which the learning environment has been disrupted. Immediate services assistance covers up to 60 days from the date of the incident. Extended 

services assistance covers up to one year from the incident. 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvppserv/index.html

• Emergency Response and Crisis Management Plans Discretionary Grants. Emergency 

Response and Crisis Management grants provide funds to local educational agencies 

to improve and strengthen their emergency response and crisis management plans. 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpemergencyresponse/index.html

• Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems. These grants provide 

funds to increase student access to high-quality mental health care by developing 

innovative approaches that link school systems with the local mental health system.

http://www.ed.gov/programs/mentalhealth/index.html

• Partnerships in Character Education Program. This program provides federal financial 

assistance to assist eligible entities in designing and implementing character education programs that can be integrated into classroom instruction, to be consistent 

with state academic content standards, and to be carried out in conjunction with 

other educational reform efforts. 

http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2006-1/022306g.pdf

• Mentoring Grants. These grants promote mentoring programs for children with 

greatest need by assisting them in receiving support and guidance from a mentor 

and in pursuing academic improvement. 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpmentoring/index.html

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLCs). The focus of this program, 

re-authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the No Child Left Behind Act, is to provide 

expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending low performing 

schools. Tutorial services and academic enrichment activities are designed to help 

students meet local and state academic standards in subjects such as reading and 

math. In addition 21st CCLC programs provide youth development activities, drug 
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and violence prevention programs, technology education programs, art, music and 

recreation programs, counseling and character education to enhance the academic 

component of the program. 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/index.html

• Cultural Partnership for At-Risk Youth Program. The program makes demonstration 

grants to eligible entities for the development of school-community partnership programs. These programs must be designed to improve the educational performance 

and future educational potential of at-risk children by providing comprehensive, 

coordinated educational and arts programs and services. 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/artscp/index.html

• Safe Schools/Healthy Students Discretionary Grants. The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative is a discretionary grant program supported by the U.S. Departments 

of Education, Health and Health Services, and Justice. It provides students, schools, 

and communities with federal funding to implement an enhanced, coordinated, 

comprehensive plan of activities, programs, and services that focus on promoting healthy childhood development and preventing violence and substance abuse. 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpsafeschools/index.html

2. Grants from other federal sources

The Administration on Children & Families of the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services has an online database of all its grants.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/index.html

Grants.gov is a searchable, online index to all federal government grants. 

http://www.grants.gov/
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3. Funding available from community and private sources

Every community includes private and community-based resources that can support 

the efforts of the school district and the McKinney-Vento program:

Section II. J on donations includes many strategies and tools that can assist McKinney-Vento programs in cultivating local donors. The following resources may also be 

important funding sources.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS

Community foundations are tax-exempt public charities serving thousands of people 

who share a common concern— improving the quality of life in their area. Individuals, 

families, businesses, and organizations create permanent charitable funds that help their 

region meet the challenges of changing times. The foundation invests and administers 

these funds. All community foundations are overseen by a volunteer board of leading 

citizens and are run by professionals with expertise in knowing their community’s needs. 

Many McKinney-Vento programs have received funding from community foundations. To 

find local community foundations, visit http://www.cof.org/Locator/

	 Large corporations with local offices

	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 Small local businesses

	 	 	 	 Local family foundations

Community foundations

	 	 	 	 	 Individual donors

National foundations

 Corporate giving programs 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 Local government Civic groups

	 	 	 Women’s clubs 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 Faith-based charities
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OTHER NATIONAL AND/OR LOCAL FOUNDATIONS

There are hundreds of thousands of foundations in the United States and elsewhere that 

fund the types of services McKinney-Vento programs provide. These funders include 

family foundations, large private foundations, corporate foundations, corporate giving 

programs, and individual donors. Many programs supplement their public funds with 

such private grants.

Good Example: A McKinney-Vento program in Louisiana received $90,000 from a 

foundation in the Czech Republic!

Researching grant opportunities can be time-consuming and daunting. To help McKinney-Vento programs with this task, the National Association for the Education of 

Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) offers a free grant-announcement service to 

its members. Through a collaboration with GrantStation, NAEHCY members can opt 

to receive monthly e-mails announcing available grants. To join NAEHCY, visit http://

www.naehcy.org/membership.html. To learn more about GrantStation, visit http://

www.grantstation.com/

The Foundation Center is also an excellent source of funding information from a wide 

variety of corporate and private sources. Users of the Foundation Center’s website can 

search the foundation database, ask questions of staff, participate in online tutorials on 

grant-writing and funding basics, and read weekly newsletters. The Center also offers 

a wide variety of workshops to help organizations research and secure private funding 

at its local offices in Atlanta, Cleveland, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. 

and has established cooperative agreements with libraries across the country to offer 

Foundation Center publications and resources free of charge.

Basic registration for Foundation Center services is free and includes a weekly electronic “RFP Bulletin” that provides information on available grants. For more information 

on the Foundation Center, visit http://www.foundationcenter.org/
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

How did you score? 30-40 Points This is a strength of the program.

20-29 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<20 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in obtaining and maximizing funding.

III. Mental Health and Academic Success, Including Disaster Recovery

D. Funding: Needed services are available and accessible to all in a variety of settings –

using a combination of public, private, community, and personal resources. 

There is evidence of streamlining among agencies to promote 

cost-effectiveness; that is, there are opportunities to conduct referrals 

between community agencies that will not require additional funding; 

there are collaborative efforts among agencies to provide specialized 

services such as dental, medical, or mental health services; there are 

consolidated eligibility criteria set up between agencies to eliminate 

duplicate paperwork, wasted resources, and duplicate services. 

There is a consistent interaction among the education, health, and 

human services communities. 

Contacts with the business community are strong. 

The school district utilizes a variety of funding sources to provide 

services for homeless children and youth. 

Some funding sources provide flexibility in eligibility and spending 

guidelines so that funding can be directed flexibly to individual 

circumstances and provided at convenient times and places. 

Local liaison has access to some emergency funds to supplement 

student needs. 

There is a long-term plan in place to accommodate for extended times 

of need with an increased number of homeless children and youth. 

The district participates in all community-based groups and efforts to secure 

additional funds to meet the needs of homeless children and youth. 

 TOTAL 

Self-Assessment III. D
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E. Strategies, policies, and procedures are in place to address the 

multiple issues of long-term recovery, including housing needs.

“What scares me the most is: where are these people going to go 

when their vouchers run out?”

Local Homeless Education Liaison

Long-term recovery from a disaster is an ongoing process that can take years. It requires input and effort from all sectors of the community and may include legislative and regulatory measures at the state and/or local level. Recovery issues include 

housing, long-term case management, physical and mental health care, employment, 

rebuilding, and planning for future disasters.

Many of these issues are beyond the immediate purview of the schools. Yet, they 

profoundly affect student academic achievement and emotional well-being. Many 

school districts have recognized this link and are involved in community responses to 

disasters and homelessness. Community collaborations, such as those described in 

Sections I.A and I.B are essential if schools are to help families access the variety of 

needed services. Disaster relief agencies and the local Continuum of Care are particularly important allies.

Good Example: Some local school boards have adopted resolutions recognizing the 

harmful effects of homelessness on education and supporting affordable housing. For an 

example of such a resolution from the Anchorage School Board, see http://www.asdk12.

org/School_Board/archives/Arc2004-2005/Agendas/20041011/H01M057.pdf
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This section provides information on general resources for families in homeless situations, including those displaced by disasters. It also offers information on Long-Term 

Recovery Committees.

1.General resources for families

“And some people don’t have that ability, they can’t get on the Internet 

and find out stuff, because they don’t know one end of a computer from 

the other. Some of them are not even capable of making telephone calls, 

and now that the FEMA office is closed here, there is no in-town ability 

to go and say, ‘what’s happening with my case?’”

Relief Agency Staff Member

Families experiencing homeless are often in need of intensive case management. 

An important first step in case management is identifying and assessing the client’s 

strengths. These may include family, friends, employment, skills, talents, coping and 

emotional skills, parental competency, etc. Some homeless parents may struggle to see 

their own strengths. By beginning the process with this discussion, the client and case 

manager can take advantage of strengths in planning for the future.

The sample case management form in Appendix 19 may be useful in assessing 

strengths and needs and developing a case plan.

 

The following additional resources can help children, youth, and families find the resources they need for long-term recovery:

• Information about FEMA programs and what benefits survivors should receive from 

an independent, non-governmental source. http://www.femaanswers.org

• Information on a wide variety of public and private services for displaced children, 

youth, and families from the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

http://childwelfare.gov/systemwide/service_array/mental/katrina_resource.cfm

• Information about how to obtain benefits and services from the Administration for 

Children and Families/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including 

Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA)/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), 

Head Start Services, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program(LIHEAP), displaced and foster children, refugee assistance program, and related State links.

 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/katrina/index.htm
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• Child care information and resources on hurricane recovery, disaster relief, and emergency preparedness. http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/emergency/index.cfm

• Housing Agency and School District Collaborations to Serve Homeless and Highly 

Mobile Students. Best Practices in Homeless Education Brief Series. NCHE (2006) 

 http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/housing_collab.pdf

• Online resources for helping those affected by the hurricanes of 2005. Includes: 

Emergency Guidelines for Helping Victims (including information on Social Security, 

Medicaid, SCHIP, Unemployment Insurance, Nutrition programs, and others); Giving 

& Getting Help; and Help with Healing.

 http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3372?tn=hp/1b

2. Forming a Long-Term Recovery Committee

“What’s called EOC, the emergency operations center here in the city-- 

without a doubt we’ve built a closer relationship with them. I say closer 

because we’ve always had a good relationship with them, we’re asked to 

come to the meeting, so we have the opportunity to be a part and hear 

directly from the national officials. And also not only with them, with 

the local police department, fire department, Red Cross, and so I think 

we’ve built some very good working relationships.”

School District Administrator

To ensure that the school district is informed about and involved in long-term recovery, 

the local liaison must know what agencies are handling recovery efforts, how they can 

participate in the process, and how their students can access the services that exist. 

Most communities affected by disasters will establish a long-term recovery committee. 

These committees may be directed by FEMA, the Red Cross, the United Way, or other 

agencies. It is important that the school district, and preferably the local liaison, participate actively on the committee. See Section I.A for tips and strategies for getting a seat 

at the table. See Appendix 3 for a glossary of terms and acronyms commonly used in 

disaster planning, response, and recovery.

If the community has not established a long-term recovery committee, the school district can be a leader in forming such a group. There are resources below to assist communities in establishing committees. There are also general resources for families who 

have been impacted by disasters to help them find housing, employment, and other 

support, including a sample long-term case management form. Local and state governments and the other collaborative partners listed in the chart in Section I.A can also be 

important resources for families.
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ADDITIONAL Resources:

Organizing Protocols For Community Disaster Recovery Mechanisms. National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Guidelines, specific field activities, and a recovery process 

organogram, with a particular focus on the interactions of faith-based community organizations and recovery committees. http://www.nvoad.org/articles/recovery.php

Long-Term Recovery Manual. National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (2004). 

A manual containing sections on organizing long-term recovery, establishing and operating a long-term recovery group, volunteer management, emotional and spiritual care, 

case management, and the basics of recovery. Includes sample mission statements, a list 

of stakeholders, organizational structures, guidelines, and sample forms.

http://www.nvoad.org/articles/LTRManualFinalApr232004a.pdf
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Individual(s) Conducting Assessment: ________________________________________

Date of Assessment: ______________________________________________________

Date of Review: ___________________________________________________________

Rank the following in order of their effectiveness within your McKinney-Vento Program:

1 2 3 4 5

No evidence In existence Moderately Successful but Strength of the but not effective successful needs improvement program

The following, targeted self-assessment is designed to evaluate the school district’s implementation of the tools and strategies contained in this chapter. It includes several of the most 

important indicators of success in addressing the multiple issues of disaster recovery.

III. Mental Health and Academic Success, Including Disaster Recovery

E. Strategies, policies and procedures are in place to address the multiple issues of 

long-term recovery, including housing needs.

There is a provision for opportunities to debrief and glean lessons 

learned. This can lead to a sense of regaining control. 

Intensive case management services are available in the community.

Plans are in place for outreach staff (counselors and mental health 

workers) to work with individual students and/or adults struggling with 

recovery issues. 

Local liaison and outreach staff are aware of community resources and 

able to refer families to appropriate services, including services available

through federal and state government sources.

Every school has a list of community resources and contact information.

The district expresses a willingness to minimize requests for additional 

activities that may not be absolutely necessary during the recovery period. 

A person(s) has been appointed to connect individuals with continued 

community resources and support ally and for as long as it takes. 

(This may be a period of 2-5 years.)

The school district uses existing materials that may assist with coping 

skills or is willing to institute a new curriculum across all grade levels. 

The school district has a student and staff “wellness” campaign in place 

to promote positive behaviors.

Continuous training and awareness activities on the issues of homeless 

children and youth are a part of the ongoing district training plan for all 

adults, and training is tailored to meet the needs of specific audiences 

(bus drivers, data entry clerks, teachers, substitute teachers, noninstructional support staff, front office clerks, teachers, guidance, school 

administrators, district staff).

Self-Assessment III. E
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How did you score? 70-85 Points This is a strength of the program.

60-69 Points The program is moderately sucessful in this area.

<60 Points This area is weak. Needs program improvement.

E. Strategies, policies and procedures are in place to address the multiple issues of 

long-term recovery, including housing needs.

If long-term support services are needed, the district has policies in place 

to make accommodations for space and additional staff, as needed.

Additional activities for homeless children and youth are planned during 

extended school times – after school, weekends, holidays, and summer.

The school district participates regularly in interagency councils/coalitions 

that provide a wide variety of services for children and their families, 

including housing.

The school district participates regularly in boards or with organizations 

related to family services and disaster relief (e.g., United Way, American 

Red Cross, Salvation Army, faith-based organizations, housing 

organizations, etc.).

Teachers play a significant role in the response and recovery process for 

children that are in homeless and highly transitional living conditions. 

Parents have a significant role in the response and recovery process for 

children that are in homeless and highly transitional living conditions. 

The community has a significant role in the response and recovery process 

for children that are in homeless and highly transitional living conditions. 

