Unitied School District a Legacy of Excellence in Education 300 South C Street, Tustin, Ca 92780-3695 ♦ (714) 730-7301*

Many children experiencing homelessness are not identified as such, and therefore do not receive the support and benefits authorized by the McKinney-Vento Act. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

The lack of mandatory McKinney-Vento Act training of school office staff, counselors, and teachers contributes to a failure to identify children experiencing homelessness. Tustin Unified partially disagrees with this finding. TUSD has employed community liaisons and community specialists that combine efforts to identify and enroll students experiencing homelessness. It is likely that training additional staff on each campus would increase the volume of employees capable of identifying signs of homelessness, and in-turn potentially increase referrals to those trained to work directly with students experiencing homelessness. However, beyond training, more needs to be done to educate the general population of resources available, to inform them of whom to talk with and how anyone in the family can self-identify (without fear of repercussions) when they are experiencing financial strain, food insecurity, or homelessness.

There is disparity in the application of McKinney-Vento regulations across Orange County public school districts which results in unequal access to educational benefits for children experiencing homelessness. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding. Board of Education Jonathan Abelove * Allyson Damikolas * Lynn Davis * James H. Laird * Jonathan Stone

The majority of McKinney-Vento Liaisons are in full-time positions, but because their work includes multiple non-McKinney-Vento responsibilities, most do not have sufficient time to do the work required by the McKinney-Vento Act. Tustin Unified partially disagrees with this finding. While the statement may be true for other districts in Orange County, TUSD has a team of staff members that are hired to perform the work required by the McKinney-Vento act as one of their highest priorities. This team includes Community Liaisons, Child Welfare and Attendance Officers, Student Services Officers, Mental Health Professionals, Community Specialists, Nurses, as well as other administrative and support personnel. It is true however, that these individuals would perform other support roles at their sites after supporting students experiencing homelessness.

Many McKinney-Vento Liaisons lack needed experience due to high turnover rate in those positions. Tustin Unified partially disagrees with this finding. While this statement may be true for other districts in Orange County, TUSD is not experiencing a high turnover rate for McKinney-Vento Liaisons.

McKinney-Vento Act training is not mandatory for the majority of McKinney-Vento Liaisons. Tustin Unified partially disagrees with this finding. While training may not be mandatory in other districts across Orange County, TUSD provides training and expects our McKinney-Vento Liaisons to attend training each year. Additional follow-up or supplemental trainings may also be offered as needed. TUSD provides supplemental trainings in the event that a specific/timely topic applies to the liaison role and a uniform approach is desired across the District. TUSD trainings are typically provided by District staff that oversee the TUSD McKinney-Vento program and may be supplemented with support of outside resources.

Students experiencing homelessness who are enrolled in an elementary district often do not continue to receive McKinney-Vento benefits when they move to a high school district because the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents the sharing of this information between districts. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding. TUSD is a K-12 District with a uniform student information system across all sites and levels. Therefore, student information is shared across our sites if a student transitions from a TUSD elementary site to a TUSD secondary site. Information could be lost however in the event a student coming from another school district or private school enrolls in TUSD and does not self-identify as experiencing homelessness.

McKinney-Vento funds depend on school districts submitting grant proposals, but not all districts have employees training in writing grant applications, resulting in missed funding opportunities. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

School districts that do not apply for grants which fund programs benefitting children experiencing homelessness miss potential revenue opportunities. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

McKinney-Vento is an unfunded federally mandated program; however, school districts which qualify and apply for Title 1, Part A funds may obtain revenues that can be used for children experiencing homelessness. These funds are insufficient to meet the needs of the school districts supporting children experiencing homelessness. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

A lack of reliable transportation for children experiencing homelessness often results in chronic tardiness and absenteeism. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

Chronic Absenteeism Rates of Homeless Students are disproportionately high in comparison with the Chronic Absenteeism Rates of All Students and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

Children experiencing homelessness in Orange County perform at a lower level on standardized tests and have a lower graduation rate that All Students and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

The percent of Homeless Students graduating who failed to meet state standards on English Language Arts and Math tests is significantly higher than it is for All students and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.

There is a tendency by school districts to operate in isolation, which prevents productive collaboration on addressing the issue of children experiencing homelessness and the challenges of their education. Tustin Unified School District partially disagree with this finding. TUSD meets with a group of similar districts and collaborates with a network of McKinney-Vento related staff in the area to ensure families moving from one district to another continue to receive the best supports possible. The group also shares best practices for supporting students and families who remain within their district but are experiencing homelessness. This work is in addition to the communication and networking on the topic that happens through OCDE.

A significant lack of affordable permanent housing contributes to many families being caught in the middle of homelessness. Tustin Unified agrees with this finding.