Residency

1
Residency Homeless Issues in Illinois Schools

• Dr. Tom Bookler
• Assistant Regional Superintendent
• Lynn Strevell
• Homeless Student Advocate

DuPage Regional Office of Education Dr. Darlene
J Ruscitti, Regional Superintendent of Schools
2
Registration and Enrollment Guidance For
Registration and Enrollment (non-special ed)

• Enroll FIRST ask questions LATER

Legal Custody Legal Guardianship
Lives with natural/adoptive parents
Court granted custody adult with whom pupil lives
Court granted short-term guardianship
Adult relative caretaker receiving aid
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Registration and Enrollment Guidance For
Registration and Enrollment (non-special ed)

• Enroll FIRST ask questions LATER

• If the pupil lives with an adult who provides a
  fixed nightime abode for the pupil

• NOT for access to the educational programs of the
  districts

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Registration and Enrollment Guidance For
Registration and Enrollment (non-special ed)

• Enroll FIRST ask questions LATER

Why?

• Immigrants

• Other Life Styles

• Homeless

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Registration and Enrollment Guidance For
Registration and Enrollment (non-special ed)

• Immigrants

• May NOT ask for immigration papers

• May NOT report immigration status

• Includes foreign exchange students

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Registration and Enrollment Guidance For
Registration and Enrollment (non-special ed)

• Homeless

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Registration and Enrollment
Each night across America more than one million
children have no place to call home.

• Homeless

Living in shelters, motels, abandoned buildings,
the family car, tents, campgrounds, on the
streets, and in overcrowded apartments with
family or friends, they move from place to place
in every city, suburb, town, and rural area
across the country. The fastest growing segment
of the homeless population is families.
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Illinois 180,000 homeless in Illinois 75,000
Chicago62,000 Suburbs43,000 Downstate Approximat
ely 45,000 60,000 homeless children.
15. 83Hourly wage needed to pay fair market
rent(Two bedroom unit)
Illinois Coalition To End Homelessness
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(A) individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and
adequate nighttime residence and . . .
The term homeless children and youths means-
(B) includes-
(1) children and youths who are sharing the
housing of other persons due to loss of housing,
economic hardship, or a similar reason are
living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or
camping grounds due to the lack of alternative
adequate accommodations are living in emergency
or transitional shelters are abandoned in
hospitals or are awaiting foster care placement
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(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 (1) through (iii) . . .
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If a family, out of necessity because of lack of
housing, must reside in a shelter, motel,
vehicle, campground, on the street, or doubled up
withrelatives or friends, they are homeless.
This includes the hidden homeless - those who
are constantly moving from one place to another
and those who are one paycheck away from being on
the streets.
In general, children or youth living in welfare
hotels, transitional housing, shelters, the
streets, cars, abandoned buildings, and other
inadequate accommodations are considered homeless.
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Compared with housed poor children, homeless
children experience

• a. Poorer health

• b. More developmental delays

• c. More anxiety, depression and
  behavioral problems

• d. Lower educational achievement

Each time a child changes schools, he or she
loses 4-6 months of academic and developmental
time.
Moving just twice in a year can ruin a childs
chance of success.
13
Get Out Fast!

• Your home is on fire and there are just seconds
  to get out!
• What would you grab and shove into a trash bag to
  take with you?

14
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was first
signed into law on July 22, 1987 Reauthorized
2001 as part of NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT The
McKinney Vento Act was the first - and
remains the only - major federal legislative
response to homelessness.
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In Illinois . . .
The McKinney - Vento Homeless Assistance Act and
Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act
ensure homeless children the right to

• a free, appropriate public education, including
  a priority to preschool programs

• choice of staying in the school of origin or
  attending the school nearest their shelter or
  temporary home

• immediate enrollment even when medical records
  cannot be produced at the time of enrollment

• assistance with transportation if needed

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LEA Liaisons
Homeless Liaison Every local educational
agency (LEA) must designate an appropriate staff
person as a liaison for students in homeless
situations. This person may also be a
coordinator for other Federal programs.
Liaisons must ensure that Students enroll in,
and have full and equal opportunity to succeed
in, the schools of the LEA.(This includes
unaccompanied youths.) Children and youth in
homeless situations are identified by school
personnel and through coordination activities
with other entities and agencies.
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School of Origin
Children and youth in homeless situations
canstay in their schools of origin or enroll in
anypublic school that students living in the
same attendance area are eligible to
attend,according to their best interest.
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Immediate Enrollment
Homeless children and youth have the rightto
enroll in school immediately, even if they donot
have required documents, such as schoolrecords,
medical records, proof of residency,or other
documents.
19
Transportation
Local educational agencies (LEAs) mustprovide
students experiencing homelessnesswith
transportation to and from their school
oforigin, at a parents or guardians
request. For unaccompanied youth, LEAs must
provide transportation to and from the school of
originat the LEA homeless liaisons request.
20
Dispute Resolution
The student must be immediately admitted to the
school of choice while the dispute is being
resolved.
The parent or guardian must be provided with a
written explanation of the schools decision,
including the right to appeal the decision.
The school must refer the youth, parent or
guardian to the liaison to ensure that the
dispute resolution process is carried out as
expeditiously as possible.
21
Preschool Children
Homeless liaisons must ensure that families and
children receive priority for Head Start, Even
Start programs and preschool programs. Head
Start grantees should collaborate with liaisons
and community agencies and adjust their programs
to serve children in homeless situations (per
1992 Head Start Memo.)
22
State Plan
Requirement to demonstrate coordination between
Title I and McKinney Vento program
School districts must reserve set-aside funds as
needed to provide services comparable . . .

• Collaboration between district homeless
  liaisons and Title I coordinator

• Results win-win situation

• Students experiencing homelessness achieve

• Whole districts achievement increases

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Your District . . .

• Does your district policy provide for homeless
  students?

• Have Title I funds been set aside?

• Are slots reserved in Head Start, Even Start,
  other preschool programs?

• What procedures do you have in place?

• Has your staff been provided with materials?
• Are students receiving free lunch promptly?

• Who is the district homeless liaison?

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School PersonnelCan help homeless students
through . . .

• Education Create awareness/provide
  information School Boards Review board
  policy/develop plan / establish set-aside

• Professional Development Administrators
  and teachers Secretaries and enrolling
  staff Transportation, food service,
  and custodial staff

• Cooperation
  Coordinate services among school, family, shelter
  - including transportation
  Communication / tutoring after-school programs
  / parent programs

• Collaboration Cooperation Within the
  district Title I/preschool programs/alternative
  programs Within the community social
  services/fraternal organizations clubs/churches

• Awareness - Projects/curriculum Involve clubs
  and organizations in awareness activities

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• Homeless Hotline -ISBE (800)
  215-6379

• Peggy Dunn Principal Consultant ISBE (217)
  782-2948

• Opening Doors Project - Adult Learning
  Resource Center [phone] Regional
  Office of Education 26 (309)
  837-4821 Illinois Coalition to End
  Homelessness [phone]

• The Law Project - Chicago Coalition for
  the Homeless [phone]

• http//homelessed.net

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Thank you for your support of ALL children in our
schools CONTACT INFORMATION Dr. Tom Bookler
tbookler_at_dupage.k12.il.us Lynn Strevell
lstrevell_at_dupage.k12.il.us Phone [phone]
The mission of the DuPage Regional Office of
Education is to collaboratively build and sustain
a high quality County educational community for
all youth.