The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act referred to as the McKinney-Vento Act (MVA), Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), provides important educational protections and rights for children and youth experiencing homelessess.  Each LEA has a written policy and process that:

* assures its commitment to providing an education to children and youth experiencing homelessness that is comparable to the education provided to non-homeless students;

* provides a way for a parent or guardian or an unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) to appeal school or LEA eligibility, school placement and enrollment determinations they believe are not in their child's best interest, i.e., a process to resolve disagreements over eligibility and school selection or enrollment; and 

*assures that, when there is a dispute, a homeless child or youth is immediately enrolled in the MVA-eligible school requested by the parent, guardian or UHY, until the dispute is resolved.

Each LEA's liaison for homeless children and youths oversees the dispute resolution process and assists parents to navigate the process.  

The FDOE McKinney-Vento Act Dispute Resolution Guide for Eligibility and School Selection or Enrollment (The Guide) is designed to assist school, LEA and the FDOE staff to properly apply the dispute resolution provisions in the MVA.  The FDOE Guide has recently been significantly updated.  The attached document is the Clay County dispute guide that has been created in order to adhere to the new FDOE guide.  This document represents more than a simple revision of the old, but rather a new format as suggested by FDOE.

Homeless students are present in almost all of the district schools and require a varying degree of support.  All Clay County District Schools policies and documents will now be aligned with the explicit state and federal language to guide the work.

Clay County District Schools had over 800 students in the 19-20SY who identified as homeless per federal and state definition.  They were supported by both state and federal guidance to help minimize the barriers they were experiencing in their formal education.

Clay County District Schools' social workers will continue to be the primary contact when connecting students and families to social services, and the primary liaisons with our schools.  This new guide will continue to direct their work as is necessary to adhere to state and federal laws.

Recommend that the Clay County District School Board approve the new Dispute Resolution Guide.