 TOTAL 
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DISASTER PLANNING APPENDICES
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APPENDIX 1

Topical Index

Academic records.........................................................................................................56-58

Academics

achievement data tracking (See Data tracking/management)

graduating seniors (See Seniors)

highly mobile students........................................................................................108

placement strategies.............................................................................................56

special needs students (See Special needs students, academic support)

Title I, Part A (See Title I, academics)

young children (See Young children)

Athletic participation....................................................................................................73-74

Sample policies............................................................................................174-175

Birth certificates...........................................................................................................49, 57

Burnout (See Mental health, staff fatigue)

Caregiver form (See Forms, caregiver’s authorization)

Case management for disaster recovery form (See Forms, case management)

Collaborations

agenda items.........................................................................................................18

collaborative partners..........................................................................................5-6

community agencies..........................................................................................1-33

community forums and taskforces....................................................................7-14

convening taskforces........................................................................................15-20

disaster planning..............................................................................................21-25

identifying stakeholders.......................................................................................3-4

inviting participants...............................................................................................17

relationships.....................................................................................................11-12

resources....................................................................................................13-14, 26

state level contacts.......................................................................................194-195

Title I............................................................................................................106, 111

Communications systems............................................................................................31-32

Community collaborations (See Collaborations, community agencies)

Community forums and interagency taskforces

joining ................................................................................................................7-14

convening.........................................................................................................15-20

Comprehensive disaster plan (See Disaster planning, designing comprehensive plans)

Continuum of care.........................................................................5, 8, 13, 37, 82, 117, 132

Data tracking/management.........................................................................................82-84

Definition of homeless (See McKinney-Vento, definition of homeless)

Disaster planning

assessment and referral tool........................................................................185-186

designing comprehensive plans......................................................................21-24

disaster response tool..................................................................................191-192

elements of a plan............................................................................................24-25
125 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

key terms and acronyms..............................................................................139-148

preserving records (See Records, preserving in case of disaster)

resources....................................................................................................23, 26, 94

sample forms (See Forms, disaster planning)

sample emergency plans..................................................................................25-26

Dispute resolution

samples.........................................................................................159, 162-163, 193

resources..........................................................................................................50, 54

District policies (See School district policies)

Donations.....................................................................................................................89-92

Eligibility for McKinney-Vento services (See McKinney-Vento, eligibility)

Emergency planning (see Disaster planning)

Enrollment

checklist.........................................................................................................53, 166

extracurricular activities..........................................................................62, 67, 166

forms (See Forms, enrollment)

overcrowding.........................................................................................................53

post-disaster questionnaire.................................................................................164

records...................................................................................................................57

special needs students.....................................................................................58-60

strategies..........................................................................................................49, 64

timing.............................................................................................................51, 164

tools.......................................................................................................................54

without records.......................................................................................58, 167-172

FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act)...............................29, 57, 65, 150, 168

Food (See Nutrition)

Forms

caregiver’s authorization...............................................................................50, 161

case management........................................................................................189-190

disaster planning........................................................................26, 86, 90, 185-186

enrollment................................................................................50, 83, 150, 157-160

free meal applications..................................................................................179-182

long-term recovery case management................................................................120

mental health needs assessment and referral......................................................94

sample letter to collaborative taskforce invitee..................................................149

school selection checklist....................................................................................165

student needs assessment......................................................................58, 60, 192

transportation...............................................................................................177-178

Funding...............................................................................................................95, 111-116

Glossary....................................................................................................................139-148

Health (See Mental health, Physical health)

Health records (See Records, health)

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)...................................29, 65

Homeless 

definition (See McKinney-Vento, definition of homeless)
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PowerPoint presentations (See PowerPoint presentations, homelessness

and McKinney-Vento)

Housing ...................................................................................................................117-122

IDEA (See Special needs students, IDEA)

Identifying homeless students (See McKinney-Vento, identifying homeless students)

Identifying stakeholders (See Stakeholders, identifying)

IEP (See special needs students, IEP)

Immunizations......................................................................35, 49, 54, 63-65, 70, 168, 191

Information sharing.........................................................................................12, 18, 29, 86

release of information.....................................................................................29, 82

LEA policies.............................................................................................................24, 35-39

Long-term recovery (See Recovery, long-term)

McKinney-Vento

definition of homeless...............................................................15, 41, 43, 150-155

developing McKinney-Vento policies..............................................................36-38

developing policies for dispute resolution............................................................39

eligibility.......................................................................................41, 43-44, 150-155

identifying homeless students...........................................................42-44, 50, 191

PowerPoint presentations (See PowerPoint presentations on 

homelessness and McKinney-Vento)

resources....................................................................................................44-47, 52

strategies to find and enroll displaced students..................................................42

Media............................................................................................................................85-88

Memoranda of understanding..........................................................................................30

Mental health 

and academic success......................................................................................93-99

burnout.........................................................................................................100-104

funding...................................................................................................................95

immediate.........................................................................................................66-69

needs assessment and referral form (See Forms, mental health 

needs assessment)

planning.................................................................................................................94

resources...............................................................................................69-70, 96-98

staff fatigue...................................................................................................100-101

Needs assessment.........................................................................................12, 18, 93, 192

Nutrition.......................................................................................................................79-80

free meal applications (See Forms, free meal applications)

Overcrowding ....................................................................................................................53

Physical health..............................................................................................................62-65

Planning

disaster (See Disaster planning)

disaster recovery (See Recovery, long-term)

mental health needs (See Mental health, planning)

PowerPoint presentations on homelessness and McKinney-Vento........................8, 9, 46

Preschoolers
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rights......................................................................................................................35

resources................................................................................................................98

Records

enrollment without.................................................................................58, 167-172

health................................................................................................................63-65

preserving in case of disaster................................................................................60

school............................................................................49-50, 56, 83, 107, 168, 191

tools for attaining academic..................................................................................57

Recovery...........................................................................................................23, 32, 91, 93

long-term..............................................................................................117-120, 188

Relationships (See Collaborations, relationships)

Resources for families..............................................................................................118-119

Safe and drug-free schools district council committee..............................................6, 138

School district policies...................................................................................35-36, 39, 191

School meals (See Nutrition)

School records (See Records, school)

School selection......................................................................................................51-52, 54

checklist...............................................................................................................165

Seniors.............................................................................................................................107

Sharing information (See Information sharing)

Special education (See Special needs students)

Special needs students

academic support.......................................................................56-57, 60, 109, 168

enrollment (See Enrollment, special needs students)

IDEA..................................................................................................................59-60

IEP.....................................................................................................................57-60

resources.......................................................................................................60, 109

unaccompanied youth...........................................................................................60

Stakeholders

Identifying.............................................................................................................3-4

Title I

academics............................................................................................................106

collaboration (See Collaborations, Title I)

Transportation.............................................................................................35, 39, 42, 76-77

Unaccompanied youth

enrollment................................................................................................50, 54, 164

resources..............................................................................................................131

special education (See special needs students, unaccompanied youth)

U.S. Department of Education grants (See Funding)

Volunteers..........................................................................................................................90

Welcoming new students into school..........................................................................66-69

Young children...........................................................................................................98, 109
128 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 2

Comprehensive Community Stakeholders Chart

The following charts suggest a large variety of stakeholders that can be important in 

supporting the McKinney-Vento program and planning for disasters. The first is generally applicable; the second focuses on organizations active in disaster planning, response, and recovery.

It is unlikely that every stakeholder in the chart will be present in every community, and 

local homeless education liaisons will need to prioritize those groups that offer the 

most support based on the program’s needs. The chart is merely meant to offer an 

extensive list of potential stakeholders.
129 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Organization Role/Function Local Contact 

Info

Contacted? Follow-Up

Chamber of Commerce and Business LeadersTo find local contact info: check the phone book or Internet site of your town or visit:http://www.uschamber.com/chambers/directory/default

Chambers of Commerce have as their mission the protection, promotion, and enhancement of businesses and business opportunities in their area. However, most also address quality of life issues in their community, and many support initiatives related to education, poverty, and homelessness.

Child Welfare System and Family CourtsGeneral information about the system: http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/responding/index.cfm

Children who are wards of the state due to abuse or neglect may be in homeless situations. Social workers, guardians ad litem, and family court judges can be key partners for schools. Regional offices of the Child Welfare League of America can be found at: http://www.cwla.org/members/regionaloffices.asp

Comprehensive Community Stakeholders Chart
130 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION Organization Role/Function Local Contact Info Contacted? Follow-Up City Government http://www.nlc.org/ Mayors and city council members direct the policy and daily operations of cities. Civic Organizations Check the phone book or Internet site of your town or local chamber of commerce for local contact information

-Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs-Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts of America-Goodwill. Find local groups at http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about-Junior League. Find local groups at www.ajli.org/

-Kiwanis. Find local groups at www.kiwanis.org/clubloc/-Knights of Columbus. Find local groups at www.kofc.org/un/officers/findcouncil/index.cfm

-Lions. Find local groups at www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/resources_club.shtml-Rotary. Find local groups at www.rotary.org/support/clubs/index.html-Women’s Clubs-YMCA / YWCA. Find local groups at www.ymca.net/ or http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=28478

Colleges and UniversitiesCheck the phone book or Internet site of your state department of education or postsecondary education for local contact info

Colleges and universities can support the education of homeless children and youth by providing research and publications support, as well as volunteers and financial resources. For information about Civic Engagement Projects of the American Association of Colleges & Universities, see http://www.aacu.org/issues/civicengagement/index.cfm
131 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Organization Role/Function Local 

 Contact Info

Contacted? FollowUp

County GovernmentTo find local contact info:http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm

In many parts of the country, county government remains a powerful and influential force. Boards of county supervisors or commissioners direct county governments.

Domestic Violence Shelters and Coalitions

http://www.ncadv.org/resources/StateCoalitionList_73.html

Since survivors of domestic violence often experience homelessness, agencies and organizations that serve them are important collaborators.

Faith-Based Communities and CongregationsCheck the phone book or Internet site of your town for local contact info

In many places, the faith-based community provides the bulk of social services, including shelter, food, mental and physical health support, legal assistance, and other services.

Family and Youth Services Agencies and OrganizationsTo find local groups:http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/locate.htm

Youth shelters, independent living programs, drop-in centers, and street outreach programs work with unaccompanied youth and are important partners for schools. The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act requires funded programs to collaborate with schools.

Homeless CoalitionsTo find state or local coalitions:http://www.nationalhomeless.org/resources/state/index.html

State and local homeless coalitions generally work to prevent and end homelessness by advocating for the rights of the homeless population; coordinating available resources so as to maximize utilization and promote efficiency; and developing and supporting prevention initiatives. Members may include shelters, food banks, legal services, schools, community agencies, and other service providers.
132 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION Organization Role/Function Local Contact Info Contacted? Follow- Up Homeless Shelters Check the phone book or Internet site of your town for local contact info Shelters for families, youth, and survivors of do- mestic violence provide hands-on services to large numbers of children, youth, and families. HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) Pro- grams To find contact info for the local CoC: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/ homeless/programs/cont/coc/ The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) require communities to develop a “Continuum of Care” (CoC) system. The CoC is designed to coordinate a community-based process of identifying the needs of the local homeless population and building a system to address those needs. Members include all agencies and organizations providing services to homeless people in the community. Immigrant Services Organizations To find local groups: http://www.nnirr.org/immigration/im- migration_map.html Immigrants who lack stable employment or are employed as migrant workers may confront home- lessness.

Law EnforcementCheck the phone book or Internet site of your town for local contact info

Local law enforcement can provide important support in assisting people displaced by disasters and unaccompanied youth (who may be involved with law enforcement if they have run away from home or are living on the street), in addition to other services.

Legal Services OrganizationsTo find local groups:http://www.ptla.org/ptlasite/links/services.htm

Legal services organizations often provide services to families and youth who are homeless and can provide an important perspective and assistance to collaborative efforts.
133 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Organization Role/Function Local Contact 

Info

Contacted? FollowUp

Mental Health ProvidersTo find local providers:http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/databases/

Mental health providers are essential partners in meeting the mental health needs of homeless children, youth, and families. In the wake of disasters, when students and parents are suffering the mental health impacts of experiencing a traumatic event, such providers are particularly critical.

PTAhttp://www.pta.org/

One of the missions of the PTA is to encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools. The Virginia PTA has adopted a resolution in favor of the McKinney-Vento Act. See http://www.wm.edu/hope/vaptaresolution.pdf

Public Housing AgenciesTo find local contact info:http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers federal aid to local public housing agencies that manage housing for low-income residents. There are approximately 1.3 million households living in public housing units, managed by some 3,300 public housing agencies.

Refugee Services OrganizationsTo find local groups: http://www.refugees.org/article.aspx?id=1113http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/partners/coordina1.htmhttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/partners/volunteer.htm

Refugees who lack stable employment may confront homelessness. The Reception and Placement program (R&P), managed by the Department of State, provides essential services (housing, clothing, food, referrals to medical and social services) during the first 30 days in the United States. Resettlement agencies provide longer-term resettlement and integration programs, including transitional cash assistance, health benefits, and a wide variety of social services. These agencies are funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Social Welfare Service Agencies and OrganizationsCheck the phone book or Internet site of your town for local contact info

Food banks, employment agencies, subsidized day care providers, health and dental clinics, mental health clinics, and other providers of social welfare services have direct contact with many families and youth experiencing homelessness.
134 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION Organization Role/Function Local Contact Info Contacted? Follow- Up School Board www.nsba.org The National School Boards Association has featured the McKinney-Vento Act in its national publications and at its annual conference. For example, see Q&A at http://www.nsba.org/site/doc_cosa.asp?TrackID=&SID =1&DID=33536&CID=164&VID=50 and April 22, 2004 audio conference, available through http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/31500/31483.pdf. Local school boards have adopted resolutions recogniz- ing the harmful effects of homelessness on education and supporting affordable housing. For an example of such a resolution from the Anchorage School Board, see http://www.asdk12.org/School_Board/archives/ Arc2004-2005/Agendas/20041011/H01M057.pdf. Superintendent of Schools http://www.aasa.org/about/index. cfmhttp://www.ccsso.org/ State and local superintendents are the chief executive officers of their school systems.

United Way of Americahttp://national.unitedway.org/To find your local chapter:http://national.unitedway.org/myuw/index.cfm

The United Way works with schools, government agencies, businesses, organized labor, financial institutions, community development corporations, voluntary and neighborhood associations, the faith community, and others. The issues the United Way addresses are determined locally. National issues are: Early Childhood; 211 is the 3-digit phone number to give help and receive help; Assets for Family Success; Crisis Preparedness & Response; and Emergency Food & Shelter.
135 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Organization Role/Function Local Contact 

Info

Contacted? FollowUp

American Red CrossTo find your local chapter: http://www.redcross.org/where/where.html

Works closely with local/state/federal emergency management staff in planning and preparedness for disaster response. Provides relief services to communities affected by disasters, including food, water, short-term shelter, and a database to help survivors find their family. The American Red Cross Liaison to Voluntary Agencies (LVA) communicates with other local agencies.

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) Disaster Response Serviceshttp://www.crwrc.org/relief/na/index.html

CRWRC Disaster Response Services (DRS) is a network of volunteers who help clear debris, assess needs, and rebuild homes after disasters strike. They work in all phases of disasters, including early assessment, rapid response, needs assessment, organizational capacity building, reconstruction, and community development consultation.

Church of the Brethren Emergency Response/ Service Ministrieshttp://www.brethren.org/genbd/ersm/index.htm

Church of the Brethren Disaster Response provides volunteers to clean up debris and to repair or rebuild homes for disaster survivors. Each Church of the Brethren district has an appointed disaster coordinator. Disaster Child Care (DCC) trains, certifies, and mobilizes volunteers to disaster sites in the United States to provide crisis intervention to young children of families suffering from natural or man-made disasters. Professional counselors are also available to inform and educate parents, teachers, community workers, and the general public about the effects of disasters on children.

Church World Service (CWS) Emergency Response Programhttp://www.cwserp.org/

Assists/mentors local faith-based groups to organize a coordinated faith-based response to human needs that is integrated into the ongoing development of the community.

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)http://www.citizencorps.gov

D

The CERT program educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations.

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136 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION Organization Role/Function Local Con- tact Info Contacted? Follow- Up State-by-state contact info at https://www.citizencorps.gov/citi- zenCorps/certsByState.do Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) www.can.org To find CAN agencies in your area: http://www.can.org/agencies.htm CAN is a network of seven charities that participate in com- munity-led preparedness and response coalitions focusing on best practices to serve those in need. CAN partnered with FEMA to develop a web-based database to share infor- mation between agencies. County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Find state and local contact info at: http://www.fema.gov/about/ contact/statedr.shtm Many counties have EMAs for emergency planning and re- sponse in the county. The County EMA coordinates with the State EMA and FEMA, as well as with community organiza- tions and agencies. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)

http://www.fema.gov/

Coordinates resources in a federally declared disaster to assist the local and state authorities in responding to and recovering from the disaster.Programs include:• Individuals and Households Program (housing assistance 

to people whose homes are damaged or destroyed in a disaster; assistance for medical, dental, funeral, and transportation costs).

• Disaster Unemployment Assistance (weekly benefits to individuals who are unemployed and not eligible for regular 

unemployment insurance compensation).

• Free legal counseling to low-income individuals (through 

an agreement with the American Bar Association).

• Crisis Counseling Program (supplemental funds to state 

and local mental health agencies for short-term crisis counseling services).

• Voluntary Agency Liaison (coordinates disaster relief activities of established and ad hoc voluntary organizations).
137 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Organization Role/Function Local Contact 

Info

Contacted? FollowUp

Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR)http://www.ldr.org/To find local group:l

Following major domestic disasters, LDR provides spiritual and emotional care, hardship grants, assistance with long-term recovery, and volunteer coordination.

Mennonite Disaster Servicehttp://www.mds.mennonite.net/For a list of current projects: http://www.mds.mennonite.net/Projects

Mennonite Disaster Service is a channel through which various constituencies of the Anabaptist church respond to those affected by disasters in North America. The main focus is on clean up, repair, and rebuilding homes.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistancehttp://www.pcusa.org/pda/

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance focuses on the longterm recovery of communities impacted by disaster and manages specialized volunteer teams to provide consultation, program design, and training.

