Homeless Youth Handbook - Texas: Legal Issues and Options 

Texas Appleseed released the Homeless Youth Handbook for Texas in early December, 2016.  The Homeless Youth Handbook is a free legal resource designed to help Texas' homeless youth (and those working with them) with practical, straight-forward answers to legal questions so that youth understand their legal rights, achieve safety and security, and are able to not only survive but prosper.

The handbook may be found at www.homelessyouth.org/Texas.

The Most Frequently Asked Questions on the Education Rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations

Refreshed and revised, this publication covers a wide spectrum of education issues concerning homeless children and youth, from child care and early education services to higher education policies. It includes questions and answers that clarify recent amendments made by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the U.S. Department of Education’s Non-Regulatory Guidance, Head Start Performance Standards, and the U.S. Department of Education’s financial aid policies.  A detailed index has also been added.

Designating LEA McKinney-Vento Liaisons: Considerations Under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015

This document summarizes the new legal requirements for LEAs on the capacity, training, and duties of school district liaisons. It provides important considerations to assist LEAs to ensure that liaisons have sufficient capacity and support to carry out their duties. 

The McKinney-Vento Act and School Fees

This two-page brief provides specific legal references and practical considerations to ensure that school fees do not present a barrier to immediate enrollment and retention in school for students experiencing homelessness. 

Privacy and Homelessness: A Technical Assistance Tool

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. This document seeks to explain FERPA’s basic provisions, how they relate to new privacy protections in the McKinney-Vento Act, and how schools can protect children and youth who are homeless while appropriately sharing educational information. 

Title I, Part A Foster Care Sample Dispute Resolution Process

While these provisions are not the responsibility of McKinney-Vento State Coordinators, we prepared this document in response to requests from the field. It suggests a sample process to resolve disputes under Title I Part A related to school selection (best interest) or enrollment for a child in foster care and was developed in consultation with state and local McKinney-Vento experts from around the country. It includes important elements for timely and fair dispute resolution and adheres to the legal requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act. While SEAs and LEAs are welcome to adopt this process in its totality, many states and LEAs will want to adjust elements of this sample to accommodate their particular conditions. 

Considerations for Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in Developing Transportation Procedures for Students in Foster Care Under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015

Co-authored with AASA, the School Superintendents Association, this document is intended to help school personnel understand the responsibilities of both child welfare agencies and LEAs for transporting children in foster care. In addition, we provide a series of questions to guide the development of local transportation procedures, including tips to evaluate community needs, available resources, and collaborative opportunities.