Updates
 Happy December!
- Please join us for the final Regional McKinney-Vento meeting of 2022 - this week happening in Biddeford (12/8).
- Are you all set and trained as a McKinney-Vento Liaison for this school year? Join the 200+ Maine Liaisons who have been trained or taken the assessment for school year 2022-23.
- Did you know we have higher education liaisons now? See below for more info.
- FAQ of the month: Is taking away bus privileges as a form of discipline something that would impede or cause a barrier to a student’s access to education? Answer below.
- Liaisons Supporting Each Other: Check below for this month's question.
Thank you for all you do,
Amelia Lyons
McKinney-Vento Specialist
Maine Department of Education
(207) 557-1787
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McKinney-Vento and Higher Education
Students in Maine who are or have been eligible for McKinney-Vento may have additional support available from their college or university.
Homeless Student Liaison
In Maine, any college in the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, and Maine Maritime Academy may all have designated homeless student liaisons. These liaisons have expertise in the financial aid eligibility of homeless students and in identifying services for homeless students. The liaison assists homeless students in applying for federal and state financial aid and applying for and receiving available services.
Priority for Housing
Colleges may give students experiencing homelessness priority for available housing resources, including housing that remains open during breaks
Financial Assistance
Each state postsecondary educational institution may award a grant to students who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness. The grant award is limited to the amount of the cost of tuition, less all other financial aid received from a Federal Pell Grant or any other merit-based or needs-based grant or scholarship, that the student is not required to repay.
Visit this link for more inforamtion
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Get to Know Maine's Liaisons
This month's newsletter highlights Matt Foster, McKinney-Vento Liaison/Loranger Memorial School Principal, for the RSU 23, Old Orchard Beach Schools.
What's your favorite MV resource, tip, or trick?
Amelia! She has been a great McKinney-Vento resource for us.
What's a normal workday look like for you?
Normal workday??! Most days are anything but normal - never a dull moment!
What advice do you have for a new liaison?
Reach out to other liaisons and connect. Also, familiarize yourself with the resources that are posted on the Maine DOE website-there are a lot of great videos/toolkits available.
What's a program point of pride?
We have received grant funds from ARP-ESSER, which has allowed us to add a School and Community Services Coordinator. With this support, we hope to implement a comprehensive MckInney-Vento Program that includes additional staff education for all schools within our district, as well as provide community support for our McKinney-Vento students and families.
In this section, we interview liaisons around the state. Please complete this form if you are interested in having your district's work highlighted.
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FAQ of the month:
Is taking away bus privileges as a form of discipline something that would impede or cause a barrier to a student’s access to education?
Source: SchoolHouse Connection Q and A
Answer: The McKinney-Vento Act requires LEAs to provide transportation to and from the school of origin. At the same time, the McKinney-Vento Act does not override school discipline (as long as the reason for the discipline is not related to the student’s homelessness). If an LEA is using a school bus to provide transportation to the school of origin, the LEA may wish to pursue forms of discipline that do not keep the child off the bus. If the child is suspended from the bus for safety reasons or other reasons, the LEA must arrange alternative transportation for the student.
Generally speaking, when considering disciplinary action involving a McKinney-Vento student, schools should remember the traumatic impact of homelessness, and how trauma affects student behavior. The US Department of Education has emphasized the importance of implementing a schoolwide approach to positive and proactive behavioral support systems and behavioral interventions for at-risk students. USED Guidance, March 2017, pages 34-35 and 46-47.
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Liaisons Supporting Each Other
Question: Does anyone have a winter weather procedure for MV Students? We have had some issues during the last storm with our district having a delay and theirs did not. Do other districts use a form or method of communication to address this problem?
If you have comments or ideas for this liaison, please complete this brief form.