Safe and Drug-Free Schools District Council Committee Contact school district for local informationhttp://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/programs.html

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools’ mission is creating safe schools, responding to crises, preventing drug abuse and violence, ensuring the health and well being of students, and promoting development of good character and citizenship. Grants to school districts include discretionary grants for Safe Schools/Healthy Students, grants for Emergency Response and Crisis Management Plans, and the Drug-Violence Prevention formula grant. 
138 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION Organization Role/Function Local Contact Info Contacted? Follow- Up The Salvation Army http://www.salvationarmy.org The Salvation Army is an international Christian orga- nization that promotes education, relieves poverty, and pursues other charitable works. Disaster relief is provided through the Emergency Services Program. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief http://www.namb.net/dr To find state offices: http://www.namb.net/site/ c.9qKILUOzEpH/b.238540/ k.6E04/State_Contact_Num- bers.htm Southern Baptist Disaster Relief provides information for individuals, families, churches, associations, and state conventions to help prepare them to respond in the event of a disaster. It also provides meals, water, childcare, showers, laundry, and volunteer clean-up and rebuilding crews in areas affected by disasters. State Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Find state contact info at: http://www.emergencymanagement.org/states/ Develops state and county Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) for emergency response. Identifies and coordi- nates resources to assist in response and recovery.

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/emergencies/domestic/

UMCOR provides training on disaster preparation and response, mentors to provide on-site technical assistance, case management to help survivors navigate and achieve long-term recovery, relief supplies, and finances.

Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)http://www.nvoad.org

Provides the venue for agencies to coordinate, collaborate, communicate, and cooperate on disaster planning, training, and response. This occurs at national (NVOAD), state (VOAD) and community (COAD) levels.
139 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 3

Glossary of Key Terms and Acronyms in Disaster Planning, 

Response, and Recovery

The following is reprinted from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: Long-Term Recovery Manual.1

AFFECTED STRUCTURE: A structure that received damage but is usable for its intended 

purpose

APPLICANT (relating to a major disaster or emergency): 

• For Public Assistance – any local or state government or eligible private nonprofit 

organization submitting a project application or request for direct federal assistance 

under the Disaster Relief Act of 1974. The governor’s authorized representative 

takes such action on behalf of the applicant.

• For Individual Assistance – an individual or family who submits an application or 

request for assistance under the Disaster Relief Act.

BASEMENT: Any area of a building that has its floor sub-grade (below ground) on all sides

BLIZZARD: Extensive snowfall of considerable density for more than 3 hours, winds of 

32 to 44 miles per hour, and visibility of less than 1 mile. 

CASEWORK OR CASE MANAGEMENT: The process of determining needs experienced by 

a disaster victim, identifying available resources (both personal and from assistance 

programs) to address the needs, discerning the unmet needs, and securing resources for those needs. The casework may be handled by a single agency that works in 

concert with other agencies through a committee process.

CIVIL RESOURCES: Resources that normally are not controlled by a government, for 

example: 

Human power

Food and water

Health resources

Industrial production

Housing and construction

Telecommunications

Energy

Transportation

1 National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. (2004, April). Long-term recovery manual. Retrieved 

August 28, 2006, from: http://www.nvoad.org/articles/LTRManualFinalApr232004a.pdf
140 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Minerals

Materials

Supplies

Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD): A community-level version 

of the state VOAD. See “Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.” 

Community: A political entity that has the authority to adopt and enforce building codes 

and ordinances for the area under its jurisdiction. In most cases, the community is an 

incorporated city, township, or village or an unincorporated area of a county. 

Contents Coverage: Insurance to cover loss to personal property or business 

property. Contents must be located within an eligible building. Contents within an 

eligible building that is not fully enclosed must be secured to prevent flotation out 

of the building during flooding.

Contiguous: Connected in an unbroken sequence along a boundary. For National 

Flood Insurance Program, a row of townhouses would qualify. For agricultural declaration, adjoining counties would qualify.

Cooperative Disaster Child Care Program: A volunteer program administered by 

the Church of the Brethren (COB) designated to meet the needs of children of victims of the impacted area in the American Red Cross service center and the FEMA 

Disaster Recovery Center.

Coverage (Insurance): The insurance purchased against specific losses provided 

under the terms of a policy of insurance. “Coverage” is frequently used interchangeably with the words “protection” and “insurance.”

Crisis Counseling: The application of individual and group treatment procedures 

that are designed to improve the mental and emotional crisis and their subsequent 

short or long-term psychological and behavioral conditions resulting from a major 

disaster or its aftermath.

Damage Assessment: The appraisal or determination of the effects on human, economic and natural resources resulting from human-caused or natural disasters.

Deductible: For any loss covered by insurance, a deductible may be set by the insurer 

and is the fixed dollar amount or percentage, which is borne by the insured prior to 

the insurer’s liability.

Destroyed: A facility or structure that, pursuant to Public Law 93-288 as amended, 

received severe damage and is no longer technically or economically usable.
141 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Disaster Mental Health: Mental health services that take into consideration the 

unique aspects of trauma by natural or human-caused disaster. Outreach is often 

necessary to deliver services to those who are in need. Communities affected by 

presidentially-declared disasters may receive immediate, short-term crisis counseling, as well as ongoing support for emotional recovery. 

Disaster Welfare Information: A service operated by the American Red Cross in 

which, when given appropriate information, the Red Cross will make inquiries about 

a family situation and welfare.

Donations: Voluntary offerings by the public, business, or organizations for the 

benefit of the disaster-affected area. Donations may be classified as “financial donations” or “in-kind donations.” “In-kind donations” are considered to include materials, professional services and volunteers. 

Donations Management: Management of donations is generally thought to involve 

logistics for receipt, storage and distribution or use of materials, services and volunteers. In addition, management of donations should include identification of needs 

(current and future), intentional solicitation of needed donations (including cash) 

and discernment regarding usefulness of unsolicited offers of materials, services, 

and volunteers.

Duplication of Benefits (DOB): Duplication of Benefits occurs when assistance is 

granted to a disaster victim for which other designated resources are available. Example 1: payment of home repair costs when personal insurance would have taken care 

of the cost. Example 2: payment of costs that a federal or state assistance program 

would have addressed. When public money is involved, DOB may be a legal issue. 

When voluntary agency money is involved, DOB will take already limited resources.

Eligible Community (or Participating Community): A community for which the 

Federal Insurance Administrator has authorized the sale of flood insurance under 

the National Flood Insurance Program. 

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): The protected site from which civil governmental officials (municipal, county, state or federal) exercise direction and control 

in an emergency. Voluntary agencies such as the American Red Cross and Voluntary 

Organizations Active in Disaster may also have liaisons present in the EOC.

Family Recovery Plan: A part of the case management process that identifies the 

family or individual needs, prioritizes needs and then “maps” the resources to address the needs, how the resources will be acquired and who will take the necessary 

steps to secure the resources. This may be a formal or informal process.
142 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO): In a federally declared disaster, the person appointed by the director of FEMA to coordinate federal assistance in an emergency or 

major disaster.

Federal Disaster Assistance: Aid to disaster victims or local or state governments 

by federal agencies under provisions of the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 as amended.

Flash Flood: A flood condition in which rainfall is of sufficient intensity and severity 

that water levels rise (and may fall) rapidly. Often occurs with little advance warning

Flood: A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the following:

 Overflow of inland or tidal waters

 Unusual or rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters

 Mudslides and mudflows caused by accumulation of heavy rain on unstable 

slopes 

Habitable Residence: A living unit that has sustained minor or no damage and is 

safe, sanitary, secure and habitable.

Hazard Mitigation: Any cost-effective measure that will reduce the potential for damage to a facility from a disaster event. Also called Reduction of Vulnerability. 

See Mitigation. 

Incident Command/Coordination System (ICS): A formal understanding of coordinating response to an event by delineating tasks/functions and the person(s) who 

have the authority/responsibility to carry out those tasks.

Individuals and Households Program (IHP): Under Presidentially declared disasters, the program that enables families and individuals to receive assistance for 

eligible disaster-related expenses such as essential home repairs.

Interfaith Response: Local congregations and worshipping communities working 

together for long-term recovery.

Long-Term Recovery: The extended period of time following a disaster in which affected persons and communities work to rebuild and regain a sense of normality.

Long-Term Recovery Committee: A committee of agency representatives who cooperate in addressing the needs of the community and individuals following a disaster. 

Usually involves a variety of community, government and faith-based organizations.
143 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Long-Term Recovery Organization: An organization, operating under the auspices 

of another agency or independently, that works to address the needs of the community and individuals following a disaster. May be entirely faith-based or may be a 

collaboration of faith-based and secular agencies.

Major Damage: A structure that has received substantial damage and will require considerable time to repair, but is technically and economically feasible to repair.

Minimal Repairs: The necessary repairs authorized to quickly repair or restore to a 

habitable condition that portion of the essential living area of an owner-occupied 

primary residence that was damaged as a result of the disaster. 

Minor Damage: A structure that has received such damage that it is no longer usable 

for its basic purpose, but can be easily repaired and made usable in a short time. 

Mission: The task, together with its purpose, thereby clearly indicating the action to be 

taken and the reasoning for the action.

Mission Assignment: A work order or request for performance of work; directs completion by that agency of specified tasks and cites funding, other managerial controls, or guidance.

Mitigation: Those activities designed to alleviate the effects of a major disaster or 

emergency or long-term activities to minimize the potentially adverse affects of 

future disaster in affected areas. Also called Reduction of Vulnerability. See Hazard 

Mitigation. 

National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS): An integrated 

database system providing local processing support for FEMA assistance programs 

and support activities.

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD): A partnership in 

disaster response and planning, NVOAD has 34 national member organizations, 52 

state and territorial VOADs and a growing number of local VOADs and COADs. See 

the Appendix for current listing of member agencies. See also Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster 

One-Hundred Year (100-year) Floodplain: The land area adjoining a river, stream, 

lake, or ocean that, based on past observations, statistically has a chance of being 

inundated only once in 100 years. Also referred to as a flood having a 1% chance of 

occurring in any given year. The 100-year flood is the regulatory base flood under the 

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
144 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Participating Community (or Eligible Community): A community for which the 

Federal Insurance Administrator has authorized the sale of flood insurance under 

the National Flood Insurance Program. 

Preliminary Damage Assessment: A damage assessment by a team of governmental 

(federal, state, local) inspectors viewing the disaster impact for purposes of projecting impact relative to various declaration requirements.

Private Nonprofit Organization: Any non-governmental agency or entity that currently has either –

An effective ruling letter form the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, granting tax exemption under Section 501(c), (d), or (e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or

Satisfactory evidence from the state that the non-revenue producing organization or 

entity is a nonprofit organized or doing business under state law.

Public Assistance (PA) (FEMA program): Assistance program for local and state governments and certain private nonprofit organizations after a Presidential disaster 

declaration. Usually for replacement of infrastructure.

Reduction of Vulnerability: See Hazard Mitigation or Mitigation

Small Business Administration (SBA): Provides loans for disaster related damage at 

lower than market rate for:

Home rebuilding or replacement

Business rebuilding

Personal property loss

Economic injury disaster loss

Structure: For floodplain management purposes, a structure is a walled and roofed 

building, including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground. For 

insurance coverage purposes, a structure is a walled and roofed building other than 

a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground and is affixed to a permanent site, including a manufactured home on a permanent foundation. Includes 

buildings under construction, alteration, or repair, but does not include building 

materials or supplies intended for use in such unless such materials or supplies are 

within an enclosed building on the premises.

Substantial Damage: Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the 

cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

Temporary Housing: Housing accommodation provided on a temporary basis by the 
145 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

federal government to eligible individuals or families made homeless by a major 

disaster or emergency.

Uninhabitable Residence: A living unit that has sustained sufficient damages and 

thus is judged unsafe, unsanitary and insecure.

Volunteer: A person who, of his or her own free will assumes responsibility for the 

performance of a task for which he or she will receive no compensation.

Volunteer (Voluntary) Organization: Any chartered or otherwise duly recognized 

local, state or national organization that provides needed services to communities 

or individuals in coping with a disaster.

Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD): A network that provides the 

venue for voluntary organizations with disaster response and recovery operations to 

collaborate, coordinate, cooperate and communicate. State VOADs work in non-disaster times to promote training and preparedness; they work in times of disaster 

to facilitate coordination of response and recovery efforts. VOADs are present at 

national, state and sub-state levels. 

At the state level, the VOAD may include local member agencies that do not have 

a national program. The state VOAD often serves as advocate and liaison between 

member agencies and the state government agencies. Recognized state VOADs 

have a charter and agreement with the National VOAD. See National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. 
146 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

COMMONLY USED ACRONYMS

AB American Baptist

AAA Area Agency on Aging

ABM American Baptist Men

ACS Adventist Community Services

ARC American Red Cross

ARRL American Radio Relay League

CAP Community Action Program

or Civil Air Patrol

CBO Community Based Organization

CDBG Community Development Block Grant

CDCC Cooperative Disaster Child Care

CDR Christian Disaster Response

CERT Community Emergency Response Team

CMHC Community Mental Health Center

COAD Community Organizations Active in Disaster

COB Church of the Brethren

CRWRC Christian Reformed World Relief Committee

CSS Catholic Social Services

CWS Church World Service

DED Department of Economic Development

DFO Disaster Field Office

DH Disaster Housing

DHS Department of Human Services

DMH Disaster Mental Health

or Department of Mental Health

DNN Disaster News Network

DOB Duplication of Benefits

or Date of Birth

DRC Disaster Recovery Center

DUA Disaster Unemployment Assistance

EA Emergency Assistance

EFS Emergency Food and Shelter

EMA Emergency Management Agency

EMR Emergency Minor Repair

EOC Emergency Operations Center

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

ESF Emergency Support Functions
147 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

FB Farm Bureau

FCIC Federal Crop Insurance Corporation

FCO Federal Coordinating Officer

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FHA Federal Housing Administration

FIA Federal Insurance Administration

FmHA Farmers Home Administration

FSA Farm Services Agency

FRP Federal Response Plan

HMGP Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development

HSUS Humane Society of the United States

ICISF International Critical Incident Stress Foundation

ICS Incident Command System

or Incident Coordination System 

IHP Individuals and Household Program (FEMA)

IRFF International Relief Friendship Foundation 

LDR Lutheran Disaster Response 

LSS Lutheran Social Services

LTR Long-Term Recovery

LTRC Long-Term Recovery Committee

LTRO Long-Term Recovery Organization

MDS Mennonite Disaster Services

MH Mobile Home

NFIP National Flood Insurance Program

NFO National Farmers Organization

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NOVA National Organization for Victims Assistance

NVOAD National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

NWS National Weather Service

PA Public Assistance

PDA Preliminary Damage Assessment

or Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

PIO Public Information Officer

SA Salvation Army

SB Southern Baptist

SBA Small Business Administration
148 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

SEMA State Emergency Management Agency

SCO State Coordinating Officer

TH Temporary Housing

UCC United Church of Christ

UMCOR United Methodist Committee On Relief

USDA United States Department of Agriculture

VA Veteran’s Administration

VAL Voluntary Agency Liaison

VISTA Volunteers in Service to America

VITA Volunteers in Technical Assistance

VOAD Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
149 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 4

Sample Letter to a Collaborative Taskforce Invitee

Dear Greg,

We are writing to ask you to join us and other community groups to start a taskforce 

on disaster preparedness. You and your agency provide important services and expertise to this community, and your involvement in the taskforce would be invaluable.

Our organizations work to support families, youth, and adults who have lost their 

housing. The school district’s Homeless Education Program provides mental and 

physical health support, meals, and after-school mentoring and tutoring to homeless 

students. The Salvation Army shelters 42 adults every night, in addition to providing 

meals and case management services. And the Jewish Community Center runs an employment and legal aid program that serves hundreds of youth and adults every month. 

Other programs invited to build this taskforce provide many other services, such as 

daycare, clothing, and transitional housing.

Yet, our programs cannot be prepared adequately to respond to a disaster or meet the 

needs of homeless individuals in our community unless we work together. We hope 

that a community taskforce can help our agencies and our clients meet their goals by 

leveraging our resources and influence and providing more seamless, holistic services 

for our clients. We can have a bigger impact together than alone.

