BOARD POLICY - 6173
The Board of Education believes that the identification of students experiencing homelessness is critical to improving the educational outcomes of such students and ensuring that students experiencing homelessness have access to the same free and appropriate public education provided to other students within the District. The District shall provide students experiencing homelessness access to education and other services necessary for such students to meet the same academic standards as other students.
When there are at least 15 students experiencing homelessness in the District or a District school, the District's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) shall include goals and specific actions to improve student achievement and other outcomes of students experiencing homelessness. (Education Code 52052, 52060, and 52064)
The Superintendent or designee shall review District policies at least once every three years and recommend updates to ensure removal of any barriers to the education of students experiencing homelessness and unaccompanied youth. Any such review shall address identification, enrollment, and retention of such students, including those barriers that are due to absences or outstanding fees or fines. (Education Code 48851.3, 42 USC 11432)
The Superintendent or designee shall designate an appropriate staff person to serve as a liaison for students experiencing homelessness and unaccompanied youths. The District Liaison for students experiencing homelessness shall fulfill the duties specified in 42 USC 11432 to assist in identifying and supporting students experiencing homelessness to succeed in school, and as specified in Education Code 48851.3, the District Liaison will provide related trainings for District staff providing assistance to students experiencing homelessness.
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that each District school identifies all students experiencing homelessness and unaccompanied youths enrolled at the school. (Education Code 48851)
To ensure easy identification of students experiencing homelessness, the Superintendent or designee shall annually provide and administer a housing questionnaire developed by the California Department of Education (CDE) to all parents/guardians of students and all unaccompanied youths. (Education Code 48851)
If the primary language of a student's parent/guardian or an unaccompanied youth is not English, either the housing questionnaire shall be made available in the primary language of the student's parent/guardian or the unaccompanied youth pursuant to Education Code 48985, or an appropriate translation of the housing questionnaire shall be provided upon request of a student's parent/guardian or an unaccompanied youth. (Education Code 48851)
The Superintendent or designee shall annually report to CDE the number of students experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied youths, enrolled in the District as identified from the housing questionnaire described above. (Education Code 48851)
In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall ensure that the District Liaison's contact information and other information on homelessness, including, but not limited to, information regarding the educational rights and resources available to persons experiencing homelessness, are posted on the District and school websites as specified in the accompanying Administrative Regulation. (Education Code 48852.6)
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that placement decisions for students experiencing homelessness are based on the student's best interest as defined in law and Administrative Regulation.
Each student experiencing homelessness shall be provided services that are comparable to services offered to other students in the school, including, but not limited to, transportation, educational programs for which the student meets the eligibility criteria (such as federal Title I services or similar state or local programs, programs for students with disabilities, and educational programs for English learners), career and technical education programs, programs for gifted and talented students, and school nutrition programs. (Education Code 48850; 42 USC 11432)
Students experiencing homelessness shall not be segregated into a separate school or program based on their status as homeless and shall not be stigmatized in any way. However, the Superintendent or designee may separate students experiencing homelessness on school grounds as necessary for short periods of time for health and safety emergencies or to provide temporary, special, and supplementary services to meet their unique needs. (42 USC 11432, 11433)
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that information and/or materials for students experiencing homelessness are provided in a manner and form understandable to the student's parents/guardians and to unaccompanied youths.
Information about the living situation of a student experiencing homelessness shall be considered part of a student's educational record, subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, shall not be deemed to be directory information as defined in 20 USC 1232g, and shall not be released without written consent. (42 USC 11432)
The Superintendent or designee shall coordinate with other agencies and entities to ensure that students experiencing homelessness are promptly identified, ensure that students experiencing homelessness have access to and are in reasonable proximity to available education and related support services, and raise the awareness of school personnel and service providers of the effects of short-term stays in a shelter and other challenges associated with homelessness. Toward these ends, the Superintendent or designee shall collaborate with local social services agencies, other agencies or entities providing services to students experiencing homelessness, and, if applicable, transitional housing facilities. In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall coordinate transportation, transfer of school records, and other interdistrict activities with other local educational agencies. As necessary, the Superintendent or designee shall coordinate, within the District and with other involved local educational agencies, services for students experiencing homelessness and who also may be identified as having a disability. (42 USC 11432)
At least annually, the District Liaisons and other appropriate staff shall participate in professional development and other technical assistance activities to assist them in identifying and meeting the needs of students experiencing homelessness. Such professional development and technical assistance shall include, but are not limited to, training on the Districts’ homeless education program, policies, definitions of terms related to homelessness, recognition of signs that students are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness, the steps that should be taken once a potentially homeless student is identified, and how to connect students experiencing homelessness with appropriate housing and service providers. (Education code 48851.3, 48852.5; 42 USC 11432)
Reporting of Student Experiencing Homelessness
At least annually, the Superintendent or designee shall report to the Board on the identification of, and outcomes for, students experiencing homelessness, which may include, but are not limited to, the housing questionnaire responses, school attendance, student achievement test results, promotion and retention rates by grade level, graduation rates, suspension/expulsion rates, and other outcomes related to any goals and specific actions identified in the LCAP. Based on the evaluation data, the District shall revise its strategies as needed to more effectively identify and support the education of students experiencing homelessness.
In addition to the annual report to CDE of the number of students experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied youths, enrolled in the District as identified from the housing questionnaire, the Superintendent or designee shall also report to CDE, in accordance with Education Code 51225.1, the number of students experiencing homelessness graduating from the fourth or fifth year of high school who, for the prior school year, graduated with an exemption from District-established graduation requirements that are in addition to statewide coursework requirements.
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
5 CCR 4600-4670 Uniform complaint procedures
39807.5 Payment of transportation costs by parents
48850 Academic achievement of students in foster care and homeless children
48850-48859 Education of foster youth and homeless students
48851 Identification of homeless children and youths and unaccompanied youths; housing questionnaire
48851.3 Homeless education program policies; liaison responsibilities
48851.5 Local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youths
48852.3 Monitoring for compliance with chapter
48852.5 Notice of educational rights of homeless students
48852.6 Information regarding homelessness
48852.7 Education of homeless students; immediate enrollment
48859 Definitions
48915.5 Recommended expulsion; foster youth with disabilities
48918.1 Notice of recommended expulsion
48985 Notices to parents in language other than English
51225.1-51225.3 Graduation requirements
52052 Accountability; numerically significant student subgroups
52060-52077 Local Control and Accountability Plan
FEDERAL CODE
20 USC 1087vv Free Application for Federal Student Aid; definitions
20 USC 1232g Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974
20 USC 1400-1482 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
20 USC 6311 State plan
42 USC 11431-11435 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
42 USC 12705 Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act; state and local strategies
MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
California Child Welfare Council Publication: Partial Credit Model Policy and Practice Recommendations, September 2013
California Department of Education Publication: Federal Program Monitoring Instrument
California Department of Education Publication: Homeless Education Dispute Resolution Process, March 2020
National Center for Homeless Education Publication: Homeless Liaison Toolkit, 2020
U.S. Department of Education Guidance: Education for Homeless Children and Youths
Program, Non-Regulatory Guidance, August 2018
Website: California Department of Education, Homeless Children and Youth Education
Website: National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE
Website: National Homelessness Law Center
Website: U.S. Department of Educaiton - Education for Homeless Children and Youths Grants for State and Local Activities
Website: California Child Welfare Council
Policy Adopted: June 3, 2003
Policy Revised: June 27, 2017
Policy Revised: August 22, 2023