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Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness - a 5 minute overivew of
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Professional Development
Last Call! Fall McKinney-Vento Regional Meetings: Biddeford- in person, Thursday, Dec 8, -11:15am - Register here
In partnership with our Community Based Organizations, we will be hosting regional meetings this fall around the state. Join us for an opportunity to:
- 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,
- collect forms, posters, and other handouts for McKinney-Vento,
- brainstorm solutions and network
- eat delicious goodies!
Other Optional Professional Learning:
- FAFSA Fixes for Homeless and Foster Youth: What You Need to Know Now
December 7, 1:00-2:00PM Eastern
This webinar will review recently-released guidance from the U.S. Department of Education intended to help implement the new FAFSA provisions, and provide recommendations for practices, partnerships, and advocacy to ensure smooth implementation. - Register here
- Braving a New England Winter: Rights & Resources to Access Critical Services
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 12:00-1:30pm Webinar: Zoom
Join the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging community for an important discussion and networking opportunity highlighting critical information & resources as we head into the winter months. With heating and other utility costs soaring, this important conversation will explore rights and access to critical services and emergency preparedness to keep older adults in our communities safe and healthy through the cold, dark months ahead. This is a call to action: no person and no organization is in this alone. We can do our best work and have the most impact when we band together and share resources to raise awareness. We invite and encourage you to bring information about key resources you have to offer and to think about how you can share with others on the webinar and in your community. - Register here
- New Beginnings Virtual Training - A Place for Everyone: Welcoming Gender Diverse Youth Training Series
January 10th & 12th, 2023 - Noon - 4:00 PM. Applications Open Dec. 6th, 2022 thru Jan. 6th, 2023 (2 day training). More info and registration
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Resources
NEW Maine DOE McKinney-Vento Contact Lookup!
Looking for the liaison in another district? Check out the new and improved liaison lookup! You will want to bookmark the link below to look up by town and the liaison contact info will appear.
New McKinney-Vento Contact Look-up
Tracking McKinney-Vento Data with Maine DOE
Are you aware of how your Nighttime Residence Information for all McKinney-Vento students is entered into the Maine DOE's student data system? If you need a refresher on student data, check out the McKinney-Vento Data webinar from last school year, and be sure to communicate with your district data coordinator.
McKinney-Vento Data webinar
Maine DOE partnered with Youth Action Board to create new outreach materials:
Download the outreach flyers here
Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program - now providing services statewide!
- Jessica Sanfasin will be the Lead Housing Coordinator in the Northern part of the state. Jessica's caseload will be everything Brunswick North and that area of the coast/inland. She will be responsible for cultivating landlord and community relationships within that geographical coverage area. She will also be the voice and face of VOA Northern New England YHDP in that area. Jessica's email address is Jessica.Sanfasin@voanne.org. Her telephone number is (207) 355-5529
- Zackery Reed will be the Lead Housing Coordinator of the Southern part of the state. Zackery's caseload will be everything Freeport/South and that area of the coast/inland. She will be responsible for cultivating landlord and community relationships within that geographical coverage area. She will also be the voice and face of VOA Northern New England YHDP in that area. Zackery's email address is Zackery.reed@voanne.org, and her telephone number is (207) 607-6755.
We have worked thus far with some of you as you have provided referrals to our program, and we would like to thank you for coordinating with us to ensure that the Youth and Young adults in our great state of Maine are provided with the best resources available.
Read The National Network for Youth
2021-2022 Impact Report.
2022 Full Plates Full Potential John T. Woods Innovation Fund Applications are open
The John T. Woods Innovation Fund supports school districts in piloting innovative strategies to increase participation in and access to meals served through child nutrition programs. Founded in memory of John T. Woods, co-founder of Full Plates Full Potential who always believed that child hunger in Maine is a solvable issue, this one-time funding opportunity is designed to support bold pilot projects looking to make a lasting impact in their communities. As a chance for applicants to dream big and think outside of the box, this grant will fund larger investments ranging from $15,000-$30,000 per grantee. The process for this grant opportunity will be more competitive and will require significant engagement and collaboration from grantees throughout the grant period. More info here.
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