We envision that, as a group, the taskforce will prioritize the needs of our community 

and establish goals for our collaboration together. We hope you will be able to attend 

an introductory meeting on Wednesday, October 14, at 7:00 p.m. to start the conversation. The mayor’s office has offered us the use of their meeting room, and we will 

provide refreshments.

We are looking forward to seeing you on the 14th and beginning our work together!

Sincerely,

Superintendent

Rabbi

Salvation Army Director
150 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 5 

- 1 - 

BEST PRACTICES IN HOMELESS EDUCATION 

Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services 

Under the McKinney-Vento Act 

Who is homeless? 

(McKinney-Vento Homeless 

Assistance Act of 2001 – Title X, 

Part C of the No Child Left 

Behind Act – Sec 725) 

The term “homeless children 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; 

ii. 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... 

iii. 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 in circumstances described 

in clauses (i) through (iii).

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act defines “homeless 

children and youths” as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and 

adequate nighttime residence.” However, because the circumstances of 

homelessness vary with each family’s or unaccompanied youth’s 

situation, determining the extent to which the family or youth fits the 

definition must occur on a case-by-case basis. Enrollment staff and/or 

the local homeless education liaison must gather and analyze 

information from the family or youth and make an appropriate 

determination of eligibility. Expeditious determination of eligibility and 

immediate school enrollment are critical to the child’s educational 

continuity. 

This tool is designed to assist school and school district staff in applying 

the definition to individual children and youth to determine eligibility 

for rights and services under the McKinney-Vento Act. 

Step 1: Get the facts. What is the family’s or youth’s situation? 

x Use a standard enrollment form that asks about the family’s or 

youth’s living situation to gather initial information. (See U. S. 

Department Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program 

Guidance, Appendix D, “Sample Student Residency Questionnaire” 

at http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/guidance_jul2004.pdf).

x If the form indicates that the student may be homeless, ask 

questions to get a better sense of the family’s or youth’s 

circumstances. 

x Avoid using the word “homeless” as the stigma associated with the 

word may lead parents or youth to insist they are not homeless, 

even though their living situation would fit the McKinney-Vento 

definition. Tell them the purpose of the questions is to determine if 

they are eligible for extra services like transportation, clothing, 

school supplies, and/or tutoring. 

x Do not contact persons or agencies outside the school system to 

obtain information about the student’s living situation; this would 

likely violate the family’s or youth’s privacy and dignity as well as 

the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). For 

example, do not contact landlords, public housing agencies, or law 

enforcement to verify living situations. For sample questions to 

assist with gathering information directly from parents, guardians, 

or youth regarding their living situation, see page 5. 

x Respect the family’s or youth’s privacy by talking to them in a 

private space where other students and faculty members cannot 

overhear the conversation. 

x Share information on the rights and services available under the 

McKinney-Vento Act for eligible children and youth, and ask the 

parent/guardian or youth to provide the information you need to 

make the determination of eligibility. Understand that families or

(continued on the next page) 
151 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 2 - 

youth may be hesitant to answer questions for various reasons that include a desire for privacy, 

concerns related to domestic violence, or fear of losing their children or housing; however, in most cases 

you will have enough information to make a determination. 

Sample questions at the end of this document will assist you in obtaining information to make a 

determination of eligibility. 

Step 2: Analyze the facts. Is the student eligible for McKinney-Vento services? 

To be eligible for services, the student must meet the Act’s definition of homeless. The McKinney-Vento Act 

defines “homeless children and youths” as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime 

residence.” Lacking any one of these three conditions would make a child eligible. In other words, if the 

residence is not fixed, regular, and adequate, it is considered a homeless situation. 

The law then lists several situations as specific examples of homelessness. Migrant children who are living 

in one of the described situations are included as well. The list of examples included in the definition is not 

exclusive; rather, it is meant to address some of the more common situations of homelessness. 

Again, determining whether a particular child or youth fits the definition of homeless is a case-by-case 

analysis. The easiest way to make a determination of homelessness is to: (A) see if the student’s situation 

fits into one of the specific examples of homelessness listed in the law; and if not, (B) consider if the student 

is in another situation that would fit the definition of homelessness by not meeting the fixed, regular, and 

adequate standard. 

IF THE RESIDENCE IS NOT FIXED, REGULAR, AND ADEQUATE,

IT IS CONSIDERED A HOMELESS SITUATION.

A. Does the child or youth’s living situation fit into one of the specific examples of homelessness 

listed in the law? 

x Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. 

“Sharing the housing of other persons...” implies that the student is staying in another person’s home. 

Some pertinent questions to help determine if this is the case would include: 

x Does the student have any legal right to be in that home? 

x Can the student be asked to leave at any time with no legal recourse? 

x Is the living situation intended to be temporary or long-term? 

x Did the student move into the home as an urgent measure to avoid being on the street or in another 

precarious situation?

“...due to loss of housing...” implies that the student has no personal housing available. Did the student 

or family lose their previous housing due to: 

x An eviction or an inability to pay the rent or other bills? 

x Destruction of or damage to the previous home? 

x Abuse or neglect (such as in the case of a youth who leaves or is asked to leave the home)? 

x Unhealthy conditions such as an inadequate physical environment, infestations, drug or alcohol 

abuse in the home, or domestic violence? 

x The absence of a parent or guardian due to abandonment, the parent’s or guardian’s incarceration, 

or another reason? 
152 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 3 - 

“...economic hardship ...” includes cases where limited financial resources have forced families or youth 

to leave personal residences and share housing due to an inability to pay rent and other bills. The way 

that the shared housing came about and the intention of the residents are significant. For example: 

x If economic hardship such as an accident or illness, loss of employment, loss of public benefits, or 

condition of poverty forces families to share housing temporarily, the children and youth are eligible 

for McKinney-Vento services. 

x A long-term, cooperative living arrangement among families or friends that is fixed, regular, and 

adequate should not be considered a homeless situation, even if the parties are living together to 

save money. 

x Living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping ground due to the lack of alternative adequate 

accommodations.

The phrase“...due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations” can help determine whether 

these living situations should be considered homeless situations. 

x Motels, hotels, and camping grounds will almost always be homeless situations, as they are rarely 

fixed, regular, and adequate; however, considering whether alternative adequate accommodations 

are available can help identify possible exceptions, such as a wealthy family living in a luxury hotel 

on a long-term basis when adequate alternatives are available to the family. 

x In contrast, trailer parks often are fixed, regular, and adequate residences. Asking questions about 

the condition and size of the trailer, the number of people living there, the intended length of stay, 

and whether the family or youth has an adequate alternative will help determine if the student is 

eligible for McKinney-Vento services. (See the discussion of substandard housing below for more 

information.) 

x Living in an emergency or transitional shelter. 

Emergency or transitional shelters of all kinds, including youth shelters, domestic violence shelters, 

family shelters, transitional living programs, and supportive housing programs are homeless situations.

x Abandoned in a hospital. 

A child or youth abandoned in the hospital is eligible for McKinney-Vento services. 

x Awaiting foster care placement. 

It is essential that state and local educational agencies collaborate with child welfare agencies, child 

welfare attorneys, and other community members to establish guidelines for determining if a student in 

the custody of child welfare is eligible for McKinney-Vento services. Such guidelines should consider the 

extent to which the student lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (see Step 2B 

below). For example, foster homes, shelters, evaluation centers, and group homes that are intended to 

be emergency, interim, or short-term are unlikely to be fixed, regular, and adequate. 

Several states have refined the definition of “awaiting foster care placement” on a state level. For 

example, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Tennessee 

Department of Education, has released a policy defining those students in state custody who are eligible 

for McKinney-Vento services to include students who are placed in emergency foster homes, emergency 

shelters, primary treatment centers, or other temporary, emergency placements. The policy is available 

at http://www.serve.org/nche/forum/foster.php.

Local liaisons should check with their State Education Agency to see if policies exist that clarify which 

stages of their state’s child welfare process are included in the McKinney-Vento definition of “homeless”. 
153 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 4 - 

x Living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping 

accommodation for human beings. 

Examples of some places that meet these criteria include a health clinic, an office, a public restroom, 

or an unfinished basement or attic. 

x Living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or 

similar setting. 

These specific examples are largely self-explanatory. In evaluating 

whether housing is “substandard,” consider that substandard means 

“deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm” or “of a quality 

lower than that prescribed by law.”1 Thus, determining if housing is 

substandard requires comparing the housing with community norms 

and the law, including a consideration of such factors as: 

x Health and safety concerns 

x Number of occupants per square foot 

x Age of occupants 

x State and local building codes 

Local educational agencies may wish to collaborate with attorneys and other community members to 

establish guidelines incorporating state and local legal requirements and community standards. 

B. If the child’s, family’s, or youth’s situation does not fit the examples provided in the 

definition, is the child or youth living in another type of situation that is not fixed, regular, and 

adequate? 

If the student does not fit any of the specific situations in Step 2A, he or she may still be eligible for 

McKinney-Vento services if the living situation is not fixed, regular, and adequate. Consider and apply the 

following definitions to the information gathered from the family or youth. 

x Fixed

x “Securely placed or fastened.” “Not subject to change or fluctuation.”2.

x “A fixed residence is one that is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change.”3.

x “Inhabitant: One who, although he may not be a citizen, dwells or resides in a place permanently 

or has a fixed residence therein, as distinguished from an occasional lodger or visitor.”4.

x “Domicile: The place where a person has his true fixed permanent home and principal 

establishment, and to which place he has, whenever he is absent, the intention of returning, and 

from which he has no present intention of moving.”5.

x Regular

x “Normal, standard.” “Constituted, conducted, or done in conformity with established or 

prescribed usages, rules, or discipline.” “Recurring, attending, or functioning at fixed or uniform 

intervals.”6.

x “Consistent.”7.

(continued on the next page) 

1 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. 2 Ibid.

3 Arizona, Massachusetts, and Michigan McKinney-Vento State Plans, 2002. 4 Ballentine's Law Dictionary, 3rd Edition. 5 Ibid.

6 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. 7 Ballentine's Law Dictionary, 3rd Edition. 
154 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 5 - 

x “A regular residence is one which is used on a regular (i.e., nightly) basis.”8.

x “Habitual: By habit; constant; customary, accustomed, usual; common; ordinary; regular; 

familiar.”9.

x Adequate

x “Sufficient for a specific requirement.” “Lawfully and reasonably sufficient.”10.

x “Fully sufficient; equal to what is required; lawfully and reasonably sufficient.”11.

x “An adequate residence is one that is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological 

needs typically met in home environments.”12.

(Adapted from “Determining Homelessness by the Definition,” National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, http://

www.nlchp.org.) 

Step 3: Get additional input.

If you are still not sure if a student is eligible for McKinney-Vento services, consider the following 

resources:

x Contact your local homeless education liaison (if you are a school staff person). 

x Contact your State Coordinator for Homeless Education. 

x Post a question to the NCHE Homeless Education Listserv to solicit input from other homeless 

education practitioners. (Contact Beth Hartness at bhartnes@serve.org to learn how to join the listserv.) 

x Call the NCHE Helpline at 800-308-2145. 

x Contact other national homeless education partners (see below for contact information). 

Sample Questions to Ask the Students or Parents for Information Gathering 

The following questions are designed to elicit information that is relevant for the McKinney-Vento 

definition of homeless; that is, to determine the extent to which the children and their families or the youth 

are living in a fixed, regular, and adequate living situation. 

Fixed (“A fixed residence is one that is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change.”13)

x Is this a permanent arrangement or just temporary? 

x Are you looking for another place to live? 

x Do you plan to move out soon? 

x Why are you staying in your current place? 

x Where were you living right before this place? Why did you 

leave?

x Where would you go if you couldn’t stay where you are? 

x Are you staying with friends/relatives just for a little while? 

x Did you and your friends/relatives decide to move in together 

and share a home and expenses for the long term? Or is this a 

temporary situation for you? 

x Could your friends/relatives ask you to leave if they wanted to? 

x Are you all sharing the home equally, or are you more like 

guests in the home? 

8 Arizona, Massachusetts, and Michigan McKinney-Vento State Plans, 2002. 9

 Ballentine's Law Dictionary, 3rd Edition. 10 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. 11 Ballentine's Law Dictionary, 3rd Edition. 12 Arizona, Massachusetts, and Michigan McKinney-Vento State Plans, 2002. 13 Ibid.
155 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 6 - 

Regular (“A regular residence is one that is used on a regular [i.e., nightly] basis.”14)

x Do you stay in the same place every night? 

x Do you have a key to the place where you are living? 

x Do you move around a lot? 

x How long have you been at that place? How long do you plan to stay? 

x How long did you live in your last place? 

Adequate (“An adequate residence is one that is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological 

needs typically met in home environments.15)

x How many people are living in the home? How many bedrooms/bathrooms does it have? 

x Are you and your children sharing a room? How many people are staying in one room? 

x Are you and your children sleeping in a bedroom, or a public area, like a dining room? 

x Does the home have heat/electricity/running water? 

x What condition is the home in? Does it keep out rain and wind? Is it safe? Is it warm and dry? Do the 

windows have glass panes? 

x Can you come and go as you please? 

If the child or youth is eligible, provide appropriate services. 

Determining eligibility is only the first step. Children and youth who are 

eligible for services may have different needs. They may have physical needs for 

clothing, uniforms, school supplies, free meals, and health care. They may have 

mental health needs. They may have academic needs. They may need 

transportation. Or they may need nothing more than the ability to enroll in 

school immediately without documents. 

In determining the appropriate services for a particular child, youth, or family, 

consider what barriers to education can be removed by applying the McKinneyVento Act and what is in the best interest of each child or youth. Also consider 

all the programs in the school district that can support children experiencing 

homelessness, especially Title I, 21st Century Learning Center programs, Even 

Start, Head Start, special education and related services, Section 504 services, 

drop-out prevention programs, and Safe Schools/Healthy Schools grants. 

14 Ibid.

15 Ibid.

National Partners in Homeless Education

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) 

http://www.naehcy.org

National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) 

http://www.serve.org/nche

National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) 

http://www.nlchp.org
156 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 7 - 

This brief was developed by: 

National Center for Homeless Education 

800-308-2145 (toll-free HelpLine) 

http://www.serve.org/nche 

Fall 2006 

NCHE is supported by the U.S. Department of Education 

Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs. 

Every state is required to have a coordinator for the education of homeless children 

and youth, and every school district is required to have a liaison for homeless 

students. These individuals will assist you with the implementation of the 

McKinney-Vento Act. To find out who your 

state coordinator is, visit the NCHE website 

at http://www.serve.org/nche.

For further information on the McKinneyVento Act and resources for implementation, 

call the NCHE HelpLine at 800-308-2145 or 

e-mail homeless@serve.org.

Local Contact Information: 
157 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION



Appendix D: Sample Student Residency Questionnaire* 

Everyday Unified School District

              

               

             

           

       Check one box: 

Section A Section B 

            

           

       

         

CONTINUE: If you checked a box in Section A,

complete #2 and the remainder of this form.

STOP: If you checked this section, you 

do not need to complete the remainder of 

this form. Submit to school personnel. 

     

   

   

      

       

     

            

 

 

      

 

          

      

    

   

Signature of Parent/Legal Guardian  

 

           

 FAX to Attendance, Guidance and Counseling 777-777 

                 

               

           

           

                

    

APPENDIX 6

Sample Enrollment Forms

1 United States Department of Education. (2004, July). Education For Homeless Children And Youth Program, 

Title VII-B of The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 

2001, Non-Regulatory Guidance. Retrieved August 25, 2006 from the National Center for Homeless Education website: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/guidance_jul2004.pdf (page 37)

1
158 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION COMMON FORM

 Accountability Division 

 100 North First Street 

 Springfield, Illinois 62777-0001 

EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH PROGRAM 

MCKINNEY-VENTO HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT 

PLEASE PRINT 

DISTRICT/SCHOOL___________________________________________________________DATE________________ 

STUDENTS NAME_____________________________________________________________________M___F___ 

(Last Name) (First Name) (Middle Initial) 

STUDENTS DATE OF BIRTH___________________________________________________GRADE LEVEL_________ 

(Month) (Day) (Year) 

PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME______________________________________________UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH_____ 

(Last Name) (First Name) (M.I.) 

