Transportation for Homeless Students

Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference

Columbia, SCJuly 13, 2010

The National Center for Homeless Education

Diana Bowman, Director

dbowman@serve.org – 336-315-7453

Today’s Outline

Current picture of student homelessnessOverview of the McKinney-Vento ActTransportation challengesGood practices

How many children experience homelessness?

10 percent of all children experiencing poverty (Urban Institute, 2001)

One in 50 children will experience homelessness (National Center on Family Homelessness, 2008)

956,914 homeless children reported enrolled in school in 2008-2009; a 40 percent increase over three years

539,022 homeless children in districts with MV subgrants; 11% of districts have subgrants

No. of Homeless Students Enrolled in SE States – 2008-2009

State No. Enrolled

AL 12,859

AS 6,344

*FL 40,967

GA 24,079

KY 22,626

LA 25,362

MS 8,525

State No. Enrolled

NC 18,693

*OK 12,139

SC 8,738

*TN 9,836

*TX 80,940

*WV 4,257

2008-2009 Compilation of Federal Data (NCHE)http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/data_comp_06-08.doc

* States with > 20% increase since 2007-2008

Where do homeless children and youth live?

Barriers to Education for Homeless Children and Youth

Enrollment requirements (school records, health records, proof of residence and guardianship)

High mobility resulting in lack of school stability and educational continuity

Lack of access to programsLack of transportationLack of school supplies, clothing, etc.Poor health, fatigue, hungerPrejudice and misunderstanding

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

Title X, Part C of ESEAReauthorized in 2002, ESEA currently under

reauthorizationMain provisions

School stability• Transportation

Immediate enrollmentAccess to servicesChild-centered, best interest decision makingLocal liaison in every school district

Who Qualifies For Services?

Children or youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or

similar reasonLiving in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of

adequate alternative accommodationsLiving in emergency or transitional sheltersAwaiting foster care placementLiving in a public or private place not designed for humans to live, such as cars,

parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, or bus or train stationsMigrant and unaccompanied students living in the above circumstances

School Stability

Homeless students can enroll in the local attendance area school in the school district where they are currently staying or remain in their school of origin

School of origin – school attended when permanently housed or in which last enrolled

Best interest – keep homeless students in their schools of origin, to the extent feasible, unless this is against the parents’ or guardian’s (or unaccompanied youth’s) wishes

Feasibility – US ED Sample Criteria

Continuity of instructionAge of the child or youthSafety of the child or youthLikely length of stay in temporary housingLikely area where the family will find permanent

housingStudent’s need for special instructional programsImpact of the commute on educationSchool placement of siblingsTime remaining in the school year

Transportation – Key Provisions

LEAs must provide transportation to and from the school of origin at a parent’s or guardian’s request (or at the liaison’s request for unaccompanied youth).

If crossing LEA lines, they must determine how to divide the responsibility and share the cost, or they must share equally

Transportation Provisions (cont.)

LEAs must provide homeless students with transportation services comparable with those of other students

LEAs must eliminate barriers to the school enrollment and retention of homeless students, including transportation barriers

LEAs can determine the mode of transportationTitle I, Part A, funds may not be used to provide

transportation to the school of origin, but may be used for other transportation needs

Implementation Challenges

Transportation to and from the school of origin has been the number one barrier for school districts, as reported in federal data on LEAs with McKinney-Vento subgrants

Lack of fundingCapacity/staffingTimely arrangementCoordination across school district and/or state

lines

Implementation challenges (cont.)

Children with special needsExtra-curricular activities, summer school, after-

school programsParent involvement

What’s on the horizon for ESEA reauthorization?

Bills introduced to CongressAllows Title I to pay for transportation to and from

the school of originProposes higher funding for Homeless Education

For information on reauthorization, visit the website for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and youth: www.naehcy.org

Spotlight on Good Practices - Georgia

Each LEA has a transportation point of contact for homeless liaison; he/she participates in meetings with the liaison to discuss strategies

One district has a transportation request form so that social workers can immediately send a request to Transportation for processing

Gas cards provided for families that have carsUpdates list of shelters, motels, hotels provided to

Transportation Department annuallyPublic bus passes provided for unaccompanied youth;

passes provided to parents/guardians to accompany elementary/middle school youth

Spotlight on Good Practices – San Antonio, TX

Districts in San Antonio hold a meeting at the beginning of each school year that includes homeless liaisons and transportation directorsTransfer pointsWho initiates transportation requests and notifies parents

of bus schedule for children crossing district linesPolicies related to discipline

Developed transportation booklet for parents

Spotlight on Good Practices – Rutherford County, TN

Sixth largest school system in TN, adjacent to Nashville – suburban county, no public bus service

851 homeless students identified last yearTransportation staff person with dedicated time to arrange

services for homeless students; brainstorms solutions with homeless liaison

Sometimes use bus drivers who live near shelters or student’s temporary address to add route close to the school of origin

Use special education buses with more flexible schedules

Spotlight on Good Practices – Spartanburg, SC

Identified 285 homeless students last year, transported 168 to the school of origin

“The catalyst for our success is personalities”Great coordination between liaison and transportation

directorMotto for all: “We’re here for the children” – all on boardAll roles involved, including bus drivers as “front line”

Interdistrict transportation came about from meetings with specific role groups – liaison to liaison, transportation director to transportation director, superintendent to superintendent

Spotlight on Good Practices – Jefferson County (Louisville), KY

100,000 students; 10,555 homeless students (10 percent); foreclosures, economy, lack of shelters

Lots of community support – coalition of housing, shelters, juvenile justice, school district

Transportation system for homeless students built over years, good coordination between homeless education program and transportation department

Bus drivers are eyes and ears of the community; go above and beyond – adopt a shelter for donations

Spotlight on Good Practices – Guilford County, NC

Transportation staff member assigned to coordinate all transportation services for homeless childrenProcesses in-house paperwork Informs homeless liaisonReroutes buses, informs drivers, contacts parents or

unaccompanied youthNotifies schools and agencies

Director of transportation is not involved unless there is a specific problem, such as interdistrict and coordination problems

Resources from NCHE

The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) is the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance center for homeless education. NCHE is located at The SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.

Contact the Helpline: 800-308-2145 or homeless@serve.org

Visit the website: www.serve.org/nche

Links to Transportation Resources from NCHE

Increasing School Stability for Students Experiencing Homelessness: Overcoming Challenges to Providing Transportation to the School of Origin:

http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/nche_transp_body.pdf

McKinney-Vento Law into Practice Brief – Transportation: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/transportation.pdf

Transportation for Homeless Children and Youth – Strategies for Rural School Districts: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/rur_trans.pdf

Six Strategies for Meeting Transportation Requirements: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/transportation_strategies.pdf

National Homeless Education Conference

22nd Annual NAEHCY Conference

November 6-9, 2010

Houston, TX

Attended by over 800 educators, administrators, service providers, national organizations

Visit www.naehcy.org for information