Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
McKinney Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program
Under this program, state educational agencies (SEAs) must ensure that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as other children and youth. Homeless children and youth should have access to the educational and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging state student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment. States and districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth.
Key Policy Letters from the Education Secretary and Deputy Secretary
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued a letter to public school districts about LGBT bullying. He specifically states that GSAs are protected under the 1984 Equal Access Act, which protects student-initiated groups.
Transgender Students Share School Experiences with ED Officials
ED invited a group of transgender students to speak about their school experiences at a roundtable discussion with Secretary Duncan and senior officials. Students described what makes them feel safe and supported in the learning environment, specifically providing recommendations related to proper bathroom and locker utilization, appropriate name and pronoun use, and the elimination of the school to prison pipeline.
Resource: Guidance to Help Schools Ensure the Civil Rights of Transgender Students
This joint guidance (PDF, 9 pages) provides information to help educators ensure all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex. The guidance also addresses the treatment of students’ gender identity, response to harassment, students’ participation in sex-segregated activities, and students’ privacy.
Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
The Employment and Training Administration site provides information about summer youth jobs, the Workforce Investment Act, and other employment and training programs related to youth .
National Center for Homeless Education
NCHE is the U.S. Department of Education's technical assistance and information center in the area of homeless education.
Brief: Supporting School Success for Homeless Children of Veterans and Military Service Members
This brief (PDF, 10 pages) provides educators and service providers with information about the educational rights of — and supports available to — children and youth experiencing homelessness. The brief also provides an overview of federal programs that target services specifically to the families of veterans with school-age children.
Resource: Financial Aid for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
This letter (PDF, 2 pages) highlights new policy changes that will remove barriers homeless youth face when accessing financial aid for college. ED plans to change the 2017-18 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) to be more supportive of homeless students and will remove the definition of “youth” to allow for a smoother process for 22 and 23 year old students to determine their independent status.
Resource: Homeless Children and Youth
This guidance (PDF, 51 pages) provides information to states and school districts on the new provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act for supporting homeless youth.
Resource: Criteria and Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Youth Homelessness
This resource provides specific criteria and benchmarks for ending unaccompanied youth homelessness. Communities can use this resource to reduce the number of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness and build lasting solutions to respond to future needs.
Resource: Data on Homeless Students
This data file includes information for all school districts that reported homeless students in the U.S. during school year 2015-16. Researchers, school district personnel, and organizations serving homeless youth can use this information in their efforts to better understand and/or serve this population.
A Guide to School Vulnerability Assessment Key: Principles for Safe Schools
This guide is a companion piece to the Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities (above). It emphasizes a valuable part of emergency management planning—ongoing vulnerability assessment—and is intended to assist schools with the selection and implementation of an effective vulnerability assessment tool.
ED Office of Safe and Healthy Students Emergency Planning Website
The U.S. Department of Education (ED)'s Office of Safe and Healthy Students' (OSHS) Center for School Preparedness provides support, resources, grants, and training to support emergency management efforts for local educational agencies and institutions of higher education.
Emergency Planning for Schools
This website, Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS), provides information that can help school leaders plan for any emergency, including natural disasters, violent incidents and terrorist acts.
Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools
Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools offers research-based practices designed to assist school communities identify these warning signs early and develop prevention, intervention and crisis response plans.
New Online Courses Available in School Emergency Management for K-12 Schools and School Districts
The REMS TA Center has developed five new online courses for practitioners in the field of K–12 school emergency management that address the following topics: (1) Developing a Bereavement and Loss Annex; (2) Developing a COOP Annex; (3) Developing a Food Contamination Annex; (4) Planning for Infectious Diseases; and (5)Planning for Large Events. (Note users must create an account).
National Strategy for Youth Preparedness Education: Empowering, Educating, and Building Resilience
In this publication, FEMA, the Red Cross, and ED outline a vision for a nation of prepared youth through the mobilization of youth preparedness education (PDF, 32 pages) in communities across the country. It identifies nine key steps, each associated with one or more short- and long-term activities that are critical to fulfilling the vision of a prepared youth community.
Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities
Taking action now can save lives, prevent injury, and minimize property damage in the moments of a crisis. Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities is designed to help navigate the process of reviewing and revising school and district plans. The guide is intended to give schools, districts, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices.
The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center
The REMS Technical Assistance Center supports public and non-public schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education in school emergency management, including the development and implementation of comprehensive all-hazards emergency management plans. The TA Center disseminates information about school emergency management to help individual schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education learn more about developing, implementing, and evaluating comprehensive, all-hazards school emergency management plans.
Resource: Emergency Management Virtual Toolkit
This virtual toolkit helps state and local education agencies, emergency management agencies, school safety centers, and others who play a key role in school safety build capacity in emergency management and preparedness. It is divided into three sections:
- Develop high-quality emergency operations plans
- Engage youth and the school community
- Connect with other emergency management practitioners
Resource: SITE ASSESS: A Mobile Application for K-12 Schools and School Districts
This free mobile application, developed by the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center, allows school and school district personnel to walk around school grounds and examine their safety, security, accessibility, and emergency preparedness.