ADDRESS__________________________________________________ TELEPHONE NUMBER (_____)___________ 

RACE/ETHNICITY___White___Black___Hispanic___Asian/Pacific Islander__Amer. Ind/Alaskan Nat.__MultiRacial/Ethnic 

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Complete only if it shows (1) your child’s current living situation; or (2) your living situation if you are a youth not 

living with a parent or guardian. Check the appropriate box: 

 in a shelter with relatives or others due to lack of housing at a train or bus station, park, or in a car 

 in a motel/hotel, camping ground, or other similar situation due to the lack of alternative, adequate housing 

 in abandoned apartment/building temporarily housed in shelter awaiting DCFS permanent foster care placement 

 other_______________________________________ Disaster victim? explain_______________________ 

Is there a current Order of Protection or No Contact order which concerns this student: Yes No 

Last school attended:_____________________________________________________________________________ 

Eligible for any of these educational and school related activities and services?

 Special Education (IDEA) English Language Learners (ELL) Gifted and Talented Vocational Education 

 Other_______________________________________________________________________________________ 

Possible Barriers to Education

 School Selection Transportation School Records Immunizations or other medical records 

 Other issues/barriers___________________________________________________________________________ 

Proposed Services and Activities to be Provided by McKinney-Vento

 Tutoring or other instructional support Expedited evaluations Staff professional development/awareness 

 Referrals for medical, dental, and other health services Transportation Early childhood programs 

 Assistance with participation in school programs Before/after-school, mentoring, summer programs 

 Obtaining or transferring records necessary for enrollment Parent education related to rights/resources 

 Coordination between schools and agencies Counseling Addressing needs related to domestic violence 

 Clothing to meet a school requirement School supplies Referral to other programs and services 

 Emergency assistance related to school attendance Other __________________________________________ 

COMMENTS______________________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

To the best of my knowledge, the information in this document is accurate: 

Print Name & Title of Person completing form_____________________________________________________________ 

ROE/LEA/Agency________________________________________Date_______________________________________ 

Signature________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Page 2 of this form contains important information regarding the rights of homeless students. Please review!

2 Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Common Form 

(Spanish and English). Retrieved December 20, 2006 from: http://homelessed.net/schools/default.htm

2
159 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

 Referrals for medical, dental, and other health services Transportation Early childhood programs 

 Assistance with participation in school programs Before/after-school, mentoring, summer programs 

 Obtaining or transferring records necessary for enrollment Parent education related to rights/resources 

 Coordination between schools and agencies Counseling Addressing needs related to domestic violence 

 Clothing to meet a school requirement School supplies Referral to other programs and services 

 Emergency assistance related to school attendance Other __________________________________________ 

COMMENTS______________________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

To the best of my knowledge, the information in this document is accurate: 

Print Name & Title of Person completing form_____________________________________________________________ 

ROE/LEA/Agency________________________________________Date_______________________________________ 

Signature________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Page 2 of this form contains RIGHTS OF HOMELESS STUDENTS important information regarding the rights of homeless students. Please review!

The school district shall provide an educational environment that treats all students with dignity and respect. Every 

homeless student shall have equal access to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as students 

who are not homeless. This commitment to the educational rights of homeless children, youth, and youth not living 

with a parent or guardian, applies to all services, programs, and activities provided or made available. 

A student is considered “homeless” if he or she is presently living: 

• in a shelter * sharing housing with relatives or others due to lack of housing 

• in a motel/hotel, camping ground, or similar situation due to lack of alternative, adequate housing 

• at a train or bus station, park, or in a car * in an abandoned building 

• temporarily housed while awaiting DCFS foster care placement 

All Homeless Students Have Rights To: 

• Immediate school enrollment. A school must immediately enroll students even if they lack health, immunization 

or school records, proof of guardianship, or proof of residency. 

• Enroll in: 

*the school he/she attended when permanently housed (school of origin) 

*the school in which he/she was last enrolled (school of origin) 

*any school that non-homeless students living in the same attendance area in which the homeless child 

or youth is actually living are eligible to attend. 

• Remain enrolled in his/her selected school for as long as he/she remains homeless or, if the student becomes 

permanently housed, until the end of the academic year. 

• Priority in certain preschool programs. 

• Participate in a tutorial-instructional support program, school-related activities, and/or receive other support 

services. 

• Obtain information regarding how to get fee waivers, free uniforms, and low-cost or free medical referrals. 

• Transportation services: A homeless student attending his/her school of origin has a right to transportation to go 

to and from the school of origin as long as (s)he is homeless or, if the student becomes permanently housed, until 

the end of the academic year. 

Dispute Resolution: If you disagree with school officials about enrollment, transportation or fair treatment of a homeless child 

or youth, you may file a complaint with the school district. The school district must respond and attempt to resolve it quickly.

The school district must refer you to free and low cost legal services to help you, if you wish. During the dispute, the student

must be immediately enrolled in the school and provided transportation until the matter in resolved. Every Illinois Public 

School has a Homeless Education Program Liaison who will assist you in making enrollment and placement decisions, 

providing notice of any appeal process, and filling out dispute forms. 

 If you have questions about enrollment in school, or want more information about the rights of homeless students in Illinois 

Public Schools, call the appropriate Regional Homeless Education Liaison from the listing below or call the Illinois State Board

of Education at (1-800) 215-6379. 

Area 1 630/444-2974 Cook (outside of the City of Chicago), DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and 

Will counties; 

Area 2 815/652-2054 Boone, Bureau, Carroll, De Kalb, Henry, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Putnam, 

Rock Island, Stark, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago and Woodford counties; 

Area 3 309/837-4821 Adams, Brown, Cass, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, Logan, Mason, McDonough, 

Menard, Mercer, Morgan, Peoria, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Tazewell and Warren 

 counties; 

Area 4 815/937-2950 Champaign, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, 

Livingston, Macon, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby and Vermilion counties; 

Area 5 618/283-1673 Bond, Calhoun, Christian, Clinton, Effingham, Fayette, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, 

Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties; 

Area 6 618/998-9226 Alexander, Clay, Crawford, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, 

Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Union, 

 Wabash, Wayne, White and Williamson counties; 

Area 7 773/553-2242 City of Chicago 
160 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

 __________________________________________ PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR HOMELESS/TRANSITIONAL STUDENTS

 CONFIDENTIAL REFERRAL FORM

Date______________ Not In School______ 

Student _________________________(M/F) Parent/Guardian __________________Race ____ 

School _________________________Age____ Grade _____ Sp Ed Y/N D.O.B. ___________ 

S.S.# or I.D.# ___________________ Phone Number ____________________________ 

Temporary Address __________________________________ City __________ Zip __________ 

*THIS FORM IS TO BE COMPLETED ON HOMELESS/TRANSITIONAL STUDENTS*

Referring Person ___________________________ Position _____________________________

Reason for referral: Problems listed below often prevent homeless children and youth from

attending school. Please check the areas of concern which apply to the student identified above. 

Check all that apply:

___Student lacks a permanent residence lives with: other family___ 

___Student is unable to pay school fees ___substandard housing

___Immunizations are needed ___mom ____dad

___A birth certificate is needed ___other ____self

___Excessive absences are a problem ___highly mobile

___Lacks academic records and/or documentation ___resides in a shelter

___Academic problems indicate a need for tutoring ___doubled-up

___School supplies are needed 

___Transportation to school is a problem

___Student/family needs assistance accessing community resources 

___Behavior indicates a need for mental health counseling 

___School clothes are needed: 

 Sizes: Shirt ____ Pants ____ Shoes ____ Other ____ 

___Free lunch form has not been returned 

___Health problems are indicated 

___Guardianship is a problem

COMMENTS: __________________________________________________________________ 

Other children in home: (Use back if needed) 

NOTE: Return this form to (NAME OF LIAISON), Homeless Liaison for (PARISH) 

 Parish Schools, at (ADDRESS), or send by FAX. 

PHONE: (NUMBER)_________________ FAX: (NUMBER)_____________________

Signature: __________________________ _____________________________________

 Principal/Counselor/Teacher Homeless Liaison’s Signature* 

*LIAISON’S SIGNATURE INDICATES STUDENT(S) MEET MCKINNEY-VENTO REQUIREMENTS 

Educational Services For Homeless/Transitional Students Confidential Referral Form 3

3 Louisiana Department of Education. (n.d.). Educational services for homeless/transitional students confidential referral 

form. Retrieved August 25, 2006 From: http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/2529.pdf
161 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

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Caregiver’s Authorization Form 4

4 NCHE. (2005) Caregiver’s authorization form. Local Homeless Education Liason Toolkit (Appendix E). Retrieved 

August 25, 2006 from: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_e.pdf
162 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION



Appendix E: Dispute Resolution Process School Sample Form* 

Everyday Independent School District 

               

               

  

       

     

     

   

 □  □  □   □  

       

          

            

            

   

    □  □  

              

      

      □  □  

*School of Origin means the school that the child attended when permanently housed or the 

school in which the child was last enrolled. 

          

      

 

     

Principal’s Actions on the Complaint 

           

        

         

 

    □  □  

 

Dispute Resolution Process School Sample Forms 5

5

 U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Non-Regulatory Guidance. Retrieved August 25, 2006, from http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/guidance_jul2004.pdf
163 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION



Appendix F: Dispute Resolution Process School District Sample Form* 

 EVERYDAY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

              

               

    

 

   

District Action On Complaint 

           

       □  □  

             

        

 

   not                        

      

             

   

           

             

    

             

               

               

             

             

 

    □  □   


164 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 7

QUESTIONS FOR Discussing Enrollment Timing with

Displaced Parents and Youth

Questions for Parents Enrolling Their Child in School After a Major Disaster

* Did your child witness any violent or traumatic events during or after the disaster?

* Does he/she become very upset, sad, or angry when separated from you?

* Would it be safer, healthier, or better for your child to spend the day in school rather than where you are

staying right now?

* Have you talked to your child about how he/she feels about returning to school? What did he/she say?

* Has your child seen a counselor or therapist since the disaster?

* Would you be willing to talk to a school counselor or social worker to help them better support your child?

* Would you be able to accompany your child on a tour of the school and to meet his/her teacher(s)?

* Would you be able to ride the school bus/walk with your child to and from school on the first day? 

* What was your child’s previous school like? How many children went to the school? How many children

were in your child’s class(es)? Was your child’s teacher(s) a man or a woman? We may be able to place 

your child in a similar school or classroom.

* Does your child have any relatives or friends attending school in this school district? We may be able to

place your child in the same school or class as those students.

* Did your child participate in clubs, sports, or other activities? We would like your child to participate in

those activities in our school, too.

* What can we do to help your child feel comfortable in school?

* Do you feel your child is ready to return to school?

Questions for Unaccompanied Youth Enrolling in School After a Major Disaster ́

* Did you witness any violent or traumatic events during or after the disaster?

* Would it be safer, healthier, or better for you to spend the day in school rather than where you are staying?

* Have you seen a counselor or therapist since the disaster?

* Would you be willing to talk to a school counselor or social worker to help them better support you?

* How do you feel about returning to school?

* What was your previous school like? How many students went to the school? How many students were 

in your classes? We may be able to place you in a similar school or classes.

* Do you know any other students in this school district? We may be able to place you in the same school 

or class as those students.

* Did you participate in clubs, sports, or other activities? We would like you to participate in those activities 

in our school, too.

* What can we do to help you feel comfortable in school?

* Do you feel you are ready to return to school?

 ́Note: Since many of these questions may provoke strong emotions in the youth, it may be best for a trained 

 school counselor or social worker to conduct the interview.
165 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 8

1 National Center for Homeless Education. (n.d.). Guiding the discussion on school selection. Retrieved August 25, 

2006 from http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/sch_sel_checklist.pdf

School Selection: A Checklist for Decision Making

(adapted from the Texas Homeless Education Office) 

School of Origin Considerations 

F Continuity of instruction 

Student is best served due to circumstances 

that look to his or her past. 

F Continuity of instruction 

Student is best served due to circumstances that 

look to his or her future. 

F Age and grade placement of the student 

Maintaining friends and contacts with peers is 

critical to the student’s meaningful school 

experience and participation. The student has 

been in this environment for an extended period 

of time. 

F Age and grade placement of the student 

Maintaining friends and contacts with peers in 

the school of origin is not particularly critical to 

the student’s meaningful school experience and 

participation. The student has attended the 

school of origin for only a brief time. 

F Academic strength 

The child’s academic performance is weak, and 

the child would fall further behind if he/she 

transferred to another school. 

F Academic strength 

The child’s academic performance is strong and 

at grade level, and the child would likely 

recover academically from a school transfer. 

F Social and emotional state 

The child is suffering from the effects of 

mobility, has developed strong ties to the 

current school, and does not want to leave. 

F Social and emotional state 

The child seems to be coping adequately with 

mobility, does not feel strong ties to the current 

school, and does not mind transferring. 

F Distance of the commute and its impact on the 

student’s education and/or special needs 

The advantages of remaining in the school of 

origin outweigh any potential disadvantages 

presented by the length of the commute. 

F Distance of the commute and its impact on the 

student’s education and/or special needs 

A shorter commute may help the student’s 

concentration, attitude, or readiness for school. 

The local attendance area school can meet all of 

the necessary educational and special needs of 

the student. 

F Personal safety of the student 

The school of origin has advantages for the 

safety of the student. 

F Personal safety of the student 

The local attendance area school has 

advantages for the safety of the student. 

F Student’s need for special instruction 

The student’s need for special instruction, such 

as Section 504 or special education and related 

services, can be met better at the school of 

origin.

F Student’s need for special instruction 

The student’s need for special instruction, such 

as Section 504 or special education and related 

services, can be met better at the local 

attendance area school. 

F Length of anticipated stay in a temporary 

shelter or other temporary location 

The student’s current living situation is outside 

of the school-of-origin attendance zone, but his/

her living situation or location continues to be 

uncertain. The student will benefit from the 

continuity offered by remaining in the school of 

origin.

F Length of anticipated stay in a temporary 

shelter or other temporary location 

The student’s current living situation appears 

stable and unlikely to change suddenly; the 

student will benefit from the developing 

relationships with peers in school who live in 

his local community. 

Local Attendance Area School Considerations 

1
166 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Enrollment completed, including warm welcome by enrollment staff

Basic needs questionnaire completed (e.g. “Educational Services For 

Homeless/Transitional Students Confidential Referral Form” from LA 

DOE (2003). http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/2529.pdf

Basic needs indicated on questionnaire have been met

Free meals in place

School tour completed, personal meeting with principal completed

Needed academic assessments completed and immediate academic 

placement made

Parents interviewed about potential special needs, and interim IEP in 

place if necessary

Orientation to student handbook completed

Parent meeting and orientation completed

Involved in school-wide welcome activities

Involved in classroom-based welcome activities

Peer buddy assigned

Adult mentor assigned

Extracurricular activity options discussed and participation encouraged

Barriers to extracurricular participation removed

Any needed immunizations and physical exams completed

Academic records obtained

Crisis counseling available and access encouraged

ACTIVITY COMPLETED

APPENDIX 9

Enrollment Checklist
167 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

1 National Center for Homeless Education. Prompt and proper placement: Enrolling students without records. Retrieved 

August 25, 2006 from http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/assessment.pdf

APPENDIX 10

Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students Without Records 1

- 1 - 

BEST PRACTICES IN HOMELESS EDUCATION 

Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students without Records 

Who is homeless? 

(McKinney-Vento Homeless 

Assistance Act of 2001 – Title X, 

Part C of the No Child Left 

Behind Act – Sec 725) 

The term “homeless children 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; 

ii. 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... 

iii. 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 in circumstances described 

in clauses (i) through (iii).

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, reauthorized as 

Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act, requires schools 

to enroll homeless students immediately, even if they do not have 

the documents normally required for enrollment such as school 

records, medical records, proof of residency, or others. 

Unfortunately for many homeless students on the move, 

incomplete records often result in classroom/curriculum 

placements that promote frustration and result in failure. This 

document offers teachers, school counselors, and other school 

personnel valuable tools and information to assist in making 

sound educational decisions for immediate placement of homeless 

children and youth in appropriate classroom settings. 

