Fountain Valley School District*

Many children experiencing homelessness are not identified as such, and therefore, do not receive the support and benefits authorized by the McKinney-Vento Act. Fountain Valley School District agrees with the finding.

The lack of mandatory McKinney-Vento Act training of school site office staff, counselors, and teachers contributes to a failure to identify children experiencing homelessness. Our mission is to promote a foundation for academic excellence, mastery of basic skills, responsible discensing and a desire by students to achieve their highest potential through a partnership with home and community. Fountain Valley School District partially disagrees that a lack of "mandatory" training necessarily contributes to a failure to identify children experiencing homelessness for the following reason: Many families do not identify, or see themselves as "homeless." However, the District partially agrees with the finding for the following reasons: An increased access to and focus on training of school staff will likely increase the identification of children experiencing 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. Fountain Valley School District agrees with this finding.

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. Fountain Valley School District does not have firsthand information regarding the workload of McKinney-Vento Liaisons throughout the county and, therefore, cannot wholly agree or disagree with this finding. As it relates to Fountain Valley School District, FVSD disagrees with this finding for the following reason: The size of our district, 10 school sites, allows the liaison to work and train our schools.

Many McKinney-Vento Liaisons lack needed experience due to a high turnover rate in those positions. Fountain Valley School District does not have firsthand information regarding the experience and turnover rate for McKinney-Vento Liaisons throughout the county and, therefore, cannot wholly agree or disagree with this finding. As it relates to FVSD, the District disagrees with this finding for the following reasons: We recently divided the duties of Support Services and now have one director for Special Education and one for Student Services allowing for a larger focus on homeless students and the training of our staff.

McKinney-Vento Act training is not mandatory for the majority of McKinney-Vento Liaisons. Fountain Valley School District partially disagrees with the finding. Fountain Valley School District does not have firsthand information regarding whether or not districts across Orange County mandate McKinney-Vento training and, therefore, cannot agree or disagree with this finding. As it relates to the Our mission is to promote a foundation for academic excellence, mastery of basic skills, responsible citizenship. and a desire by students to achieve their highest potential through a partnership with home and community. Fountain Valley School District, the District partially agrees with this finding for the following reasons: Liaisons are trained at OCDE and provide training and support for our 10 school sites.

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. Fountain Valley School District partially disagrees with the finding. FVSD does not have firsthand knowledge regarding this finding across all districts in Orange County. However, as an elementary district, FVSD partially disagrees with this finding for the following reasons: Parents have the opportunity to notify our high schools of their living status when they register.

McKinney-Vento funds depend on school districts submitting grant proposals, but not all districts have employees trained in writing grant applications, resulting in missed funding opportunities. Fountain Valley School District agrees with this finding.

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

McKinney-Vento is an unfunded federally mandated program; however, school districts which qualify and apply for Title I, 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. Fountain Valley School District agrees with this finding.

A lack of reliable transportation for children experiencing homelessness often results in chronic tardiness and absenteeism. Our mission is to promote a foundation for academic excellence, mastery of basic skills, responsible citizenship and a desire by students to achieve their highest potential through a partnership with home and community. Fountain Valley School District partially disagrees with this finding for the following reasons: When meeting with families, it is not only transportation that causes chronic tardiness and absenteeism. Many factors contribute including parental work schedules.

Chronic Absenteeism Rates of Homeless Students are disproportionately high in comparison with the Chronic Absenteeism Rates of All Students and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students. Fountain Valley School District agrees with this finding.

Children experiencing homelessness in Orange County perform at a lower level on standardized tests and have a lower graduation rate than All Students and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students. Fountain Valley School District is a TK-8 School District that does not collect graduation rates.

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. Fountain Valley School District partially agrees with this finding for the following reasons: Percent of Percent of Students Students Met/Exceed Met/Exceed 2021-22 SBAC % Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 ed Standard 2022-23 SBAC % Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 ed Standard 15% 31% ELA - All Stu 10% 44% 75% ELA - All Stu 10% 14% 31% 45% 76% ELA-SED 29% ELA-SED 19% 16% 22% 33% 62% 15% 32% 33% 65% ELA - Homeless 25% 25% 38% 13% 50% ELA-Homeless 33% 67% 67% Math - All Stu 18% 27% 44% 71% Math - All Stu 17% 25% 73% 11% 10% 48% 22% Math-SED 23% 27% 32% Math - SED 15% 27% 36% 18% 59% 63% Math - Homeless 25% 38% 25% 13% 38% Math - Homeless 33% 33% 33% 67%

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. Fountain Valley School District wholly disagrees with the finding. As it relates to our interaction with other school districts, Fountain Valley School District wholly disagrees with this finding for the Our mission is to promote a foundation for academic excellence, mastery of basic skills, responsible citizenship and a desire by students to achieve their highest potential through a partnership with home and community. following reasons: We have consistent, planned meetings where districts collaborate and hear from County personnel as to how we can best serve our homeless population.

A significant lack of affordable permanent housing contributes to many families being caught in the cycle of homelessness. Fountain Valley School District agrees with this finding.