Office of Accountability - Albany Office
Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act,
McKinney-Vento liaisons are required to participate in professional development so that they can better
identify and meet the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness (42 U.S.C. §§ 11432[f][6] &
[g][6][A][ix]). The Department requires that the McKinney-Vento liaison from each local educational
agency (LEA)[1]Ìýattend one of the professional development sessions (workshop, onsite regional training
or webinar) offered by the Department’s technical assistance center, NYS-TEACHS, to comply with the
federal training requirement. Federal law also now requires that McKinney-Vento liaisons ensure that
LEA personnel providing McKinney-Vento services (e.g., superintendents, registrars, transportation
directors, CSE chairs, school counselors, school social workers, principals, school attorneys, and Title I
directors, teachers) receive professional development. Liaisons can do this by either providing the training
to staff themselves or by ensuring that LEA staff participate in one of the trainings offered by NYS-TEACHS.
NYS-TEACHS offers half-day McKinney-Vento workshops, which are planned for Albany on
November 2 and Rochester on November 7 this school- year. Please be aware that McKinney-Vento
funds and/or Title I, Part A funds may be used for travel-related expenses and staff replacement
costs related to your attendance at one of the workshops. In addition to the Workshops and on-site
regional trainings, you may also sign-up for hour- long webinars t h a t will be offered throughout the
2018-2019 school year. Information about all of these events, which are free of charge, is available on
the NYS-TEACHS website and is updated throughout the year: .
Subjects covered in professional development sessions include:
✓ An introduction to McKinney-Vento and related NYS Education laws,
✓ Understanding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and McKinney-Vento,
✓ Determining McKinney-Vento eligibility,
✓ Liaison responsibilities,
✓ Transportation of students in temporary housing,
✓ College access,
✓ Dispute resolution,
✓ Youth perspectives on homelessness and education,
✓ Funding sources for instructional and transportation services for students in temporary housing,
✓ The rights of homeless unaccompanied youth,
✓ Trauma-sensitive strategies for school success,
✓ Using trauma-sensitive strategies with parents and caregivers,
✓ Accessing services for families,
✓ Early childhood education, and
✓ Other timely topics relating to students experiencing homelessness.
To register for a webinar, training, or workshop, please visit the NYS-TEACHS website:Ìý.
For LEAs receiving McKinney-Vento Grant funds ( 19.FundedDistricts(website)_FINAL.xlsx), there will be a mandatory meeting in April 2019. The meeting, which will take place in Albany, will focus on designing and implementing grant programs that help students in temporary housing succeed in school. The Baseline Grantee meeting will be from 9am-3pm so please plan for one-over-night stay in Albany the night before the meeting if necessary. McKinney-Vento Grantees who have an Enhanced Grant for Trauma-Sensitive Schools will have an additional meeting the afternoon BEFORE the all-day Baseline Grantee meeting. Enhanced grantees should plan for one over-night-stay in Albany. McKinney-Vento grant funds may be used for this travel. More information will be forthcoming. Please note that LEAs receiving McKinney-Vento Grants are invited and encouraged to also attend the fall workshops but are not required to do so.
Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Melanie Faby at (518) 473-0295, or NYS-TEACHS at 1-800-388-2014, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.– 5:00 p.m. Thank you in advance for your support and participation.
Footnotes
[1] LEAs include school districts, charter schools, and BOCES.