The Importance of Quick Assessment 

Accurate assessment of a student’s current academic functioning 

levels can have a critical impact on school performance. Sound 

decisions about classroom placement can provide much-needed 

support and minimize potential disruptions to teachers and 

students. The 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes and the continuing 

housing instability of many displaced families have underscored 

the importance of the role of the school in offering stability and 

support to students whose lives are disrupted by homelessness. 

Given the large numbers of families displaced by recent disasters 

and the associated challenges faced by highly impacted school 

districts, it is important that the receiving schools develop a 

streamlined approach to initial student assessment. The goal of 

this approach would be to gather information needed to support 

the best possible placement decisions as expediently as possible 

for busy school personnel. It is important to remember that 

according to the McKinney-Vento Act, homeless students must be 

enrolled and participating fully in school activities while the 

assessment process is taking place. 

Gathering Existing Information 

Regardless of the cause of their homelessness, all homeless 

students benefit from continuity in their education. To maximize 

continuity and minimize disruption as much as possible, 

immediate enrollment and appropriate placement decisions 

require a quick analysis of available information about the 

student being enrolled. Quick analysis of student needs should 

start with whatever existing information can be acquired. The 

McKinney-Vento Act requires the receiving school to contact the

(continued on the next page) 
168 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 2 - 

(continued from the previous page) 

previous school immediately for school records. In the case of disasters in which the previous 

school was destroyed or closed, receiving schools should contact the school district office or State 

Coordinator for Homeless Education to see what records may be available in electronic or other 

form. For those students whose records might be damaged, destroyed, or otherwise unavailable, it 

is incumbent upon the receiving schools to begin to build new student records immediately based 

on information gathered from parents, students, local district or state-level student databases, and 

any other reliable sources of student information. 

Academic Placement and Support 

While waiting for official records, if phone/e-mail contact information is available, it may be 

helpful to talk with previous teachers, school counselors, and others for informal assistance with 

placement decisions. Likewise, talking with physicians and/or nurses on behalf of those students 

who have prescribed medications or those whose Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) 

require classroom accommodations may also be advantageous. It is always in the school’s best 

interest to get as much information as possible from the prior school through informal 

conversations as well as official transcripts and records. It is advisable to train front-line staff in 

strategies to gather all available information from students and parents including any academic 

records, report cards, 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. Receiving schools may also be able to access standardized testing or other achievement 

data from state or local database systems. 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. 

Gathering Information from Parents and Students 

Parents and students themselves can provide important and useful 

information regarding student needs and appropriate classroom 

placement. Interviews with parents can be conducted informally with 

simple, descriptive questions to learn about the student’s prior 

academic performance. 

Sample questions for parents might include: 

x Do you have any papers from the previous school such as notes from teachers, 

homework assignments, tests, progress reports, or any other papers? 

x Have you worked with your child on any recent homework assignments? If so, what were 

the assignments about? 

x What were your child’s grades like? What does he/she find easy? Difficult? 

x Did you ever go to a meeting at school with a lot of teachers, a doctor or someone from 

the school district office?,

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

services?

(continued on the next page) 
169 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 3 - 

(continued from the previous page) 

Sample questions for students might include: 

x What was your school day like? 

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

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

x 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? 

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

x How many kids were in your class? How many teachers were in your class? 

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

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

x What were your grades like? 

Conversations such as these with parents and students can often yield helpful information to 

guide initial placement decisions. 

Useful Tools for Quick Assessment 

Although schools should continue to seek existing records from all available sources, there may be 

times when no student records will be available; in these instances, a quick, valid, and reliable 

assessment of student academic placement needs is critical. The following section provides a 

representative sampling of various tools that are available and in use by educators who need to 

make sound initial placement decisions based on a quick assessment process. Many of these 

instruments are likely to be in use in schools already by school psychologists, special education 

teachers, and classroom teachers as part of their routine screening and diagnostic processes. A 

preliminary discussion among members of the school’s existing diagnostic team should take place 

to inform choices about which instruments are best used and by whom for the individual student

(s) of concern. It is important to note that in some cases, choice of assessment instruments will be 

driven by the school’s testing protocols and whether the use of some of the suggested tools might 

best be reserved for use in the established special education diagnostic process. Teachers and 

specialists should collaborate to generate the most valuable assessment results possible. To the 

extent that time allows, team decisions regarding the selection of assessment tools should be the 

goal.

The following list is a representative, not comprehensive, sampling of assessment tools. Inclusion 

in the list should not be viewed as a recommendation or endorsement by NCHE. Pricing and other 

information are subject to change and should be confirmed with the provider if purchases are 

anticipated.

(continued on the next page) 
170 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 4 - 

Quick Assessment Tools 

Quick assessment in core academic subjects can be accomplished with a variety of available 

instruments, including: 

Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills – Revised (CIBS-R)

Assesses reading comprehension, decoding, and math; individually administered; untimed; 

select desired subtests; PreK -3 and higher; $139 for screen and manual; $32.95 for record 

books (10); diagnostic battery available in Spanish. 

Available from Curriculum Associates, Inc., www.curricassoc.com

Diagnostic Assessment of Reading (DAR)

Assesses phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; individually administered; 25-40 

minutes; K-12; $219 for classroom kit. 

Available from Riverside Publishing, www.riverpub.com

Diagnostic Screening Tests – Reading (DSTR)

Assesses comprehension, decoding, and sight vocabulary; 5-10 minutes; grades 1-3 and 

higher; two forms are available for test-retest applications; $50 for manual and 50 test 

forms.

Available from Slosson Educational Publications, www.slosson.com

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)

Assesses the development of pre-reading and early reading skills; standardized, individually 

administered, one-minute fluency measures; K-3 and higher; part of larger DIBELS data 

system, allowing online data entry and automated reports ($1 per student per year). 

Measures available for free downloading, dibels.uoregon.edu

Gray Oral Reading Test – 4 (GORT-4)

Assesses comprehension, decoding, and fluency; 15-30 minutes; grades 2-3 and higher; two 

forms are available for test-retest applications; $147 for manual, student book, and 50 

record forms. 

Available from PRO-ED, Inc., www.proedinc.com

Informal Reading Comprehension Placement Test

Assesses reading grade level of the student, vocabulary, and comprehension; individually 

administered; 30-45 minutes; K-3 and higher; $59.95 for software package. 

Available from Educational Activities, Inc., www.edact.com

Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition (KTEA-II)

Assesses reading comprehension and decoding, math, written language, and oral language; 

individually administered; 15-45 minutes (brief form); covers areas mandated by IDEA and 

Reading First; $234.95 for administration manual and 50 individual record booklets 

Available from American Guidance Service, Inc. (AGS), www.agsnet.com

(continued on the next page) 
171 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

- 5 - 

(continued from the previous page( 

KeyMath – Revised

Assess student’s understanding and application of important math concepts and skills; 

individually administered; 30-35 minutes; grades K-12; includes two forms for pre- and 

post-test applications. 

Available from American Guidance Service, Inc. (AGS), www.agsnet.com

Spanish Reading Comprehension Test

Assesses reading comprehension; administered in group or individually; 30 minutes; grades 

1-2 and higher; available in both English and Spanish; $20 for manual and reproducible 

score sheets. 

Available from Moreno Publishing Company, 619-461-0565 

Standardized Reading Inventory (SRI)

Assesses reading comprehension and decoding skills; individually administered; 15-45 

minutes; Pre-K–3 and higher; two forms are available for test-retest applications; includes 

instructions for miscue analysis; $93 for manual, student booklet, and 50 record sheets. 

Available from PRO-ED, www.proedinc.com

Test of Reading Comprehension – 3rd Edition (TORC-3)

Assesses reading comprehension, vocabulary, and syntax; includes subtest on reading 

directions of schoolwork; administered individually or in group; 30 minutes; grades 2-3 and 

higher; $139 for manual, 10 student booklets, and 50 answer sheets. 

Available from PRO-ED, Inc., www.proedinc.com

Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-3)

Assesses reading, spelling, and math; administered in group or individually; 15-30 minutes; 

K-3 and higher; two forms are available for test-retest applications; $110 for manual and 50 

test forms. 

Available from Wide Range, Inc., 800-221-9728. 

Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJ-R)

Assesses reading comprehension and decoding; math, science, social studies, humanities, 

and handwriting; individually administered, approximately 5 minutes per subtest; K-3 and 

higher; available in English and Spanish; $677 for complete battery; $267 for standard 

achievement battery. 

Available from Riverside Publishing Company, www.riverpub.com
172 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

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Computer-based Assessment Tools 

Lexia Quick Reading Test

Computerized diagnostic reading program; assesses decoding and sight vocabulary; 5-8 

minutes; grades K-12. 

Available from Lexia, www.lexialearning.com

Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA) and 

Diagnostic Online Math Assessment (DOMA)

Online tools for individual students or entire classes; grades K-12; provides reports in 

teacher and parent/tutor versions. 

Available from Let’s Go Learn, Inc., www.letsgolearn.com

STAR Reading

Computer-based assessment of vocabulary knowledge that correlates with reading 

comprehension; 10 minutes; grades 1-3 and higher. ; provides computer-generated reports; 

$399 for single computer/$1499 for school-wide site license. 

Available from Renaissance Learning, www.renlearn.com

Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey

Appropriate for placement in ELP and ESL programs; assesses language proficiency; 

individually administered, 5 minutes per subtest; preK-3 and higher; available in English or 

Spanish; $195 for manual, 25 test records, and scoring software. 

Available from Riverside Publishing Company, www.riverpub.com

Final Considerations 

Many textbook series have placement tests and chapter/unit pretests. These can often be 

used quickly and easily by classroom teachers to yield useful information to guide 

instructional placement decisions. 

Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM), an alternative approach to academic assessment, 

is a method of choice among many special educators and holds promise for highly mobile 

students. CBM can be used to measure basic skills in reading, mathematics, spelling and 

written expression, and using materials from the school’s curriculum. For further 

information regarding training for the use of this assessment approach, visit 

www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/interventions/cbmwarehouse.shtml.
173 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 11

Records Management Checklist 1

Completed or N/A By (initials) Time Item

 Command Post

 Health records prepared to accompany evacuating students 

 Determination made that administrative records are in 

 danger, and they can be moved to off-site storage without 

 endangering personnel

 Records recovery team assembled

 Off-site storage location notified to be prepared to receive

 records 

 (_________________________, ph #____________) 

 

 Records Recovery Team Operations

 Records are to be evacuated identified

 Procured boxes to hold records

 Moved boxes to vehicles for transfer

 Electronic Records

 Identified electronic records to be saved

 Copied records onto disks

 Transported disks to off-site storage area

DATE OF ACTIVATION: _____________________________________

REASON FOR ACTIVATION: _________________________________

Procedures to be followed to preserve essential records in case the building is 

evacuated or is in danger.

1 Note. From “School emergency operations plan: Checklists,” by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (n.d.). 

Reprinted with permission. Retrieved August 25, 2006 from: http://www.pdenewsroom.state.pa.us/newsroom/lib/

newsroom/SampleSchoolPlan-Checklists1.pdf 
174 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 12

Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Policies for 

Homeless Students 1

1008: DIAA Junior High/Middle School Interscholastic Athletics

2.2.1.1 A student who, pursuant to established school board policy or administrative 

procedure, remains in a school he/she has been attending after his/her legal residence 

changes to the attendance zone of a different school in the same school district, may 

exercise, prior to the first official student day of the subsequent academic year, a onetime election to remain at his/her current school and thereby not lose athletic eligibility. If a student chooses to remain at his/her current school and then transfers to the 

school in his/her new attendance zone on or after the first official student day of the 

subsequent academic year, he/she shall be ineligible for ninety (90) school days....

2.2.1.6 Notwithstanding 2.2.1, a student who is homeless as defined in the McKinneyVento Act, 42 U.S.C. 11434a(2) shall be eligible to participate at the public school in 

which he/she is enrolled.”

1009: DIAA Senior High School Interscholastic Athletics

2.2.1 With the exception of boarding school students, a student must be living with 

his/her custodial parent(s), legal guardian(s), or relative caregiver in the attendance 

zone of the school which he/she attends, or be a student 18 years of age or older and 

living in the attendance zone of the school which he/she attends (see 2.2.1.7), in order 

to be eligible for inter- scholastic athletics in that school. In cases of joint custody, the 

custodial parent shall be the parent with actual physical placement as determined by 

court. In the case of shared custody the parents must commit to sending the student 

to a particular school for the year. Maintaining multiple residences in order to circumvent this requirement shall render the student ineligible....

2.2.1.8 Notwithstanding 2.2.1, a student who is homeless as defined in the McKinneyVento Act, 42 U.S.C. 11434a(2) shall be eligible to participate at the public school in 

which he/she is enrolled.

2.4.2 If a student has previously participated in interscholastic athletics, he/she shall 

be ineligible for a period of ninety (90) school days commencing with the first day of official attendance in the receiving school unless one of the following exceptions applies:

1 Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association. (2005). 2005-2006 Official handbook. Retrieved August 25, 2006 from 

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/files/pdf/diaa_handbook200506.pdf
175 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

...2.4.2.6 The transfer is the result of the student being homeless as defined in the 

McKinney-Vento Act, 42 U.S.C. 11434a(2).

 2.4.2.6.1 Notwithstanding the above, the student shall be ineligible under the ninety 

(90) school day ineligibility clause where the student’s homeless status is created by 

the student or his/her family for the primary reason of: 

2.4.2.6.1.1 Seeking a superior team; or 

2.4.2.6.1.2 Seeking a team more compatible with the student’s abilities; or 

2.4.2.6.1.3 Dissatisfaction with the philosophy, policies, methods or actions of a 

coach or administrator pertaining to interscholastic athletics; or 

2.4.2.6.1.4 Avoiding disciplinary action imposed by the school of origin related to 

or affecting interscholastic athletic participation.
176 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 13

Contact List for Students Who Have Experienced a

Traumatic Event 

__________________________________________________ Local Homeless Education Liaison

__________________________________________________ State Coordinator for Homeless Education

__________________________________________________ School Front Office

__________________________________________________ Local Red Cross

__________________________________________________ Local Health Clinic

__________________________________________________ Counselor or Outreach Worker

__________________________________________________ City/County Office(s)

__________________________________________________ Faith Community Contact(s)

__________________________________________________ Emergency Contact(s)

__________________________________________________ Place of residence (shelter, motel, other)

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ Other Useful Contacts

NCHE Toll-free HelpLine

1-800-308-2145

FEMA

1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
177 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 14

Sample transportation forms

San Antonio Transportation Brochure 1

1 San Antonio Independent School District, Transitions Program. (n.d.). Transportation. Retrieved August 25, 2006 

from the NCHE website: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/saisd_transportation.pdf
178 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Spokane Transportation Agreement 2

2 Spokane Public Schools. (n.d.). Spokane Public Schools transportation agreement. Retrieved August 25, 2006 from 

the NCHE website: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/spokane_transp.pdf

12 Spokane Public Schools. (n.d.). Spokane Public Schools transportation agreement. Retreived August 25, 

2006, form the NCHE website: http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/spokane_transp.pdf 
179 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 15

Sample Free Meal Application Form 1

1 Note. From Free and reduced price meal policy, by Broward County (FL) Public Schools. Reprinted with permission.

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

NOTICE OF FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEAL POLICY – USE ONE APPLICATION FOR ALL STUDENTS 

IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD - ONLY FOSTER CHILDREN USE ONE FORM FOR EACH CHILD 

Dear Parent/Guardian:

The School Board of Broward County, serves nutritious meals every school day. All meals served meet nutrition standards set by the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Students may buy lunch for $1.00 in Elementary School, $1.35 in Middle and $1.50 in High; and 

breakfast for $.50 in Elementary and $.60 for Middle/High School. Children may also get free or reduced price meals. Reduced price 

meals are $.40 cents for lunch and $.30 for breakfast. Charter schools’ may differ from Broward County Schools’ meal prices; please 

check with your child’s charter school for meal prices. If a child has been determined by a doctor to be handicapped and the handicap prevents the child from eating the regular school meal, the school will make reasonable substitutions prescribed by a doctor. 

To apply at any time during the year for free or reduced price meals for your children, complete the application and return it to the 

school. Please answer all questions on this form. For assistance with an application for meal benefits, you may visit our website 

at www.broward.k12.fl.us/schoolfoodservice. An application which does not contain total household income, the names of all 

household members, the total number of household members, the social security number of the household member signing this 

application or state that the household member does not have one, your Food Stamp or TANF case number, and the signature of 

an adult household member can not be processed. You will receive written notification within ten days of receipt of the application. 

