Storm Preparation and
Supporting Potentially Homeless Students

News reports indicate that a large number of our districts could be impacted by Hurricane Dorian. Damaging winds, structural damage, flooding and storm damage may occur. Because of the potential threat to North Carolina, I would like to remind you of the immediate requirements in identifying and serving homeless students in our schools as well as resources that are available for working with students, families and the community after a natural disaster occurs. 

Please keep in mind that a child who is displaced after a natural disaster, including those students and their families who have temporarily relocated to North Carolina, will generally meet the definition of “homeless” under the federal McKinney-Vento Act. The law entitles them to immediate enrollment in the school district in which they are physically present without having to document residency in the district. In addition, those students who are identified are also eligible for free meals. 

As the homeless liaison, remember that you are required to document all students experiencing homelessness in PowerSchool, and in addition, maintain a list using the “LEA Disaster Tracking Log” of those students that are specifically displaced because of the natural disaster. This list is to be shared with your Superintendents, School Nutrition Administrators, and other Administration, as appropriate. You will also need to maintain the list in your McKinney-Vento records for future requests from my office. 

The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) has a comprehensive web page devoted to “Disaster Preparation and Response”. There, you will find NCHE resources; federal resources; sample forms, materials and policies; resources for coping with a disaster, as well as other resources. Additionally, SchoolHouse Connection has released the brief, “Supporting Children and Youth Displaced by Disasters: Five Key Policies for Schools”. 

Finally, please reach out to our office for any additional questions or supports you may need before or after the storm. We are here to assist you in any way. 

The State Board of Education approved the new board policy on the Dispute Resolution for Homeless Students on 6/7/2018. Please review the new policy in order to update your local board policy to reflect the new requirements. The State Coordinator will be collecting the updated district policies from all homeless liaisons in the Spring of 2019. Additional information about the submission process will be provided during the annual Compliance Forums.

If your district is a recipient of a McKinney-Vento subgrant, please be sure to enter your planning budget and carryover budget as soon as possible in LBAAS. Remember, funding will NOT be released until your submission is made. For questions, please contact the State Coordinator at lphillip@serve.org.

• House Committee Passes Homeless Children and Youth Act (HCYA)
  The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance voted the Homeless Children and Youth Act (H.R. 1511) out of committee on July 24, 2018. Next steps include a full House vote (timeline unknown) and the passing of a companion bill in the Senate. A bipartisan Senate companion bill, S. 611, is led by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rob Portman (R-OH). Visit https://www.schoolhouseconnection.org/a-big-win-house-committee-passes-the-homeless-children-and-youth-act/ for more information. 

• Perkins Act Reauthorization
  On July 31, 2018, the President signed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act into law. This bill reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. The Act uses the M-V definition of homeless, requires consulting State Coordinators in the development of Perkins state plans, and includes a handful of other provisions aimed at targeting CTE supports to youth experiencing homelessness. The full text of the Act and additional information are available at https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2353.  
  
  
• FY2019 Federal Budget Process
  The FY2019 federal budget continues to be negotiated in Congress. On June 28, the Senate appropriations committee passed S. 3158, a bill that would increase FY2019 funding for the EHCY Program from $85 million (FY2018 level) to $93.5 million. The bill maintains funding for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program at $127.3 million. The bill next moves to the Senate floor for a vote. The House appropriations committee released its FY2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education funding bill earlier in June. The House legislation maintains funding for the EHCY program at $85 million (FY2018 level) and includes funding for the RHYA program at $121.4 million. Visit https://www.schoolhouseconnection.org/senate-bill-would-increase-funding-for-the-education-for-homeless-children-and-youth-program/ for more information.