ARP-HCY I & II Reminder
The deadline for spending ARP-HCY I has been extended to the same date as ARP-HCY II, Sept. 30, 2024. No further extensions will be possible for either ARP-HCY programs.
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) into law. In recognition of the extraordinary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students experiencing homelessness, the ARP included $800 million to support the needs of homeless children and youth via the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Fund.
The U.S. Department of Education released ARP-HCY funds in two separate disbursements – ARP Homeless I and ARP Homeless II. The funds were intended to support the increased identification of children and youth experiencing homelessness and connect them to wrap-around and educational support services.
As part of that implementation, the Kentucky Department of Education will continue monitoring local educational agency drawdowns of ARP-HCY funds. As a reminder, ARP-HCY funds must be spent or obligated by the appropriate deadline. If you would like to discuss ideas about how to allocate the remaining funds before that date, please reach out to State Coordinator Zach Stumbo.
Kentucky House Bill 21: Driver’s License and State Identification Update
House Bill 21, passed during the 2023 legislative session, reduces barriers to state identification requirements for homeless individuals and unaccompanied homeless youth seeking a driver’s license. These changes will likely make it easier for many homeless families and students to obtain state identification and driver’s license than before.
Having the proper identification is an important step toward independence, voting, gaining access to services and seeking post-secondary education. The law takes part in stages before July 1, 2025, and after.
Please review HB 21; and for more information visit the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website to find a local or regional office.
New Resource Available for Supporting Transient Students Credit Accumulation
Every year in Kentucky, more than 10,000 students are enrolled in three or more schools.
Transient students face enormous challenges that can lead to disengagement from education. A frequent obstacle is lack of processes and supports to ensure they are accumulating credits across settings. These students often have to repeat course content and are too often placed in virtual learning spaces when they need direct instruction.
One of the ways schools can support these students is to ensure they are accumulating partial credits toward successful completion. To this end, please consider the practices in this brief, 2-page resource guide Supporting Transient Students Credit Accumulation.
For more information, please contact Judi Vanderhaar or April Stanley.
Title I, Part A Homeless Set Aside Funds
By Erin Sudduth, KDE Education Administration Program Manager
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 1113(c)(3)(A) requires all districts to set aside a reasonable and necessary amount of Title I, Part A funds to provide services for homeless children. The law does not specify an amount or percentage that must be reserved for this purpose, however, methods for determining an appropriate reservation are outlined in ESSA 1113(c)(3)(C).
Once the district has determined an appropriate amount to reserve and the consolidated application has received KDE approval in GMAP, that amount cannot be decreased. Any unspent homeless set-aside funds carried over to the next school year must be used to support homeless students as explained in the Title I Carryover Information document.
It is recommended that districts develop a needs assessment as authorized under ESSA 1113(c)(3)(C)(i) to determine the reservation amount for the homeless set-aside. The needs assessment should be based on the current needs of students identified as experiencing homelessness – including academic and social-emotional needs – and should consider all other funding sources available to meet student needs. The process should include collaboration with stakeholders to identify and provide services and resources to homeless students, as well as educational services to families.
The Title I coordinator should work with the district’s homeless liaison to develop the needs assessment and determine how funds should be spent.
Additional information on the use of a needs assessment in relation to the homeless set-aside funds is available in the Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program Non-Regulatory Guidance.
Migrant Education and Homeless Education
By Duane Kline and Zach Stumbo, Kentucky Department of Education
The Migrant Education Program serves children of migrant farm workers and their families between the ages of birth until their 22nd birthday. While these students and families sometimes find themselves in highly transitory circumstances, they also frequently find themselves living in impoverished conditions. These conditions are often compounded by homelessness, where families may live with other families in a single-family dwelling in order to afford rent and other living expenses.
It is not unusual for migrant agricultural workers to move from location to location seeking more affordable housing and living conditions. This transitory lifestyle may result in families spending time with relatives or friends, or in temporary housing provided by employers.
Migrant students bear the impact of these transitions and will benefit from the additional support that Title I Homeless set-aside funds and Migrant Education Program funds can provide.
At the State Coordinator’s Meeting in Washington, D.C., a U.S. Department of Education specialist in migrant education spoke with state coordinators about the importance of ensuring proper identification of migrant students who meet the homeless definition, based on their nighttime residence. Migrant students who do not have a fixed, adequate and regular nighttime residence should be evaluated for eligibility.
For more information about the McKinney-Vento Act and Migrant Education, please read the Migrant Students Experiencing Homelessness: Rights and Services Under the McKinney-Vento Act brief from the National Center for Homeless Education.
Gifted and Talented Homeless Students
The Every Student Succeeds Act allows for the use of funds to expedite evaluations of the strengths and needs of homeless children and youths, including needs and eligibility for programs and services, such as educational programs for gifted and talented students. For more information, please read the McKinney-Vento Subgrant Authorized Activities webpage from the National Center for Homeless Education.
In 2022, Kentucky schools reported 88,040 gifted and talented students in grades K-12. However, only 1,031 of those gifted and talented students also were identified as homeless. For more information, please visit the KDE Gifted and Talented webpage.
Giftedness is not limited to specific socioeconomic backgrounds or living conditions. Homeless students, like their housed peers, can exhibit exceptional intellectual, creative or artistic abilities that deserve recognition.
Identifying giftedness in homeless students requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account diverse indicators, such as high cognitive abilities, advanced problem-solving skills, exceptional creativity and outstanding academic performance. The transient nature of homeless students’ living conditions may result in interrupted schooling, lack of access to appropriate educational resources and limited opportunities for enrichment activities.
To ensure the development of homeless gifted students, it is important to include strategies that address their specific needs. Some key considerations:
- Early Identification: Implement effective screening processes that consider diverse indicators of giftedness and provide opportunities for early identification, even in transient situations. Some programs only screen annually. Learn how your district’s gifted program screens and advocate for additional screening opportunities for homeless students.
- Flexibility in Programming: Design flexible educational programs that accommodate the challenges faced by homeless students, allowing for personalized learning plans, remote access to resources and individualized support. Additionally, advocate for students to screen to enter programs or tracks that may require prior feeder schools or programs.
- Collaboration and Advocacy: Foster collaboration among educators, administrators and community organizations to create a support network for homeless gifted students. Advocate for homeless students' needs and ensure their access to appropriate educational resources and opportunities.
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