If you do not agree with the district’s decision, you may wish to discuss your application. If you wish to review the decision further, 

you have the right to a fair hearing. This can be done by calling the Food and Nutrition Office at (754) 321-0250, outside Broward 

County 1 (866) 754-2973 or by writing to the Director of Food and Nutrition Services, 7720 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Sunrise, 

Florida, 33351. Your child does not have to be a U.S. Citizen in order to qualify for free or reduced price meals.

In certain cases, foster children are also eligible for these benefits. If you have foster children living with you and wish to apply for 

such meals for them, indicate it on the application. Complete one application for each Foster Child. Foster children may be eligible 

for free or reduced price meals regardless of the income of the households with whom they reside. Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please complete an application. If your housing is part of the Military 

Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. All other allowance must be included in your 

gross income.

The information you give on the application is confidential, it will be used only for the purpose of determining eligibility for free or 

reduced price meals and may be checked by an assigned verification official at any time during the school year. You will receive a 

written notice if your application is selected for verification.

If you would like information about Medicaid or Healthy Kids Insurance Program please contact Rebecca Miele (954) 467-4885 or 

Liliana Marin (954) 467-8737 (para español). If you are Homeless or a Migrant, please call the School Board of Broward County 

Homeless Liaison at (754)321-2494 or Migrant Coordinator at (754)321-1414 to obtain information on receiving free meals.

The child’s meal eligibility is good for the entire school year. If you are not eligible now and during the school year there is 

a decrease in your family income due to reasons such as unemployment, there is an increase in your family size or if you 

start to receive Food Stamps or TANF, please contact the Food and Nutrition Office for an application at (754) 321-0250. 

This change may make your child eligible for free or reduced price meals. List the household income amount that you 

normally receive, including regular overtime.
180 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT: This explains how we will use the information you give. Section 9 of the National School 

Lunch Act requires that, unless your child’s food stamp or TANF case number is provided, you must include the social 

security number of the adult household member signing the application or indicate that the household member does not 

have a social security number. Provision of a social security number is not mandatory, but if a social security number is not 

given or an indication is not made that the signer does not have such a number, the application cannot be processed. The 

social security number may be used to identify the household member in carrying out efforts to verify the correctness of 

information stated on the application. These verification efforts may be carried out through program reviews, audits, and 

investigations and may include contacting employers to determine income, contacting a food stamp or welfare office to 

determine current certification of receipt of Food Stamps or TANF benefits, contacting the state employment security office 

to determine the amount of benefits received and checking the documentation produced by household members to prove 

the amount of income received. These efforts may result in a loss or reduction of benefits, administrative claims or legal 

actions if incorrect information is reported.

NON- DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: This explains what to do if you believe you have been treated unfairly. In accordance with Federal law and the U. S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discrimination on 

the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited basis apply to all programs). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider 

and employer.

***INCOMPLETE, ILLEGIBLE OR INCORRECT APPLICATIONS WILL DELAY MEAL BENEFITS***UNTIL YOUR APPLICATION 

IS PROCESSED, PLEASE PACK A LUNCH FOR YOUR CHILD OR GIVE THEM MONEY TO PURCHASE MEALS***

HOW TO FILL OUT THIS FORM:

PART 1 List the student number, full name and birth date for all students attending Broward County Schools.

PART 2 Enter the school code. 

PART 3 Households receiving Food Stamps must write currently certified case number in the space provided. This is a 

ten-digit number starting with the number one. Number must be listed next to EACH student receiving the benefit. Sign the 

application.

PART 4 If the student is employed, list the student’s GROSS monthly income. Do not list other household members’ income 

here.

PART 5 If you are applying for a Foster Child, check the box. YOU MUST COMPLETE ONE APPLICATION PER HOUSEHOLD 

OR ONE FOR EACH FOSTER CHILD. In Part 4 enter the Personal Use Income for the student, if receiving none, enter “0”. 

PART 6 If applying for Homeless, Migrant or Runaway, please check the box. Please call the School Board of Broward County 

Homeless Liaison at (754) 321-2494 or Migrant Coordinator at (754) 321-1414 to obtain information on receiving free meals.

PART 7 Print the first and last name of all adults and children not listed in Part 1. The box must be checked if the individual 

has no income. Enter the Gross income BEFORE DEDUCTIONS in the appropriate column. You must check the box indicating how often the income is received; weekly, bi-weekly, twice a month or monthly. Do not total incomes across or down. 

Enter the total number of people listed in Parts 1 and 7. Do not list Foster Children with other members of the household. A 

Foster Child is a household of one. If you are in the Military Housing Allowance Initiative do not report this allowance. Include 

the name of deployed service member here. 

PART 8 Enter the Social Security Number, Signature, address, telephone numbers and date. If you do not want information on 

the application used in determining the student’s eligibility in other educational programs check the box. OPTIONAL: You do 

not have to provide this information. Check the box indicating the student’s race/ethnic identity. STUDENT NUMBER: To correctly assign benefits, the student’s number is used. This number is a 10-digit, unique State Identification Number assigned 

to your child as an enrollment identifier in the Broward County School System – it ensures that the benefits are assigned to 

the correct student. You can obtain the Student Number from the report card envelope or the school that your child attends. 

Please obtain this number before submitting the application. 
181 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

INCOME THAT MUST BE REPORTED

Income means money earned beforedeductions for income taxes, employee’ssocial security taxes, insurancepremiums, bonds and the like. Incomeincludes but not limited to the following:- Monetary compensation for servicesincluding wages, salaries, commissionsor fees- Net income from self-employed farmersand self-employed businessman- Social Security/ Veteran’s payments/Alimony or child support payments- Dividends or interest on savings orbonds/Income from estates or trusts- Net rental income//Net royalties/ Privatepensions or annuities/ Foster Carebenefits- Public assistance or welfare payments/Unemployment Compensation- Portion of deployed service members’income made available to the household- Government civilian employees ormilitary retirement pensions-not militaryhousing allowance- Regular contributions from people notliving in the house- Other cash income would include cashamounts received or withdrawn from anysource, i.e. savings,investments, trust accounts and othersources which would be available to payfor the price of a child’s meal.

FEDERAL INCOME GUIDELINES 2005-2006

HOUSEHOLD

SIZE

YEARLY MONTHLY WEEKLY

1 $17,705 $1,476 $3412 23,736 1,978 4573 29,767 2,481 5734 35,798 2,984 6895 41,829 3,486 8056 47,860 3,989 9217 53,891 4,491 1,0378 59,922 4,994 1,153

EACH

ADDITIONAL

MEMBER

ADD

 +6,031 +503 +116

TO AVOID A DELAY IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

PRINT CLEARLY WITH BLACK INK. DO NOT USE OTHERCOLORS OR PENCIL.INCLUDE THE STUDENT NUMBER.CHECK ONLY ONE FREQUENCY BOX INDICATING HOW OFTENYOU GET PAID.ENTER TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS LIVING IN YOURHOUSEHOLD.SIGN THE APPLICATION.DO NOT WRITE ADULT S’ INCOME IN PART 4.DO NOT USE WHITE OUT, FOLD, TEAR OR STAPLE THIS FORM.DO NOT ENTER “O”, “N/A”, CROSS OUT SECTIONS OR DRAWLINES, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INCOME TO DECLARE IN PART 7.
182 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION On Payday, How Much Money Did Each Person Earn Before Deductions? How Often Did Each Person Get Paid Last Month? THIS IS A FOSTER CHILD | How Often ? | Food Stamp or TANF Case # (if any) Earnings from All Jobs Before Deductions Welfare Payments, Child Support/Alimony Pay from Pensions, Retirement / Social Security Print first and last name of all adults and children Workers Comp/ Unemployment/ Other Earnings Check Box if NO Income $$

$

$$

LIST ALL ADULTS AND HOUSEHOLDMEMBERS NOT LISTED ABOVE 

LIST ALL CHILDREN ATTENDING BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Use a separate application for each foster child.)

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

| How Often ? | | How Often ? | | How Often ? |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Child's personal use monthly income .00 $

$ $ $ $

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Birthdate 

USE BLACK INK. PLEASE PRINT ALL INFORMATION.

WRITE TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HERE

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA 2005 - 2006 MULTI-CHILD APPLICATION FOR MEAL BENEFITS 

First Name MI Last Name

*Adult Household MemberSocial Security #

Today's Date

If you do not have aSocial Security Number

mark this box

Signature of ADULT HOUSEHOLD MEMBER Required

Signature of parent/guardian Zip City

Address Daytime Phone

Home Phone

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Please check the following appropriate racial or ethnic identity of your children (this information is voluntary and will not affect your children's eligibility. This information is being collected only to be sure that everyone receives school meal benefits on a fair basis.  White, not of Hispanic origin. Black, not of Hispanic origin Hispanic Asians or Pacific Islands American Indian or Alaskan Native

Date

( )( )

(if none, write 0)

One (1) form for each foster child is required. 

(See Privacy Act on Prior Page)

M M D D Y Y

Monthly | Every Other Wk

Twice A Month

$

Weekly |

Income Example: How Often? $ 600 Monthly 6 0 0 x

I certify (promise) that all information on this application is true and that all income is reported. I understand that 

the school will get Federal funds based on the information I give. I understand that school officials may verify (check) the information on the application. I also understand that if I purposely give false information, my children may lose meal benefits, and I may be prosecuted.

x

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Student Number

If the child you are applying for is homeless, migrant, or a runaway, check the appropriate box: Homeless Migrant Runaway (See FAQ for contact information)

If you do not want this application to be 

used in determining your child's eligibility inother educational programs, then check here:

School Code | How Often ? |

$

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

$

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

$

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

$

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

$

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

$

Every Other Wk Monthly |Twice A Month Weekly |

Student Gross Income
183 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 16

Media Relations Tip Sheet 1

Ordinarily in a school emergency, all calls from the media should be referred to the... 

Office of Community Relations. 

If you must talk with members of the media about an emergency or normal situation at 

your school, here are a few basic guidelines that will help you: 

• Above all, plan what you want to say. 

• Before you meet with reporters, write down the most important points you want to make. 

• Limit your points to three. 

• Keep your sentences short and your words clear. 

• Practice. 

Here are some key phrases that can help you organize your thoughts: 

“The important facts are. . .”

“What I can tell you is . . .”

“What we have done to ensure the safety of our staff and students is . . .”

“We take this very seriously.”

If you don’t know the answer, say, “I will get the information and get back to you. What 

is your deadline?”

Be sure you know whose responsibility it is to answer the question: 

“This matter is under police investigation.”

“This is a medical issue. Please contact the health department.”

“Only the school board can change school policy.”

As the principal of the school or the principal’s representative, you must set the interview parameters. You set the place and time.

If you want to have members of the press remain outside the school, you can meet 

them on the sidewalk. If, on the other hand, you want a more relaxed interview, invite 

the reporters into your office. 

You set the timing. It is courteous to ask the reporter if he or she is on deadline and 

to respect that deadline. At the same time, you have responsibilities to the students in 

your building that must also be respected. 

1 Note. From Crisis management workbook (Section 11), by Office of Security and Risk Management Services of Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. (n.d.). Adapted with permission. Retrieved August 25, 2006 from: http://www.fcps.

edu/fts/safety-security/planning/cmw.pdf 
184 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

You set the topics. In a television interview, always ask the reporter before the camera 

is rolling what questions he or she would like to ask. Tell him or her what you feel free 

to talk about and what you cannot comment on. Reporters want to tape a good interview or write a good story. They will most likely work with you. You can conclude an 

interview politely but firmly if you can’t negotiate the subject matter. 

Have confidence when you engage in an interview. Be polite. Be forthcoming with all 

the information that you can. Educate the reporter. Show the reporter how the story can 

help support the mission of the schools (e.g., send a message to the community that 

schools take threats of violence seriously or send a message to parents that they must 

talk with their children about the dangers of abusing over-the-counter medications). 

Before you start an interview, be sure you can get out gracefully: 

“Thank you very much for coming.”

“You can help us by . . .”

“When we have more information, we will . . .”
185 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 17

Disaster Assessment and Referral Tool for Children and Adolescents1

Hurricane Assessment and Referral Tool for Children and Adolescents

PROVIDER’S NAME: ___________________________________________________________________ PROVIDER #: ________________

SERVICE LOCATION ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________ ZIP: _________________________

Was the parent or caregiver present during the session?  NO  YES Name of Hurricane(s): ___________________

Child’s Name: ______________________________________________ Child’s School: _________________________________

LOCATION TYPE: (CHECK ONE)

 (1) TRANSITIONAL HOUSING/SHELTE  (2) SCHOOL  (3) HOME  (4) COMMUNITY CENTER

 (5) DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER  (6) HEALTH PROVIDER  (7) PLACE OF WORSHIP  (8) MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

 (9) OTHER _________________________

SERVICE TYPE:

(CHECK ONE)

 Initial Contact  Crisis Counseling  Enhanced Services

DATE ASSESSMENT TOOL ADMINISTERED:

______ / _______ / ____________

SESSION NUMBER:

_______

RISK CATEGORIES: (CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY)

{ (1) Seriously Injured

{ (2) Family member/friend seriously injured or killed;

 Who? __________________________________________

{ (3) Witnessed injury/death

{ (4) Was separated from parent(s) or primary caretaker(s)

{ (4a) Currently separated from parents or primary 

caretaker(s)

 With whom is child living at present? _________________

{ (5) Home destroyed/badly damaged by hurricane/flooding (circle)

{ (5a) Condition of home unknown 

{ (6) Saw neighborhood destroyed or badly damaged

{ (6a) Saw other areas destroyed or badly damaged

{ (7) Pet: separated from, lost, hurt or killed (circle one)

{ (8) Belongings, clothes/toys destroyed by hurricane/flooding

{ (8a) Condition of belongings unknown

{ (9) Evacuated with no time to prepare / time to prepare (circle one)

{ (10) Trapped/difficulty evacuating

{ Isolated

{ New Orleans Superdome/Convention Center

{ In other crowded shelter 

{ (11) Exposed to violence or looting specify:__________________

{ (12) Displaced from home; Length of time:____________

{ (12a) Number of shelter/displacement centers: _________

{ (12b) Currently in shelter/displacement center; Length of time: _______ 

{ (13) Moved to a new place because of hurricane/flooding

{ (13a) If moved, extended family in the area

{ (14) Transferred to new school because of hurricane/flooding

{ (14a) Length of time in new school _________ weeks

{ (14b) Currently out of school because of hurricane/flooding

{ (15) Helped in rescue/recovery efforts

{ (16) Family member served as rescue/recovery worker

{ (17) Parent unemployed

{ (17a) Before the hurricane { (17b) because of hurricane/flooding

{ (18) Previous hurricane/flood experience

{ (19) Previous experience with a counselor or doctor for emotional problems

{ (20) Taking medication for emotional or behavioral issues before the disaster.

Is medication currently available? { NO { YES

{ (21) Past major loss or trauma; Briefly describe: __________________________

{ (22) Substance abuse problem now or in the past (circle one);

Currently being treated? { NO { YES

{ (23) Other:

_____________________________________________________________

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: (CHECK ONLY ONE FOR EACH CATEGORY)

AGE (in years): __________ ETHNICITY: PREFERRED LANGUAGE:

SEX: { MALE { FEMALE  (1) WHITE  (5) MIDDLE EASTERN  (1) ENGLISH

CITY OF ORIGIN:

__________________________________

 (2) HISPANIC ORIGIN

 (3) BLACK

 (4) ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER

 (6) AMERICN INDIAN/

ALASKAN NATIVE

 (7) UNKNOWN

 (8) OTHER:

 (2) SPANISH

 (3) OTHER:

______________________

SCHOOL PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED:

__________________________________

________________

National Child Traumatic Stress Network 9-19-2005

Page 1 

1

 National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2005, September). Hurricane assessment and referral tool for children and 

adolescents. Retrieved September 11, 2006 from: http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/intervention_manuals/referraltool.pdf
186 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

National Child Traumatic Stress Network 9-19-2005 

Page 2 

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS:

These questions can be addressed to a child/youth or, for younger children, to the parent/caregiver of a child, who answers in terms of their concerns for the 

child. 

