Ontario School District - McKinney-Vento

McKinney-Vento

About the McKinney-Vento Act

The McKinney-Vento Assistance Act, previously referenced as "Title X" and now reclassified as "title VII-B," strengthens education support for students who find themselves and their families facing housing hardship (42 U.S.C. 11431).

Every school district in Oregon has at least one designated McKinney-Vento Liaison who provides direct assistance to families and unaccompanied youth, helping with access to education, which enables success in school.

For additional information, please contact the OSD McKinney-Vento Liaison or visit the Oregon Department of Education's website.

Possible reasons for qualifying:

The McKinney-Vento Act ensures that students who face housing instability and hardship have access to a free, appropriate and public education, despite the lack of a fixed living environment or a supervising parent or guardian. The term "housing instability" includes children and families living in:

Doubled-up housing - living temporarily with family or friends due to economic hardship or a similar reason.
Couch surfing.
Runaway youth shelters.
Hotels or motels.
Shelters or transitional housing, including domestic violence shelters and clean and sober living programs.
Cars, abandoned buildings, parks, on the street.
Campgrounds or inadequate trailer homes
Substandard housing - spaces which may have mold, rodents, or lack access to heating, cooling, electricity, running water.
Youth living on their own without a parent or legal guardian (known as unaccompanied youth)

If you currently find yourself in any of the situations described above, you or your children are entitled to assistance.

Students experiencing housing instability have the right to:

Get help enrolling and succeeding in school -including preschool- from the district's McKinney-Vento Liaison or from a designated school building contact.
Stay in the school they were attending before facing housing instability (called "school of origin"), even if they move out of the district, or they may choose to enroll in their neighborhood school.
Receive transportation to their school of origin, provided or arranged by the school district.
Access preschool services, apply for free school meals, and access to all educational services they are entitled to per state and federal regulations.

McKinney-Vento Dispute Resolution

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

The federal McKinney-Vento (MV) Education of Homeless Children and Youth program requires states to ensure equal access to public schools by homeless students and other education support. Among the provisions is the right of homeless parents and unaccompanied homeless youth to dispute district determinations of school placement and MV eligibility.

Please see the Oregon Department of Education Dispute Resolution Guidance for more information and a sample dispute resolution letter.

Oregon Department of Education - McKinney-Vento State Liaison Information

State of Oregon McKinney-Vento Liaison - Lexi Neemann

Email - lexi.neemann@ode.oregon.gov

Mckinney-Vento Considerations

In determining the best interest of an eligible child or youth, the district shall presume that keeping the student in the school of origin is in their best interest, except when doing so is contrary to the request of the parent or unaccompanied student.

In addition to the presumption clause, McKinney-Vento directs district to consider student-centered factors related to the child or youth's best interest, including factors related to "the impact of mobility on achievement, education, health and safety" of homeless students, giving priority to the request of the parent or unaccompanied youth.

Steps for Resolution:

Facilitation of the dispute resolution process is carried out by the McKinney-Vento Liaison, who informs in writing and explains the process to the parties involved and offers support throughout the process.
Coordination with the family is crucial to ensure that the student is enrolled in school during the dispute resolution process.
In case higher level support is necessary, the liaison will loop in school administrators, executive administrators, deputy superintendent, or the ODE State coordinator as appropriate.

Once a resolution is reached, it will be finalized by the parties involved, with the support of the liaison as needed.