Visiting Harlan County
Written by Zach Stumbo
In December 2023, I visited Harlan County Schools as part of the American Rescue Plan-Homeless Children and Youth program monitoring team. Following the district interview, I spent additional time with Gina Stewart, the Harlan County local homeless liaison.
For those who have yet to visit, Harlan is located near the Appalachian Trail and filled with beautiful mountain views. The area has seen a recent population increase due to its affordable cost of living. The school district explained that they often welcome in families from out of state starting a new chapter in their life in Harlan. The local community takes immense pride in their history, culture and school system.
With so much to celebrate in Harlan County, it is also important to remember this is an area that has not remained untouched by poverty, economic distress and homelessness. In 2022, the county was estimated to have 25,662 residents of which 1,169 were students experiencing homelessness in Harlan County Schools (United States Census Bureau, Kentucky Department of Education). Despite the challenges, district leadership and the local liaison remain committed to developing a McKinney-Vento program with sustainability rooted in educational results.
During my visit, Gina relayed the district had three key priorities for their McKinney-Vento program.
First, from the leadership to classified staff, everyone receives training for students experiencing homelessness and how to report a concern. The second priority is to retain the students in school recovering every credit possible. Finally, the third priority is to ensure the students have every tool available to graduate on time.
The district has found great success with a new platform for credit recovery. Recently, the district extended credit recovery access to students outside of the McKinney-Vento program.
To learn more about reducing barriers to graduation for non-homeless students, liaisons are encouraged to review this "Supporting Transient Students Credit Accumulation" resource from the Persistence to Graduation consultant Judi Vanderhaar from the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
I asked Gina to explain the secret behind the success of identifying so many McKinney-Vento eligible students in Harlan County Schools. Gina shared that it was important to understand the local context.
Harlan does not have a large number of students living in shelters, hotels or motels because these amenities are not readily available in the area. Most of the students experiencing homelessness are living doubled-up or in substandard housing. A doubled-up living arrangement includes “sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason” (Non-Regulatory Guidance A-1).
When considering substandard housing, liaisons and districts “may consider whether the setting in which the family, child or youth is living lacks one of the fundamental utilities such as water, electricity or heat; is infested with vermin or mold; lacks a basic functional part such as a working kitchen or a working toilet; or may present unreasonable dangers to adults, children or persons with disabilities. Each city, county or state may have its own housing codes that further define the kind of housing that may be deemed substandard” (Non-Regulatory Guidance A-3).
Gina underscored the importance of home visits to properly identify and categorize eligible students for McKinney-Vento services.
The efforts in Harlan County Schools have made noticeable changes in the outcomes for students experiencing homelessness there.
From the 2021-2022 year to the 2022-2023 school year, Harlan County Schools reported a decrease in novice scores for homeless youth in reading and math at the elementary and middle school levels. Similarly, the district reported an increase in students scoring proficient and distinguished while experiencing homelessness over the year. Data was redacted at the high school level. The graduation rate increased from 85.3% to 90.1% between 2020-2023 (Kentucky School Report Card). These achievements are to be celebrated.
ARP-HCY I and II Information
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, ARP included an unprecedented $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.
Recently, the deadline for spending ARP-HCY I was extended to the same deadline as ARP-HCY II, Sept. 30, 2024. No further extensions will be possible for either ARP-HCY program.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will continue monitoring local educational agency drawdowns of ARP-HCY funds. As a reminder, ARP-HCY funds must be spent or obligated by the deadline. If you would like to discuss ideas about how to allocate the remaining funds before the deadline, please reach out to state coordinator Zach Stumbo.
Liaisons are strongly encouraged to review the Planning, Implementing and Sustaining Your ARP-HCY End Balance recorded webinar. This webinar was co-hosted by KDE and SchoolHouse Connection. During the webinar, presenters provided an overview of ARP-HCY funds, including allowable and strategic uses, best practices from liaisons implementing funds and strategies for planning for implementation.
Hotels and Motels: Information about Temporary Emergency Housing
In order to provide emergency housing such as a motel or hotel, liaisons must collaborate with community organizations to assist with the basic needs of families. While hotel/motel-related costs are generally not allowable, in cases of dire emergency situations, the districts may use homeless set-aside funds as a last resort for up to five nights in a hotel/motel with ARP-HCY funds.