SPECIFY PERSON COMPLETING ASSESSMENT: { CHILD { PARENT/GUARDIAN { CHILD AND PARENT TOGETHER 

INTRODUCTION:

I want to talk to you about your (your child’s) feelings and thoughts about the hurricane/flooding and how much they are causing problems now.

Think about your thoughts, feelings, and behavior DURING THE LAST MONTH (please remind child/parent of this for each question)

For each question choose ONE of the following responses and enter the NUMBER of the response in the box for that question. 

ANSWER CHOICES: (0) NONE (1) LITTLE (2) SOME (3) MUCH (4) MOST

Item ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS SCORE 0 - 4

1 Do you get upset, afraid or sad when something makes you think about the hurricane/flood/evacuation?

2 Do you have bad dreams or nightmares about what happened?

3 Do you have upsetting thoughts or pictures that come into your mind about what happened?

4 Do you try not to think about or talk about what happened?

5 Do you stay away from places, people or things that make you remember the hurricane/flood/evacuation?

6

Since the hurricane/flood/evacuation, especially in the past four weeks, do you feel that nothing is fun for you any more or that you just aren’t 

interested in anything?

7 Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night or find that you wake up in the night because of what happened?

8 Do you often feel jumpy or nervous?

9 Do you find it harder to concentrate or pay attention to things than you usually do?

10 Since the hurricane/flood/evacuation, especially in the past four weeks, do you worry about what is going to happen to you/your family/your friends?

11 Do you often feel irritable or grouchy?

12 Do you often feel sad, down or depressed?

13 Have your been more or less interested in eating since what happened?

14 Since the hurricane/flood/evacuation, especially in the past four weeks, have you had more aches and pains such as stomachaches or headaches?

15 Do you have less energy than usual?

16 If in school: Do you find it harder to get your schoolwork done?

17 Do you worry about something else bad happening to you/ your family/your friends?

18 Since the hurricane/flood/evacuation, especially in the past four weeks are you having a harder time getting along with your family or your friends?

19 If in a new school: Are you having a hard time making new friends?

20 Are you finding it harder to do or enjoy activities that you used to enjoy?

21 How bothered are you by these questions?

22 Have you used drugs or alcohol since the hurricane/evacuation/flood?

Additional Questions for Parents (Required for parents of young children; recommended for parents of all children and adolescents)

1 Has your child been more clingy or worried about separation?

2 Has your child been more quiet and withdrawn?

3 Has your child talked repeatedly about or asked questions about the hurricane/flooding/evacuation?

4 For parents of young children, has your child’s play been about the hurricane/flooding/evacuation?

5 For parents of young children, have you noticed changes in your child’s development (e.g., bedwetting, baby talk, need more help with self care)

6 Is your child having more behavior problems?

7 Do you have other concerns about your child since the hurricane/flooding? 

What are they? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Count the number of entries in the last column of the above table that have a score of 3 or 4. Items scored 3 or 4, total HERE: _____

REFERRAL: If the total is 4 or more for scores of 3 or 4, discuss the possibility of a referral for mental health services.

Did you offer a referral for services?

 NO  YES, based on the total score.  YES, but not based on total score – SPECIFY RESON: _______________________ 

Did the child/parent accept the referral?  NO  YES 

If the referral was accepted, did the child/parent choose a specific agency/provider to make contact with? 

 NO  YES, please INDICATE AGENCY NAME & PROVIDER: 

AGENCY NAME: __________________________________________ PROVIDER: ___________________________________________
187 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 18

Disaster mental health plan checklist 1

1

 National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). A checklist for school personnel to evaluate and implement the 

mental health component of your school crisis and emergency plan. Retrieved September11, 2006 from: http://www.

nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/edu_materials/Challenger%20Newsletter%20Checklist-final-sw_rvsd.pdf

SCHOOL CRISIS AND INTERVENTION UNIT

A CHECKLIST FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL TO 

EVALUATE AND IMPLEMENT THE MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT OF

YOUR SCHOOL CRISIS AND EMERGENCY PLAN

The US Department of Education has published a model emergency-response and crisis-management plan 

for schools, which is now available at www.ed.gov/emergencyplan. Mental health issues are an important

part of this plan. Based on lessons learned from schools directly affected by the tragedy and loss of 

September 11, 2001, the School Crisis and Intervention Unit of the National Child Traumatic Stress 

Network has developed this checklist for your use to assess the mental health component of your school’s

Crisis and Emergency Preparedness Plan. We encourage you to use this checklist as a guide to determine

how well your school is prepared to respond to the immediate and long-term psychological effects on 

students, their families, and staff after a crisis or disaster. 

MITIGATION & PREVENTION 

Identify and Assess the Risks

 Identify the most common kinds of crises and disasters that may impact your school

 Identify hazards or sites that may pose a threat to your school in the event of a disaster or terrorist 

act (e.g., factories, commercial transportation routes, conventional and nuclear power plants) 

PREPARATION

Expect the Unexpected 

 Develop a comprehensive crisis and emergency-response plan incorporating both immediate and 

long-term mental health responses to the negative consequences of potential hazards 

 Establish relationships with local mental health professionals and agencies as well as the

community-based organizations specializing in disaster and trauma

 Define the roles of your school staff, qualified community mental health providers, and other 

community partners for different types of crises and phases of response and recovery (e.g., 

disaster-relief organizations, faith-based organizations, victim-assistance/victim-advocacy

organizations, emergency medical services, first responders, and public health) 

 Conduct regular annual or bi-annual crisis team practice drills for crisis response during different 

times of the day (e.g., lunchtime, recess, different periods) 

 Identify students and/or staff who may have special needs or may be psychologically vulnerable 

during crises (e.g., wheelchair bound, visually or hearing-impaired students or staff, students with 

pre-existing developmental, psychological, and emotional difficulties, students who have 

experienced other trauma or major loss) 

 Develop crisis and emergency-response protocols, practices, and materials that are culturally and 

linguistically appropriate to reflect the diversity of your school family

 Create redundant or back-up systems for evacuation, family reunion, and communication with 

your staff and parents during the crisis and recovery periods 

 Provide your new staff members and substitute staff with adequate background information and 

training regarding crisis response

 Review annually your school crisis and emergency-response plans, protocols, and practices with 

community partners, including your school’s response and lessons learned from past crises 

 Conduct staff development on selected topics (e.g., impact of violence and traumatic events on 

children, adults, and the school climate; early warning signs and risk behaviors associated with 

traumatic stress; psychological first aid; evidence-based interventions; immediate and long-term

recovery; suicide prevention and threat assessment; and vicarious trauma/effects of cumulative

stress)
188 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

RESPONSE

Are You Ready? 

 Assess the level of student and staff exposure to violence and identify those most at risk for 

emotional distress or problems requiring support and assistance 

 Activate resources for the immediate, concrete needs of the students, families, and staff 

 Identify the auditory, visual, and/or other sensory cues that serve as traumatic reminders of the 

event and monitor the range of trauma-related behaviors among students and staff 

 Implement a program of support and provide psychological educational materials to students, 

staff and parents to help with reactivity to reminders

 Develop media messages during a crisis to disseminate trauma-related information and ways that 

parents can support the recovery of their children

 Provide regular information updates and maintain open communication with teachers, other staff, 

and parents. Work with teachers to provide developmentally appropriate information to students. 

Monitor rumors and maintain timely, accurate information

 Develop a system to identify and follow psychologically vulnerable students and staff during the 

recovery period 

RECOVERY

Addressing Long-Term Needs 

 Identify students and staff who may need long-term mental health support or intervention and 

develop the school and community resources to provide these services

 Monitor the effects of cumulative stress on caregivers such as office staff, teachers, aides, and 

crisis team members

 Provide information on how to cope with cumulative stress and modify work roles/ 

responsibilities or add volunteer or support staff as needed 

 Make educational materials available to parents and staff on topics such as common symptoms

and constructive ways to cope with stress 

 Develop short-term modifications of school curriculum as students and staff are recovering 

 Establish working relationship with Employee Assistance Programs

 Consider offering school-based mental health services provided by community, university, or 

public/non-profit mental health agencies after large-scale events and identify funding to support 

those services (e.g., Project SERV) 

 Follow up with student referrals made to community agencies 

 Note secondary adversities, such as subsequent losses and traumas, (e.g., parental loss of 

employment, separation, divorce, death, suicide or suicide attempt, loss of residence) 

 Plan a response for the anniversary period several months in advance, including a needs 

assessment to identify students at continued risk 

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and its nationwide network of 

partners is dedicated to raising the standard of care and improving access to services for 

traumatized children, their families, and communities throughout the United States. The 

NCTSN is supported by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

www.NCTSNet.org
189 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 19

Sample Case Management Form 1

1

 National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (2004). Long-term recovery manual (Appendix IV, Casework 

management in long-term recovery). Retrieved August 25, 2006 from: http://www.nvoad.org/articles/LTRManual 

FinalApr232004a.pdf

Name of Case Manager___________________________________________________

Name of Client _________________________________________________________

Various disaster-related needs and potential resources for addressing those needs 

have been identified through a process of needs assessment and client interviews. 

All identified strengths of the client:

All identified needs of the client:

To resolve these needs, the following resources are available through funds or materials owned by the client or received for the purpose of recovery from the disaster:

Needs with no resources to address them are prioritized as follows:
190 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Prioritized needs (basic living needs) for which the case manager will offer assistance 

in resolving are:

Possible sources of assistance for addressing these needs:

The client accepts responsibility for the following action relative to this Recovery Plan:

The Case Manager accepts responsibility for the following action relative to this Recovery Plan:

Copies of this form should be provided to both the Case Manager and the Client.”
191 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 20

Quick-Start Disaster Response Tool

In the event of a disaster, the following basic checklist can guide the immediate responses of local liaisons and school districts that are still in the process of establishing 

a robust McKinney-Vento program. This tool can also help new local liaisons quickly 

prioritize their efforts and implement the basics of a strong McKinney-Vento program. 

This tool references sections in the toolbox for further information, strategies, and 

resources.

1. Identify homeless children and youth within the school and community (II.C, II.B) 

A. Have enrollment staff use residency information forms / McKinney-Vento enrollment 

forms for all enrolling students. 

B. Disseminate outreach brochures and posters that describe student eligibility and 

provide local liaison contact information to all schools and community agencies.

2. Track students (II.H)

A. Communicate with the school district data processing department to add data elements to the district student information system, including student residency status 

and a disaster code. 

3. Enroll students immediately (II.C, II. A)

A. Explain the basic legal requirements to enrollment and front office personnel. 

B. Conduct expedited, basic information sessions for enrollment and front office personnel, including enrollment without school records, proof of address, birth certificate, 

immunization records, and proof of guardianship. Information sessions can take the 

following formats:

i. Conference Calls 

ii. Group e-mails

iii. Web-based trainings

iv. Workshops/meetings

C. Work with the administration to enact emergency district policies and eventually to 

align all district policies with the McKinney-Vento Act.

4. Ensure proper academic placement (II.D)

5. Expedite transportation requests (II. F)

A. Identify the persons responsible for transportation in your district, explain the law to 

them, and request their assistance.

B. Provide information explaining the law. 

C. Develop forms to facilitate and systematize the process.
192 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

6. Expedite food service requests (II. G)

A. Identify the persons responsible for processing school meal requests, explain the law 

to them, and request their assistance.

B. Develop forms to facilitate and systematize the process.

7. Assess and meet basic needs (III. A)

A. Have enrollment personnel and/or school counselors conduct basic needs assessments. 

B. Use collaborative relationships with other school district departments and the community to meet basic needs.

8. Assess and meet mental health needs (III. A)

A. Ensure that school counselors and teachers are aware of the warning signs of posttraumatic stress disorder and related difficulties in children and youth. 

B. Prepare a list of free or low-cost mental health service providers in the school district 

and community to disseminate to school personnel and families. 

9. Connect with the community (I.A)

A. Prepare a short list of key community resources and keep it handy. Toolbox pages 

provide some ideas.

B. Contact those key resources and inform them of your role, basic McKinney-Vento 

rights, and what the school has to offer.

10. Set up a system for continuous monitoring and reporting (II.H)

A. Designate a staff member in each school for weekly updates (perhaps a school counselor or assistant principal). This person can inform the local liaison of unmet needs, 

challenges, and successful strategies.

B. Maintain the student information system with current information.
193 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

APPENDIX 21

State Coordinators’ Companion

The McKinney-Vento Toolbox is designed to assist school district personnel in building a 

robust and rigorous McKinney-Vento program. However, State Coordinators for Homeless Education may find many of the tools useful, and all can be used for technical 

assistance and training. 

The following specific points will assist State Coordinators in making the best use of 

this toolbox. State Coordinators should:

1. Assist school districts in completing the self-assessments, to ensure that they 

evaluate their McKinney-Vento programs objectively and critically. This type of an 

evaluation will permit districts to take advantage of the toolbox and improve their 

programs. If used correctly, the self-assessment could also be a useful tool for 

evaluating subgrant applications and for program evaluations and monitoring.

2. Link to sample state emergency response plans: 

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/dtac/default.asp

3. Link to sample state-level dispute resolution procedures:

Delaware: http://www.state.de.us/research/AdminCode/title14/900/901.

shtml#TopOfPage

Maryland: http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/13a/13a.05.09.07.htm

4. Pursue collaborative relationships on the state level. In addition to the organizations listed in the chart in Appendix 2, State Coordinators may wish to pursue 

collaborative relationships with the organizations in the table below. State Coordinators should also make every effort to join the task forces of their State Emergency Management Agency and/or Emergency Operations Center.
194 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION Organization Role/Function Local Contact Info Contacted? Follow- Up State Board of Charter Schools National Charter School Clearing- house:http://www.ncsc.info/ In many states, charter schools are an important alternative education venue. They may be unaware of their obligations under the McKinney-Vento Act. Child Welfare System and Family Courts State child welfare contact info: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_website. cfm?rs_ID=16&rate_chno=AZ-0004E State Coalitions Against Domestic Violence State domestic violence coalition contact information: http://www.ncadv.org/resources/StateCoalitionList_73.html Governor’s Office National Governors’ Association: http://www.nga.org/portal/site/ nga As the chief executive of the state, the governor can be a powerful ally for McKinney-Vento programs. Many gover- nors have special offices or task forces on issues such as children and families, youth, homelessness, and education. Department of Health Health departments manage public health concerns throughout the state. Department of Health and Human Services Health and human service agencies manage physical and mental health care and social services.

Department of Housing and Community Affairs / Housing and Urban Development

Housing departments manage the supply and availability of affordable housing in the state, as well as services for people in homeless situations.

State LegislatureNational Conference of State Legislatures:http://www.ncsl.org/

Members of the state legislature can champion laws to support the rights and needs of families and children experiencing homelessness, to facilitate implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act, and to increase funding for homeless services in the schools and the community.

State-Level Contacts for Collaboration
195 MCKINNEY-VENTO IN ACTION

Organization Role/Function Local Contact 

Info

Contacted? FollowUp

State Mental Health AssociationTo find contact info:http://www.nmha.org/affiliates/directory/index.cfm

Mental Health Associations (MHAs) bring together mental health consumers, parents, advocates, and service providers for collaboration and action. MHAs provide public education, information and referral, support groups, rehabilitation services, socialization, and housing services to those confronting mental health problems and their loved ones.

Department of Mental Health http://www.nasmhpd.org/index.cfm

A state’s mental health department coordinates its mental health services and programs to support people with mental retardation. This department may go by different names in different states.

Department of Preparedness or Emergency Management Departments of emergency management or preparedness lead the state’s efforts in disaster planning, response, and recovery.State Refugee Coordinators State contact information available at:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/partners/coordina1.htm

Department of Transportation The state’s transportation department manages all the transpor- tation resources of the state. Find links to each state’s transportation agency at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/webstate.htmYouth Services agencies and organizations

State and regional youth service agencies are important collaborative partners. Many states have established youth service task forces to coordinate youth services effectively and efficiently. The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act requires funded programs to collaborate with schools. For Family and Youth Services Bureau Regional Office contacts: http://www.acf.hhs.

gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/resources/regionalrhycontacts.htm