Smith-Green Community Schools

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act developed as a result of upwards of 50 percent of homeless children not attending school. Congress created this act which was signed into law by President Ronald Regan on July 22, 1987, to provide states with funding to eliminate barriers to education. The goal of the McKinney-Vento Act was to ensure the enrollment, attendance and success of homeless children and youth in school. 

The SGCS District McKinney-Vento liaison is Kim Burns.  Please contact her directly with questions about available services.

 SGCS Contact:

Kim Burns
Jr. High/Elementary Counselor/McKinney-Vento Liaison
Smith-Green Community Schools
Burnsk@sgcs.k12.in.us
260-693-2131 

Indiana State Contact

Charie Gibson - Homeless Education Specialist
Flora Jones - Director of Student Pathways and Opportunities
McKinneyVentoPOC@doe.in.gov
317-232-0957

Who is Homeless:

Homeless students who lack a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence qualify as homeless. This includes students who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason. Students who lack alternate and adequate accommodations may be living in: 

• motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds;

• emergency or transitional shelters;

• public or private place not designed for human dwelling;

• cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

In addition, other students who count as homeless include those who are considered migrants, are awaiting foster care placement, or who are considered “Unaccompanied Youth,” meaning they meet the definition of homeless and they are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. 

Homeless Student's Rights

Students who are in temporary, inadequate and homeless living situations have the following rights: 

• Immediate enrollment in the school they last attended or the school in whose attendance area they are currently staying, even if they do not have all the documents normally required at the time of enrollment;

• Access to free meals and textbooks, Title I and other educational programs as well as other comparable services including transportation;

• Attendance in the same classes and activities that students in other living situations also participate in without fear of being separated or treated differently due to their housing arrangements. 

• IDOE McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth Program
• National Center for Homeless Education
• SchoolHouse Connection