• Dana Huggins-District Liaison
  hugginsd@columbiak12.com
  386-755-8191
   
• Jennifer Taylor- District Liaison Designee
  taylorj@columbiak12.com

Rights of Homeless children and youth:

• Immediate school enrollment and attendance, even without birth records, school records, immunization, and/or health physical (Florida Statute s. 1003.22
• Remain at their school of origin or enroll in their neighborhood school for the duration of the current academic school year.
• Transportation to and from school.
• Receive free breakfast and lunch for the remainder of the school year.
• Help for prompt resolutions about school placement including special education, bilingual education, gifted and remedial programs.
• Access to Title 1 school services.

Services provided by the Liaison and the Homeless Education Program are:

• Training of school staff and community partners on identification and enrollment of homeless students.
• Collaboration with District Attendance Liaison to identify and resolve attendance issues.
• Coordination with the District Transportation Department to ensure transportation of homeless students to the “school of origin” if requested by parent.
• Coordination with District Food Service Department to ensure Free Lunch and Breakfast for homeless students.
• Academic achievement will be addressed through tutors funded by Title X-Homeless Education program to provide homework and academic support to students living in shelters. Additionally, homeless students in need of academic support but do not live in shelters can be provided with tutorial support as well through Title 1 school services, existing after-school tutorial services or other available academic supports.
• Parental Involvement will be addressed through trainings that teach academic support skills to parents of homeless students.
• Collaboration with agencies outside of school district to provide resources to families of homeless students, i.e. food bank, health department, housing.
• Coordination with school staff to obtain school records, physicals, immunization, and other necessary information.
• Awareness activities will be provided to increase school staff to respond to the unique needs of homeless children and youth. The District Homeless Liaison will also participate in local homeless coalition to increase community awareness services available to student identified as homeless.
• Purchase school supplies/backpacks and other items needed to ensure academic success of our homeless students.
• Assistance with items that allow our homeless students to fully participate in the educational process, i.e. Cap/gown, field trips, fees for school participation in football, cheerleading, chorus.

The McKinney - Vento is the primary piece of federal legistlation dealing with the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness in U.S Public Schools. It was reauthorized Title X, Part C of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002.

Who is Homeless?

The definition of  "homeless" includes individuals:

1. Lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence
2. Share the housing of others due to financial hardship
3. Live in motels, hotels, travel trailer parks, camping grounds, substandard housing due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations
4. Living in emergency or transitional shelters
5. Abandoned in hospitals
6. Living in a public or private place not designated for human to live
7. Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus, or train stations, etc
8. Migratory children in above circumstances