STUDENT SERVICES

McKINNEY-VENTO HOMELESS ACT

Shaneitha Lee Nance

McKinney-Vento Liaison

Shaneitha.lee@robeson.k12.nc.us

910-671-6000

Lisa Phillips

State Coordinator

LPHILLIP@serve.org

NC Homeless Education Program

336-315-7419

336-543-4285

Every school district by federal law in the United States Must appoint a Liaison that will ensure compliance of the law.  Every school has a Social Worker who serves as the McKinney-Vento Point of Contact in the Public Schools of Robeson County.

 District McKinney-Vento Data:*

School Year                    Number of Certified Students Reported

 2023-2024 390

 2022-2023    320

 2021-2022   244

* sourced from NCHEP


The McKinney Vento Act is a federal law passed to help families who are homeless keep their children in school. It addresses educational challenges and guarantees students the right to immediate enrollment, it removes barriers and helps students "in transition" succeed in school.


The term “homeless children and youth”—


A. means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and


B. includes —

  1. children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; or are living in emergency or transitional shelters or are abandoned in hospitals.

  2. children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings...

  3. children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

  4. migratory children who qualify as homeless; and

  5. youth living on their own, living with others, runaways, or kicked out.

Parent/Youth Rights

Educational Rights of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Children and youth experiencing homelessness have the right to

  • Receive a free, appropriate public education.

  • Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment, or having missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness.

  • Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents.

  • Enroll in the local attendance area school or continue attending their school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is the parent's, guardian's, or unaccompanied youth's preference. If the school district believes the school selected is not in the student's best interest, then the district must provide the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth with a written explanation of its position and inform him/her of the right to appeal its decision.

  • Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if requested by the parent, guardian, or local liaison on behalf of an unaccompanied youth.

  • Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to the student's need.

These rights are established under Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.  It was reauthorized by Title IX, Part A in December 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  

Subtitle VII-B of The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act authorizes the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program and is the primary piece of federal legislation related to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. It was reauthorized in December 2015 by Title IX, Part A, of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Policy Code: 4125 Homeless Students