Annual McKinney-Vento Local Liaison Training
Local McKinney-Vento liaisons are required by 704 KAR 7:090(2)(i) to complete a Kentucky Department of Education-approved training yearly. That training must cover multiple key elements, including homeless student rights, identification of homeless students, the dispute process, using data, monitoring and best practices.
The only approved training that meets this requirement presently is the local liaison training through McKinney-Vento.org. All liaisons are required to complete this training; there are no approved substitutions.
The McKinney-Vento.org local liaison online training was updated with a revised format during the 2022-2023 school year. The providers delivered a product that promised to be more targeted on the key skills liaisons need to develop, run and sustain a local program. The new training focuses on about five hours of key information, rather than the 12 hours of training previously provided.
The training was required to be completed on Dec. 31, 2022. Any new local liaisons who have not completed the training should contact the state coordinator Zach Stumbo for information on how to fulfill this requirement.
Liaisons who have completed the training with a minimum of 80% accuracy are eligible for four hours of Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit. They should complete this Google Form to receive their EILA credit certificate in approximately two weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about homeless education and the role of a liaison are always welcomed at the Kentucky Department of Education, especially if they involve purchases and if there is doubt about the allowability of the purchase.
From time to time, we receive questions about whether McKinney-Vento money can be used to pay for hotels, rent, rental deposits or other housing costs. In short, the answer is no. Housing is not an allowable expenditure.
We like to remind liaisons to collaborate with community organizations to assist with the basic needs of families. While rent and/or hotel/motel-related costs are generally not allowable, in cases of dire emergency situations, the districts can use homeless set-aside funds as a last resort for a few days for a hotel/motel.
This expense for the homeless will only be approved if it can be shown that the district is using it as a last resort. For instance, if the district was unable to make other arrangements due to agency offices being closed (after hours) or it’s a violent situation and the family has no other alternative, etc. The district should have other organizations and agencies you collaborate with to address housing needs so that the use of homeless funds for hotels/motels is rare.
Person Role Manager Maintenance
The local McKinney-Vento homeless liaison list was manually checked recently by KDE staff. It is important that we all do our part to keep the public informed with an accurate contact list for local liaisons.
Schools are required by the federal McKinney-Vento law to “provide contact information for the local liaison for homeless children and youths and the State Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths” (42 USC CHAPTER 119, SUBCHAPTER VI, Part B (C) (IV).
If there is a change at the local level with the liaison, the district web administration application point of contact (WAAPOC) should update their Person Role Manager with the new information for the McKinney-Vento local liaison. While not required, it is helpful and in the best interest of the students and program for exiting liaisons to notify the state coordinator of the change by email.
If you are receiving McKinney-Vento local liaison communications by error, please notify State Coordinator Zach Stumbo so the issue can be resolved in a timely manner.
 New McKinney-Vento State Coordinator Zach Stumbo is pictured, center, with some of the local Kentucky liaisons and staff in attendance at the NAEHCY conference in San Diego, Calif. Photo by Zach Stumbo, Oct. 29, 2022
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) National Conference 2022
The 2022 NAEHCY Conference was held in San Diego, Calif., Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2022.
NAEHCY is dedicated to ensuring educational equity and excellence for children and youth experiencing homelessness – including high-mobility children and youth – through collaboration, learning, leadership and capacity building of members. The conference allows individuals and groups to share high-interest and meaningful practices and strategies throughout the event using breakaways, keynotes, networking and receptions.
Local McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons from 21 Kentucky school districts traveled to San Diego to attend the 2022 conference, the first in-person conference since 2019. Plans are underway for the 2023 NAEHCY conference, which will be in New Orleans, La. The conference is traditionally held near the end of October or early November annually.
For more information, visit the NAEHCY website.
 Northern Kentucky McKinney-Vento local liaisons are pictured with State Coordinator Zach Stumbo and keynote speaker Dr. Richard White after the Evening of Hope event. (Photo by: Zach Stumbo, November 17, 2022)
Northern Kentucky Schools Celebrate National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
On Nov. 17, 2022, the Northern Kentucky Homeless Education Collaborative held a public event to raise awareness for McKinney-Vento programs in the Northern Kentucky area. Participating districts included Bellevue Independent, Boone County, Campbell County, Covington Independent, Dayton Independent, Erlanger-Elsmere Independent, Kenton County, Newport Independent and Southgate Independent. During the 2021-2022 school year, these eight districts served a combined 2,410 homeless students.
The event took place over two days. On the first evening, former students and staff shared personal stories to explain the importance of the McKinney-Vento program for the local community. The highlight of the first day was a keynote address by New York Times best-selling author Richard Antoine White. He shared inspirational stories from his life, including stories from his childhood when he was growing up homeless in Baltimore, Md.
The next day, McKinney-Vento students traveled to Northern Kentucky University with their local liaisons for more celebratory events with White.
Fayette County Leaders Giving Back and Partnerships
The Fayette County School District recently brought on a familiar face to its school community to work with the McKinney-Vento Program, T.C. Johnson.
She is the new liaison for the homeless education program in Fayette County, and she started her new role in late August.
Johnson wasted no time getting to work serving the students in Fayette County. During the Thanksgiving holiday, she sought donations from district leaders to cook and deliver holiday meals to homeless students and families living in motels and hotels.
In December, Johnson partnered with former professional football player George Wilson and the Safety Foundation, and a local sporting goods store to give 30 high school students a $100 shopping spree with a mentoring local law enforcement officer. The students were excited to pick out new items, ranging from athletic wear to shoes.
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