This change comes as a result of a letter to states from the U.S. Department of Education. If your district does not have access to ARP-HCY funds, Title-One Part A and McKinney-Vento Subgrants only allow for two to three nights provided the approved applications include this use.
This expense will only be approved if it can be shown that the district is using it as a last resort – for instance, if the family was unable to make other arrangements due to agency offices being closed (after hours), there is a violent domestic situation and the family has no other alternative, etc.
The district should have other organizations and agencies it collaborates with to address housing needs so that use of homeless funds for hotels/motels is rare.
Emergency housing should be treated as individual events. For example, a short-term stay may be allowable if a family is evicted in May and then again in February during a severe snowstorm. Please note that several districts spend zero grant funding on hotels/motels; in those districts this need is met either with donations or through community agencies.
If you have questions or would like to know more, please reach out to state coordinator, Zach Stumbo.
 Cohort of Kentucky NAEHCY attendees 2023. Photo by Zach Stumbo.
NAEHCY Conference in New Orleans, La.
Approximately 130 liaisons, district staff and KDE staff traveled to New Orleans, La., from Nov. 11-14 for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) conference. Many other colleagues joined the conference through a virtual format.
This year’s national NAEHCY conference sold out of in-person registration in September. The conference included opportunities to network with professionals from the field, hear expert keynote speakers and attend excellent breakout sessions.
The 2024 conference is scheduled to be in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 16-19. Please mark your calendars now.
As a reminder, ARP-HCY funding can only be used to pay for registration for the 2024 conference to align to the Code of Federal Regulations 34 CFR 76.707 regarding obligations.
Determining the Best Interest of a Student
When evaluating the placement of students experiencing homelessness, the liaison should, if possible, give preference to the opinion of the parent or unaccompanied student. Often this means preserving the school of origin for a student experiencing homelessness.
For students experiencing homelessness, school stability can offer a reliable place where they can return day-after-day when other places may be changing. However, there are times when the school of origin may not seem the most beneficial school placement for the student. Child-centered reasons must be at the heart of decisions to remove a student from their school of origin.
The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) released the brief “School Selection and Best Interest Determination: Strategies for Educators” in April of 2023.
The NCHE brief reviews relevant areas of the McKinney-Vento Act related to selecting schools and making placement decisions for students experiencing homelessness. Also included are discussion and reflection questions for staff facing a difficult decision. Lastly, a graphic organizer is included as a possible option to help shape thoughts surrounding the matter.
This brief and its included resources are not required for adoption, but several liaisons have found them helpful. Please consider reviewing the materials and making them part of your program if appropriate.
Kentucky Written Notification for a Best Interest Determination
In December, homeless liaisons received an email with a link to a best interest determination sample form on the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) website for Homeless Children and Youth. Districts may consider adopting this sample form to meet the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Act (42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(3)(b)(iii)) which establishes that local homeless liaisons must notify families in writing if a best interest determination is not the school of origin, or when the school selected through the best interest determination is against the parent’s wishes.
Information can be entered into the form and used as the required notification. Likewise, this form provides documentation that can be useful in the event of a dispute.
This form has been adapted by KDE from an example provided by the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE). KDE recommends that each district review its local procedures to ensure you have a procedure for notifying parents, guardians or unaccompanied homeless youth in writing regarding best interest determinations. If not, districts are recommended to adopt this form or create their own to meet this requirement.
If you have questions or would like to know more, please reach out to state coordinator, Zach Stumbo.
 Bullitt County Homeless Liaison Tiffany Reynolds pictured with author Cheryl Fuller.
Photo by Jennifer Davenport, Bullitt County Schools
Bullitt County Hosted Mini-Conference in November 2023
In honor of National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in November, Bullitt County Public Schools hosted two renowned speakers for a free mini-conference at the Paroquet Springs Conference Centre on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
The guest speakers included Cheryl Fuller, author of Peace by Piece. Fuller has over 36 years of experience in education experience as a teacher, counselor, administrator, and provider of professional development. She was a keynote speaker at the 2022 National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
The second guest speaker was Diane Nilan, a homeless advocate, video creator and author of three books.
Local homeless liaison Tiffany Reynolds reported that the mini-conference was enjoyed by those in attendance.
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