REQUIRED TRAINING:

McKinney-Vento Liaison Annual Training – Liaisons have the choice to review materials on their own and complete this assessment for the certificate, OR can join a virtual training session to receive a certificate.

• hear state and federal updates,
• learn about regional resources,
• hear youth perspective and strategies to improve student engagement for students with housing instability from the New Beginnings Youth Action Board members
• brainstorm solutions and network

Subgrant to Support the Needs of Students Experiencing Homelessness and/or Multilingual Learners

The Maine Department of Education, through COVID-19 federal emergency relief funds, is providing the opportunity for eligible school administrative units to apply for additional funding to support the needs of students actively experiencing homelessness and/or multilingual learners who have been impacted by the pandemic as of June 1, 2022. The purpose of the funding is to:

• Provide supports and services for students experiencing homelessness, and to engage with families and prepare staff to meet the unique needs of these students and their families

• Provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services, engage with families, and prepare staff to meet the unique needs of multilingual learners and their families.

You can view specific SAU allocations and learn more about the purpose of the available funding here. For more information, click here.

Transportation Ideas

As we continue to see transportation needs increase statewide, we've compiled some of the potential solutions to share with districts:

• National Center on Homeless Education Transportation Page
• Strategies for Rural School Districts
• Transportation Resource Guide from SchoolHouse Connection
• Update local district policies to allow for staff, volunteers to drive students in personal vehicles (ask Amelia for example policies from other districts)
• Recruit drivers
• Pay parents/guardians/students mileage reimbursement, gas cards
• Pay staff to transport on their commute
• Community collaboration: partner with other community transportation services, afterschool programs, churches, summer camps, who has a van/vehicle?
• Speak with local car dealerships about donations
• Public transportation, taxis, private drivers, rideshare services
• Volunteers/retirees/other parents
• Partner with local colleges, universities
• Flexible bus routes, other district vehicles
• Inter-district collaboration, meet on town lines with districts

• School Bus Purchase Program
• Contracted school bus services.  A district can typically cut transportation costs about 25% to 50% when they change from contracted to local school bus ownership and operations. 
• SAUs receive some subsidy for all other transportation costs, e.g., contracted services. 
• Regional school transportation services and collaborating with neighboring SAUs often have good results. 

Student Cabinet Applications are Open!

Please help the Maine Department of Education by providing this opportunity to students who would be great advocates for their peers in your region. Please note that we are especially interested in perspectives from students across a wide spectrum of diverse experiences, interests, cultures, and backgrounds. The DOE is releasing applications for the 2022/2023 Student Cabinet, a group of students who will meet with Commissioner Makin throughout the 2022/23 school year to discuss educational opportunities, improvements, and policy. There are 16-20 seats that are currently open for students in grades 4 – 12 and first year of college. The newly selected members will serve for a term of two years, starting in October. All 16 counties in Maine are represented on the Student Cabinet.

Test Your M-V Knowledge

Need help defining Doubled Up Eligibility?

Here's a list of critical questions to consider. 

• Does the family or youth have any legal right to be in the home?
• Can the family or youth be asked to leave at any time with no legal recourse?
• Did the family or youth lose previous housing due to
  • An eviction or foreclosure?
  • Destruction of or damage to the previous home?
  • Unhealthy or unsafe conditions?
  • Domestic violence?
  • Abuse or neglect?
  • The absence of a parent or guardian due to abandonment, parental incarceration, or a similar reason?
• Did economic hardship due to an accident or illness, loss of employment, loss of public benefits, or a similar reason force the family or youth to share the housing of others temporarily? 
• Consider how the shared housing came about; the intention of the residents; the family’s or youth’s housing options if not sharing housing; the fixed, regular, and adequate guiding phrase
• Make determinations on a case-by-case basis
• Still not sure? Call Amelia Lyons at (207) 5517 - 1787

Looking for the M-V Liaison in another district?

Resources

• Mental health has risen to the third most common reason youth contact NRS for help, representing nearly a third of all contacts. This is a striking development that we are seeing for the first time in  50 years of operation.

• Young people ages 10-14 are the fastest growing population reaching out to NRS, including a dramatic increase of 150% for children under the age of 12. This shift requires a critical focus on prevention and early intervention efforts to ensure this group of young people have the supports and services they need.

Test Your M-V Knowledge: Answer