We are fortunate to have Dr. Jennifer Chilton as our District McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison and Stacy Smith as our McKinney-Vento Homeless Site Coordinator. Dr. Chilton and Ms. Smith are responsible for identifying, immediately enrolling, and supporting children and youth experiencing homelessness to ensure they have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in school.
Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District believes that all students can achieve, but we are mindful that if basic needs are not being met, learning becomes a challenge. We are here to help. Our McKinney-Vento staff has provided resources for students and families throughout the Verde Valley including but not limited to clothing, toiletries, school supplies, shelter, and holiday gifts. For more information or support, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Smith at
[email protected] or 928-204-6748.
Below you will find information from the Arizona State Department of Education that defines McKinney-Vento and Homeless Education.
What is the McKinney-Vento Act?
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” The act provides examples of children who would fall under this definition:
- Children and youth sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
- Children and youth living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations
- Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters
- Children and youth abandoned in hospitals
- Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc)
- Children and youth living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations
- Migratory children and youth living in any of the above situations
The Homeless Education Program
The mission of the Homeless Education Program is to ensure that homeless children and youth have access to a free, appropriate public education, comparable to that provided to the children of any Arizona resident and consistent with Arizona’s mandatory school attendance laws.
Subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.) is included in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The reauthorization requires that children and youths experiencing homelessness are immediately enrolled in school and have educational opportunities equal to those of their non-homeless peers. The statute requires every public school district and charter holder to designate a Homeless Liaison to ensure that homeless students are identified and their needs are being met.
In order to supplement services to these children and youths, the U.S. Department of Education provides funding for state and local activities. These dollars are allocated to the local education agencies through a competitive grant process, based on need and program quality. Content from https://www.azed.gov/homeless/